Get Smart

"I think it's only fair to warn you, this facility is surrounded by a highly trained team of 130 Black Op Snipers."
"I don't believe you."
"Would you believe two dozen Delta Force Commandos?"
"No."
"How about Chuck Norris with a BB gun?"

Maxwell Smart (Carell) is a top CONTROL analyst, spending most of his time painstakingly translating Russian chatter. Despite being the best at his job, Max dreams of becoming a field agent. After seven failed attempts, the Chief (Arkin) finally acknowledges Max would make an excellent agent, but he is needed more in his current job. However, after CONTROL is attacked by Russian agency KAOS (CONTROL's biggest threat) the identities of CONTROL agents have been compromised. The only agents left are Agent 99 (Hathaway), who recently changed her face, and Max as Agent 86.

Agent 99 does not want to be paired with a rookie...but Max is thrilled. They are sent to Russia to find KAOS' nuclear bombs. Their adventure begins when they jump from a plane, Max without a parachute, while being chased by a KAOS assassin. With Agent 99's field expertise, and Max's knowledge of KAOS agents, they infiltrate a party hosted by Krstic (David S. Lee), the arms dealer. After a danceoff, they continue to follow the trail of the bombs, realizing the attack on CONTROL was an inside job. Meanwhile, back at CONTROL top agent 23 (Johnson) tries to adjust to life behind a desk, while terrorizing Agent 91 (Crews) and obnoxious Larabee (Koechner).


I tend to have mixed feelings about TV shows becoming feature films... normally, they just don't translate well. The jokes and feel of 30 - 60 minutes just aren't enough to fill 2 hours. Most bomb, or are painful to watch (I'm thinking "Wild, Wild West" among others)... Thankfully, the writers and filmmakers made "Get Smart" the film work. The cast is terrific. Steve Carell is an excellent Max, with enough of Don Adams and his own spin on the part to make you believe the character. The classic lines and gags are present, including the memorable gadgets...with an update. Anne Hathaway works well as Agent 99... and Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a "The Rock") is well cast as Agent 23. The two techies, Bruce (Masi Oka) and Lloyd (Nate Torrence), are adorable and funny... and apparently were popular enough to have a straight to DVD short. Overall, an excellent homage to the original show and the people who brought it to life. Look for a cameo by the original Siegfried, Bernie Kopell.

Get Smart (2008) 110 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for some rude humor, action violence and language.
Director: Peter Segal
Starring: Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart / Agent 86
Anne Hathaway as Agent 99
Dwayne Johnson as Agent 23
Alan Arkin as The Chief
Terence Stamp as Siegfried
Terry Crews as Agent 91
David Koechner as Larabee
Masi Oka as Bruce
Nate Torrence as Lloyd