Movie Review: Get Smart

I wasn't sure what to expect from "Get Smart" when I walked into the theater. I never really watched the TV show on which it was based and the trailers I had seen were fairly bland (though the clip they've been using as a "turn off your cell phones" ad is pretty funny). But the cast was really strong and the basic premise seemed like it might be funny. I'm happy to report that I ended up really enjoying myself while watching this movie.

Not to take anything away from the script, which shows some nice craft in the way it layers in little details that end up paying off later, or the director who did a good job of staging everything, but this one is all about the casting. Steve Carell wisely avoids an imitation of Don Adams and instead plays the character his own way. His Maxwell Smart is a super-competent analyst who is less incompetent than naive in the ways of the field agent (naivete of some sort seems to be a common trait of most of Carell's characters), and Carell brings his usual comedic charm to the role. Anne Hathaway is, of course, ridiculously hot, but she's also an excellent actress (see Brokeback Mountain) who, as it turns out, has some good comedy chops as well. And who knew that "The Rock" was funny? Are we still calling him "The Rock" or can I just call him Dwayne Johnson now, either way he was great in his roll as CONTROL's resident super-agent. And, of course, there's Alan Arkin. One of my favorite moments from the film is when Arkin's character gets into a rumble with the Vice-President at a national security meeting.

It was not a perfect movie by any means, but the flaws were all relatively minor, and the laugh to groan ratio of the jokes was very good. So, overall, I feel that "Get Smart" was well worth my time.