The question on everyone’s mind is: Is this movie better than the “The Nude Bomb”? Okay, maybe that’s the question on no one’s mind. But yes, it is, in case you were wondering. It’s also even better than that horrible Andy Dick/”New Get Smart” show that lasted about two episodes. “Get Smart” basically takes the 60’s TV show, tries to modernize it, adds “The Rock” and puts in a plot about stolen nuclear material that no one really cares about, least of all the actors. The result is passable but uneven. The actors do a good job, yes, even The Rock. Alan Arkin is great. Steve Carell doesn’t try to channel Don Adams and makes the character his own, with mixed results. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Unfortunately he has pretty much NO chemistry with Agent 99, played by Anne Hathaway. Could it be because of the rather large and obvious age difference? In fact the age difference is so jarring that the script actually tries to explain it. Not a good sign. And Terence Stamp is completely wasted in this movie. Never put Terence Stamp in a movie and give him nothing to do. Ever. There are funny jokes in this movie, but simply not enough, which is the main problem. It doesn’t know what it wants to be. A comedy about spies or an action-thriller with a few jokes? The movie works when it’s a comedy about spies. You know, like the TV show. Remember that? It doesn’t work when it tries to add intrigue and over the top action. Why in Mel Brook’s name, would you have the villain by Terence Stamp play it straight? Siegfried as the head of KAOS was hilarious. You’ve lost half your humor but putting in a straight villain. Even Timothy Olyphant in the latest “Die Hard” movie was funnier. It really felt like this movie was made by committee. Maybe too many studio and producer notes watered everything down. I don’t know. But the movie definitely suffers from a lack of voice and direction and an uneven tone. There are some funny and inspired parts in this movie. The most memorable stuff comes from the nods to the TV show and some well placed cameos. You just get the sense in watching it that while it’s passable, it could have been so much more. “Get Smart” had the potential for a home run. It was a genius TV show and there was a lot to work with. Plus, it does boast a great, funny cast. It isn’t a home run, but it is a decent movie with solid performances, a few good cameos and a few good gags. These things combined elevate it a bit to at least a ground rule double.
—Chris Mancini
