Q: Is this faithful to the original TV series?
A: "Faithful"? I didn't know they were dating. Seriously, I think this movie departs quite a bit from the source material, but with some recognizable nods to the original. Of course, in Hollywood, "giving a nod to the original" usually means looking you in the eye and saying, "Yeah, we know the old one was different, and we're gonna screw with it. Got a problem?" I don't remember the show enough to be a good judge here, but I hope to catch up with the original soon.
Q: Is this a goofy spoof or more of an action movie?
A The movie tries to be both, ultimately to its own detriment. I enjoyed much of the comedy elements of it, but at some point, "Get Smart" just becomes a big summer action movie, and not a particularly interesting one, either. Maybe producers feared a result akin to "Johnny English" if they didn't try to open things up and go big.
Q: How is Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart?
A: He's funny, but the characterization offered by the screenplay is confusing and inconsistent. At times he's supposed to be a desk jockey who's brilliant in the office but an inept novice in the field. Sometimes he's supposed to be a clown. The filmmakers don't seem to have a good handle on how dumb to make the character.
Q: How is the chemistry between Carell and Hathaway?
A: It's surprisingly strong. On paper, it doesn't make sense, but they have good comic chemistry. That said, the movie also wants to suggest romantic chemistry, and I never quite buy that. Hathaway does a great job here, though, despite the inconsistent script and shows some real action comedy flair. Plus she looks really hot the entire movie (which really clouds my objectivity and raises the whole movie a notch or two).
Q: Are there any standouts in the supporting cast?
A: Alan Arkin plays the Chief but doesn't get much to do. The erstwhile Rock, Dwayne Johnson, is effective as a hotshot agent, and still-active pro wrestler Great Khali is, well, big. The show really belongs to Carell and Hathaway, though, and while Terence Stamp seems like a decent choice to play a hammy Euro villain, even his character has little chance to make an impact. Jimmy Caan's brief turn as a W-esque pres is amusing but brief.
By the way, I want to allude to something without spoiling the plot, but turn your head if you don't want a vague spoiler--or scroll down, that is. This movie has a twist which is so common, especially in this kind of adaptation, as to not be a twist at all, and I really thought it kind of unnecessary here. I'll say no more.
"Get Smart" is worth seeing for some good gags and for good gams (I'm not talking about Carell here, folks), but I saw it on HBO with low expectations. Had I paid for it, I probably would have been more disturbed by its deficiencies and less willing to ignore the fact that it becomes a big cheesy actionfest at the end.
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Had I paid for it, I probably would have been more disturbed by its deficiencies and less willing to ignore the fact that it becomes a big cheesy actionfest at the end.
I paid for it. 'Nuff said.
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