Get Smart (2008)

There have been several attempts to rejuvenate the characters and comedy of the original Get Smart series starring Don Adams but none of the small-screen efforts ever worked out. Given Hollywood’s track record of butchering adaptations of classic TV shows, it came as little surprise that plenty of eyes rolled when this film was announced. Fortunately, the result isn’t the disastrous abomination fans of the show had feared.

After years of working as an information analyst for CONTROL, Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is denied an agent position because he is too valuable behind a desk to risk in the field. When terrorist organization KAOS attacks CONTROL’s secret base, agent identities are exposed, thrusting Max into full agent activation overnight. He gets a new codename (Agent 86) and partners up with the lovely Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), while the former hotshot Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson) is forced into deskwork now that he is among the exposed.

Smart’s clumsiness generates plenty of chagrin for the no-nonsense 99 as they travel across the globe in an attempt to prevent KAOS from carrying out a nuclear attack on American soil. His attempts to be a suave secret agent blow up in his face but he proves himself a worthwhile addition to the force in the end. Along the way he and 99 face a number of physical and mental challenges that bring them closer as professional partners and then some.

Recently I have altered my approach to judging movies based on other materials. It’s my opinion that it is unfair to judge a film as an adaptation because that kind of comparison is usually loaded with bias. Sometimes you can’t help but compare films with their source material but it’s wise to do so only as a reference point. Get Smart retools a lot of its source material out of necessity. With a modern setting, there are fewer cute gadgets because most useful spy technology already exists in miniature form thanks to technological advancements. While this may not have hurt the rebooted James Bond films, it does take away from the humor of Get Smart because the show was always a spoof of TV spy dramas and the Bond flicks. Without all the silly gadgets, the film loses a little bit of ground to stand on.

The only other comparison I care to make is about the relationship between Smart and 99. On the show, 99 thought her partner was dreamy and they were already a couple. Then again, they were both also seasoned agents. The film is an origin story, so it makes sense for the pair to have to grow to like each other. Fans of the show might not like it but then again, if they tried to make it too much like the show, fans would complain about a lack of originality.

Given Get Smart’s roots as a spoof of the 60s spy craze, it’s a little jarring to see how serious the film gets at times. Agent 99’s stern outlook tends to neutralize Steve Carell’s goofiness early on, sucking some of the fun out of it. Carell hits his stride around halfway through the film and it makes sense for him not to eschew the cocky swagger of Don Adams. In retrospect, it’s refreshing to see Smart as an unconfident new agent. It seems to me, though, that Carell puts a little too much Michael Scott and 40 Year Old Virgin into this new incarnation of Maxwell Smart.

Despite her character’s killjoy attitude through much of the film, major props go out to Anne Hathaway for her performance. She produces a solid blend of sex appeal and toughness befitting of a modern female special agent. While stunt performers were certainly involved, Hathaway looks like she belongs in all of her action scenes. She nails all of her hand-to-hand combat moves and, most importantly, looks like she is willing to kill the bad guys. She’s not just a pretty face maneuvered through blocky choreography. If nothing else, this should give moviegoers a little more confidence in her ability to play Catwoman in next year’s The Dark Knight Rises.

Despite solid performances by its leads, Get Smart does suffer one fatal flaw: its resolution is far too predictable. Even if they weren’t trying to keep it a secret, the identity of the mole can be reasoned out even before the film’s midway point. If you take the mystery out of a spy comedy, you’re only left with the comedy, which is too often stifled here.

There’s a reason why Get Smart worked as a TV show in the 60s. It was a time when audiences sought escapist entertainment to take their minds off of the gloomy world they lived in. That kind of escapism isn’t in vogue anymore and much of it seems silly when we look back on it now. That is why the Austin Powers films were so successful- they were a tongue-in-cheek spoof and homage to 60s spy entertainment that went beyond Get Smart’s clean humor. Had Austin Powers not made it to the big screen, a Get Smart movie might have been more warmly welcomed. Instead, it feels like a last-minute responder to an already full party.

RATING: 2.75 out of 5