Of the two comedies that opened this week, the wife, my friend Mike and myself saw Get Smart instead of The Love Guru. And it turned out to be a pretty good choice.
Granted, Get Smart is a flawed movie. It is a caper film that really doesn't hold up to close scrutiny. But the quality of the acting made watching the film an enjoyable experience.
Don't be misled by the trailer. This film is less a comedy with action than an action comedy. In fact, the tone is just a little bit sillier than a Lethal Weapon and about equal, if not slightly more serious that the Rush Hour films.
There were a lot of nice touches in the film. Maxwell Smart, played excellently by Steve Carell, is portrayed not as a bumbling incompetent but rather as an inexperience novice. He does screw up, but he learns from his mistakes and grows from them. I really liked that aspect of the character.
Anne Hathaway is beautiful and charming, as she always is. She plays her character fairly well. Dwayne Johnson oozes charn and charisma as Agent 23, and Alan Arkin, who is a god of comedy, in my opinion, simply rocks as the Chief. He brings joy and humor to every aspect of his role, and pretty much lights up the screen.
However, there are things that keep this from being the perfect movie. The romance between Carell and Hathaway is not terribly believeable. I'd imaging that the powers that be felt this might be the case, and thought it was because of the differences in ages. There is a clumsy bit of exposition that pops up in the first act where it is revealed that Hathaway's character is actually older than she really is (her character having plastic surgery is a subplot). It was almost as if the movie makers were saying "See! She might look 15 years younger! But they are really the same age! Therefore, you should believe the hint of romance!"
But the age difference wasn't what made the romance unbelievable. It was that they didn't give it time to develop. They go from a casual flirtation to ga-ga almost instantiously. It is jarring and not terribly believable.
And the identity of the mole in CONTROL could be guessed halfway through by almost anyone who has ever seen a movie before. However, his betrayal is never explained and his motivations are never made clear.
There are a bunch of great homages to the TV show, which is the case with any adaptation. The choice of actor to play Hymie is great and spot on.
All in all, Get Smart is a good movie if you are looking for a fun summer flick where you don't have to think too hard and want a good laugh.
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