Movie review: "Get Smart"
From September 18, 1965 until September 11, 1970, the television series "Get Smart" featuring Don Adams, Barbara Feldon and Edward Platt graced the airways. I was never very fond of the show, but it did take Don Adams away from Tennessee Tuxedo, Type Cast Barbara Feldon and enhance the careers of both Buck Henry and Mel Brooks. Thirty-eight years later, the show is back, on the big screen and, "Would you believe?", "They missed it by that much".
Actually, it is a pretty-good show, but just not a great show. Most of the movie is rather "ho-hum", which, to me, is not unlike the TV series. Anne Hathaway's stunt double is excellent, some of the gags work, and people who liked the 60's TV series will appreciate the walk down memory lane, but, other than that, the movie is nothing special at least until the end.
Maxwell Smart is the top research agent for the secret spy agency, C.O.N.T.R.O.L., and longs to be an agent in the field. Despite his outstanding test results, he is not allowed to become a field agent because his research is too invaluable. Then, K.A.O.S. infiltrates the super secret headquarters of C.O.N.T.R.O.L. destroying everything and the Chief has no other choice but to promote Max and put him on the case.
New Agent 86, Maxwell Smart is teamed with Agent 99. They infiltrate Russia, and uncover a K.A.O.S. system of smuggling nuclear components that involves a bakery in Moscow. They blow up the bakery and escape to freedom. Upon completion of their successful mission, Agent 23 is sent to the destroyed bakery to clean up the nuclear remains but finds none. Since Max is the only one who actually saw the nuclear material, suspicion is cast on him and he is accused of being a "double agent". He is locked up while the rest of the team tries to thwart a K.A.O.S attempt to demonstrate their nuclear capability by blowing up concert hall in L.A where the president is in attendance. Max escapes his imprisonment and heads to L.A. both to assist in the new assignment and to tell Agent 99 that he has fallen in love with her. Once in L.A, the movie actually gets interesting.
Using his Geiger counter watch, Max reveals that the real double agent is Agent 23 who has conspired with K.A.O.S. and Siegfried to blow up the concert hall. As a chase ensues and agents struggle for the bomb's controls, it is determined that the last notes of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, "The Ode to Joy" are set to trigger the bomb and another race ensues back to the concert hall to stop the orchestra from completing the piece. Agent 86 tackles the conductor just before the last notes can be played, the world is saved and Agents 86 and 99 start dating. End of movie.
The movie was pretty much "B" all the way, but the nice, action ending pulled it up to a "B+". Only people who really loved the TV series will get all the jokes and recognize the character "Jaime", the robot, at the end of the movie and "Fang". Without the association to the TV series and the nice finish to the movie, it is a rather weak overall. There are, however, some nice gags, good stunt work, and nice camera shots. It is OK to wait for this one to come to pay-per-view.
Title: Get Smart
Director: Pete Segal
Genre: Comedy Adventure, Rating: PG-13, Run Time: One hour and fifty minutes.
Cast: Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart, Anne Hathaway as Agent 99, Dwayne Johnson as Agent 23, Alan Arkin as The Chief, and Terrence Stamp as Siegfried