Like so many others I typically groan when I hear about another movie remake based on an old American television series. And at first I did groan when I heard they were remaking one my favorite series that I only saw in reruns as a kid, “Get Smart”. Don Adams as CONTROL Agen 86 Maxwell Smart was the lynch pin on that show that made that series as funny as it was. But when I saw that Steve Carell was taking the lead, I sighed in great relief. Steve Carell is now considered one of Hollywood’s leading funning men and it pays off in spades that he is starring as Smart in this very uneven but still ultimately funny, entry of endless Hollywood remakes.
Doing a high profile remake can be risky for a rising hot star, particularly in the field of comedy and even more so after coming off one of the worst reviewed movies of last year, the groaner “Even Almighty”. But Carell comes off fine as Agent 86 and carries the movie like a true movie star can and should. Alongside him is a fine cast, including Anne Hathaway (“The Devil Wears Prada”) as his more attractive partner with better skills Agent 99, veteran comic actor Alan Arkin as The Chief, and the beefy but light on his feet Dwayne Johnson, formerly known as The Rock, as the smarmy and arrogant Agent 23. I’m not going to get into the plot since it is secondary to all of the jokes and sight gags. Suffice to say that CONTROLS nemesis, KAOS, their Russian equiva lent and headed by the very serious but surprisingly funny actor Terrence Stamp, are out to destroy the world with nukes and Maxwell Smart and gang are out to stop them. The movie, as was the series, is a spoof on all of the serious Cold War espionage shows and movies that were prevalent during the 60’s and 70’s. The filmmakers make some notable nods to the original series that are a nice touch, especially the shoe phone which is used for a nifty plot device.
The biggest problem that I had was the number of misfired jokes. Most of them miss because of the editing and pacing of the scene. As talented as Carell is, he does not escape unscathed, which may not be his own fault. Twice I counted he did use the series famous line, “Missed it by that much” and neither time did they work. They were awkward and poorly timed. There was not one giggle from the audience at either, probably because many are too young to know its originality and secondly they just didn’t fit the scene. And when he smashed the Chiefs head in by accident, his gag line was so awkwardly done I actually grimaced.
But to be sure there are also plenty of good things that make this film ultimately worth your while. It is refreshing that they kept Max actually smart, being just goofy and inept enough to make him endearing and at times hilarious. There are 2 scenes in particular that show off Carells comedic charms. When he unsuccessfully tries to use a Swiss Army knife to cut his bonds while in an airplane bathroom and in another when he is evading being cut in half by lasers but finds he has an unwelcome friend helping him will be well remembered after the movie is over. The production values are also top notch. Well made set designs, go od photography and decent special effects make it more akin to a Bond flick than a comedy. The action scenes are actually well done, particularly the parachute scene and the of course the finale. And composer Trevor Rabin not only beefs up the original series main theme, he concocts a nice new theme for the movie itself which was a nice surprise and worked very well with the context of the movie.
All in all you could do worse with a remake of a television comedy series. So many have tried and failed (Steve Martins “Sgt. Bilko” comes to mind-ugh!). The kids will eat this up and so will fans of both the series and Steve Carell. With the exception of a few groaners and some head scratching comedic lines that hit the floor like a brick, the rest is pretty funny and yes, at times maybe even smart.
**1/2(fair)
