Get Smart
At Quality 16 and Showcase
Rating: 4 out 5 stars
Warner Brothers

Posted on June 22, 2008.

When Steve Carell puts on a suit, good things happen.

An unassuming actor who first gained a cultish following from his stint as a (besuited) correspondent on "The Daily Show," Carell has seen his career explode in the past couple of years with acclaimed roles in films like "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and "Little Miss Sunshine." But of course, to most of us, he will always be known as Michael Scott, the endearingly clueless boss on NBC's popular comedy series "The Office."

For his latest film, "Get Smart" - an adaptation of the excellent 1960s spy-spoof series starring Don Adams in the title role of Maxwell Smart - Carell dons not only a suit to evoke Michael Scott, but also brings along the low-key, haphazardly casual charm that has quickly become his trademark. The result is an exceptional film - action-packed and driven perfectly by the considerable comedic talents of its star.

For those who never had the fortune of seeing the original series, "Get Smart" centers on an ultra-secret American spy agency called CONTROL, whose agents work tirelessly to counter the evil schemes of KAOS, a foreign entity bent on denying world peace. Maxwell Smart (Carell) is CONTROL's top security analyst - brilliant, but hopelessly bookish. Though the Chief (Alan Arkin, "Little Miss Sunshine") would rather keep Smart in the office, he is forced to send him out into action after KAOS identifies and kills most of CONTROL's field agents.

Smart is paired with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway, "The Devil Wears Prada"), a beautiful, talented and haughty field agent with a mysterious past. As this unlikeliest of partnerships proceeds (and flounders), the film hits its stride - with Carell re-imagining this beloved character with his celebrated deadpan, as Hathaway looks on with an appropriate combination of exasperation and amusement.

Supporting players like Hathaway, Arkin and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson ("The Game Plan") do more than just fill the screen. For Hathaway especially, her turn as 99 is markedly more assertive and responsive than that of Barbara Feldon 40 years ago. That's not a creative decision, by any means: It's simply a testament to how the archetype for lead female has changed over the decades, and who better than the fiercely "now" Hathaway to showcase the change?

For a series that began as a spoof on the West's intense obsession with portraying its holy triumphs over the Godless Commies (James Bond, anyone?), "Get Smart" would obviously have to change to be anything more than a throwaway comedy today. The 2008 version, surprisingly, proves quite adept at that considerable transformation. The film seamlessly evokes present-day foibles of government and security with the same incisive wit of the original series.

From a sarcastic, dismissive vice president (with a pacemaker, of course) to a National Security Council rapped by petty feuds and personal vendettas, the film takes many not-so-subtle stabs at America's newfound obsession with "evildoers." Of course, Bush-bashing, especially in Hollywood, is too easy these days to warrant any applause, but thankfully "Get Smart" goes well beyond that. In an odd parallel, it functions in a way similar to the recent "Harold and Kumar" sequel in getting a surprisingly bulky political message across in just a few grunts and glares.

Though Carell's take on Smart is different from that of Adams, it is equally as lovable and addictive. Fans tuned in for more than 130 episodes of "Get Smart" in the mid-to-late '60s and they'll be eager for more after seeing this movie. Luckily, they won't have to wait long: Warner Brothers plans to launch a DVD companion film featuring some of the minor characters just 10 days after this film's theatrical release. And if that's not enough, we can be sure that Carell himself will be returning in a sequel before too long.