Review: "Get Smart"

Seen on: June 20, 2008

The players: Director: Peter Segal, Writers: Tom J. Astle, Matt Ember, Cast: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terrence Stamp

Facts of interest: Based on the 1960s TV series co-created by Mel Brooks.

The plot: Agent Maxwell Smart (Carell) must hunt down and eliminate a ruthless villain who plans to take over the world. 

Our quick thoughts: “Get Smart” is not as smart as you may think. Peter Segal’s action comedy misses its mark more often than it hits its obvious targets, offering audiences a moderately entertaining and quite simplistic flick with barely any surprises. Boasting an A-list cast led by Steve Carell, the film continually wrestles with mediocre screenwriting and a lack of solid laughs.

As an analyst for the U.S. spy agency CONTROL, Maxwell Smart (Carell) does a fabulous job. His lengthy reports may bore every one of his colleagues, but they do contain every bit of required information to track down some of the world’s most wanted terrorists. Despite his valuable work in the office, Max has grown tired of the routine behind the desk, which is why he eagerly signs up for a position out in the field.

When the ruthless crime syndicate named KAOS announces a plan to distribute nuclear weapons to some of the planet’s most unpredictable dictators, Max finally gets his shot at becoming a field agent. Joined by Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), Max has only a few days to hunt down the forces of KAOS and foil their plans to seize world domination. Easier said than done…

Much like the British spy comedy “Johnny English,” in which Rowan Atkinson plays a clumsy spy without a clue about what he’s really doing, “Get Smart” relies too heavily on Steve Carell’s comedic talents in its attempt to entertain the audience. Unfortunately, it takes only a few minutes to realize Carell is really struggling with the weak script by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember, the duo that also brought us the disastrous “Failure to Launch.”

“Get Smart” is not nearly as funny as I thought it would be. In fact, as a comedy spoofing the spy thriller, it’s pretty lame. Carell really tries to look goofy as the maladroit lead character, but his efforts barely pay off. Some jokes work, most of them fall flat, and others are quite simply embarrassing. I smiled a couple of times and really tried to give the film a chance, but a bunch of shallow fat gags and a dose of homophobia really ruined it for me.

On a more positive note, the action sequences in the movie keep the plot operating at a decent pace, although they certainly fail to compensate for the lame humor. Most of the stunts, shootouts and pursuits you get to see in “Get Smart” are entertaining enough to keep cinemagoers interested in what’s going down on the screen, but at the same time, they don’t offer us anything we haven’t seen yet. It’s all standard, forgettable material.

Carell shares an interesting chemistry with Anne Hathaway, who I believe delivers the most compelling performance as the charming Agent 99. Watching them battle evil is enjoyable to a certain extend, although I wish the script would have supplied them with funnier stuff to play around with. Acting honors also go to Alan Arkin, who’s always right on target, and Dwayne Johnson, who finally found a character that suits him.

Freaky quote: "Oh, I'm so happy! I'm so happy! This is the best day of my life!” – Steve Carell

The final word: The trailer for “Get Smart” promised us a hilarious James Bond parody with one of TV’s funniest actors in the lead role, but what we’re eventually left with is a disappointing comedy lacking a solid story and captivating characters. Carell does a fabulous job in “The Office” and usually scores the ideal roles on the big screen, but his work in this flick is forgettable indeed. Be smart and skip this one.

Article by Franck Tabouring