Review of Get Smart (2008) by James S — 01 Feb 2014

I love me some Steve Carell comedy, and this is one of his best. While there are a lot of secret-agency spy movies out there (both serious and silly), this one packs a lot in.

We begin with Maxwell Smart, a pencil-pushing analyst for CONTROL. While he has all the abilities needed to become an agent, his application is denied...for about ten minutes until they need him again. He must team up with Agent 99 to follow a lead that will lead us through several clichéd spy locations, culminating in a dastardly plot to wipe out Los Angeles. As you can tell, the plot is pretty formulaic, but the comedy more than makes up for it.

There are some great jokes, and everyone gets to share in the fun. This is one of those films that tries to be an action film as well as a comedy (the spy genre kind of dictates it), but it's a fun ride, and the film never takes itself too seriously.

There is also some quality acting here. I'm a big Steve Carell fan, and he puts on a great show here. Anne Hathaway also nails it, playing straight to Carell when needed, and really sells the premise without a hint of irony. Dwayne Johnson brings a surprising amount of nuance to his character; he's got a great range here. Alan Arkin is an absolute blast, showing everything from exasperation to anger to downright helpfulness. Finally, we have the incredible Terence Stamp, who is great in everything, playing a really good villain; his straight face is fantastic.

A really funny, clean film that brings action and comedy together in a surprisingly effective package.