Watching "Get Smart", a big screen adaptation of a TV series that ran when I wasn't even a single cell, I didn't have the same kind of approach other members of the audience had in watching the film - mainly bordered more on nostalgia of a satire of the Cold War. Instead, I was geared more on a film that's supposedly a blend of action and comedy starring one of the more endearing actors active in the industry: Steve Carell.
Carell plays Agent Maxwell Smart, a hardworking analyst for the secret organization CONTROL, who's eager for a promotion as a field agent. When the existence of CONTROL is jeopardized, Smart is eventually sent to the field to investigate a suspicious activity by KAOS, CONTROL's archenemy. He is partnered with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) and together, they engage themselves in some explosive scenarios.
While Carrell fits the role well and manages to give the film most of its charisma, director Peter Segal and screenwriters Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember struggle to find the right balance between humor and action, never really gaining a foothold on either. There are intermittent laughs and the action scenes are somewhat diverting but the overall effect feels wanting. The twist is so painfully obvious you could see it a mile away.
Hathaway doesn't have the requisite chemistry with Carell for their relationship to ignite sparks and the supporting cast comprised of Alan Arkin as the CONTROL head, Terence Stamp as the KAOS head, and Dwayne Johnson as Agent 23 are wasted with hit-or-miss dialogs.
"Get Smart" doesn't end up as being a horrible movie as surely, there are some moments worthy of a matinée. But it's a material that smells like it could have gotten a better treatment.
Carell plays Agent Maxwell Smart, a hardworking analyst for the secret organization CONTROL, who's eager for a promotion as a field agent. When the existence of CONTROL is jeopardized, Smart is eventually sent to the field to investigate a suspicious activity by KAOS, CONTROL's archenemy. He is partnered with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) and together, they engage themselves in some explosive scenarios.
While Carrell fits the role well and manages to give the film most of its charisma, director Peter Segal and screenwriters Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember struggle to find the right balance between humor and action, never really gaining a foothold on either. There are intermittent laughs and the action scenes are somewhat diverting but the overall effect feels wanting. The twist is so painfully obvious you could see it a mile away.
Hathaway doesn't have the requisite chemistry with Carell for their relationship to ignite sparks and the supporting cast comprised of Alan Arkin as the CONTROL head, Terence Stamp as the KAOS head, and Dwayne Johnson as Agent 23 are wasted with hit-or-miss dialogs.
"Get Smart" doesn't end up as being a horrible movie as surely, there are some moments worthy of a matinée. But it's a material that smells like it could have gotten a better treatment.