Getting Smart

Back in the 60s there was a popular television show that spoofed the typical spy flicks of the time.  The brain child of Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, Get Smart followed a secret agent who was a delightful mix between James Bond and Inspector Clouseau.  Bumbling, clumsy and not too bright, Maxwell Smart always managed to save the day – mostly due to dumb luck and the skill of his partner, Agent 99.

The film adaptation of the movie was released this weekend, and we went to check it out.  One of the things I liked about the movie is that it doesn’t try too hard to be the original Get Smart.  It has elements of the original tv series, but doesn’t attempt to be an exact replica.  I’ve read some reviews that criticize the movie because of this fact, but seriously, nothing is ever as good as the original. 

With that said, I thought the movie was great.  I’m not a big fan of Steve Carell, but he did a fantastic job of portraying this version of Maxwell Smart.  There were some scenes that made me laugh so hard I cried.  I won’t tell you what those scenes were because I don’t want to spoil the fun for you.  Dwayne Johnson and Anne Hathaway also delivered good supporting performances as Agent 23 and Agent 99.

All in all, (use nasal Maxwell Smart voice here) “would you believe” I’m giving it an enthusiastic thumbs up?  Yeah, that’s right.  Go see it.  If you are a Steve Carell fan, you will love it.  If you aren’t, you will still love it – I did.