Get Smart (2008)

Before I watched this film, I read the reviews of the press and most of them weren't great. I am unfortunately one of those guys who will put himself off watching it because of those bad reviews. I'm gutted I did as this film was simply the personification of brilliance from start to finish. It's slick, stylish and downright comic excellence. Even for a film like this, the special effect and general action would put even James Bond to shame. It's exciting, quite emotional at times, cool at others and just downright silly at the times that are left.

Steve Carell plays Maxwell Smart, a secret agent who desperately wants to get on the field. The government agency he works for known only as CONTROL are infiltrated by an evil agency known as KAOS which compromises the identities of all the current field agents. So in order to battle this force and still stay a secret, the chief of CONTROL puts smart on the field and assigns him the title of agent 86 partnering him with the much more experienced Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway). Max looks up to his close friend and one of the best agents on the field, Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson). He is the James Bond of CONTROL and it's no surprise that Max wants to be so much like him.

This is just a really light hearted and fast paced film. I guess it could just be labelled a comedy, but that would just ignore the other great aspects of the film. The action is done really well and isn't the tacky type comedy we have come to associate comedy movies when they feature action. Some of the sequences are genuinely unique and truly edge of your seat. The chemistry between Hathaway and Carell is great and one scene in particular expresses the comedic chemistry between the two. The laser room scene which is somewhat of a cliché for spy movies is superb in this.

Carell is the usual silly guy we have come to know and love, his ridiculous expressions and perfected comic timing are all present. It's also very pleasant to see the wonderful Anne Hathaway in a leading role where she isn't the damzel in distress, or the naive teenager. The Bill Murray cameo is also something quite special as agent 13, he's only there for a moment and has about three lines but it's always great to see Bill Murray on our screens. It also seems quite a wrestler fest as well, obviously with the inclusion of Dwayne Johnson as agent 23 but also WWEs The Great Khali as the cliché middle eastern, giant bad guy. Johnson doesn't take his character too seriously, which is something he always manages to shine in playing but manages to pull out the acting stops when he has to enter into the action man role.

An awesome movie all round and is definitely worth it just for the sky diving scene and the laser room.

This film is the first I'd seen in YEARS where I actually laughed often during the entire film! Steve Carell is a fitting Maxwell Smart, bringing the personality and humor the character requires. (I'd been a fan of the old tv series, watching re-runs on Nick at Nite.) He's really the only man for the job that I could even picture in the role. And Anne Hathaway steals the show as the beautiful Agent 99. Anne and Steve compliment each other in every scene with hilarious, witty dialogue and facial expressions that only they can do. The Rock was also awesome as Agent 23. And Alan Arkin is surprisingly side-splitting as the Chief! I laughed at everything he did/said! SEE THIS FILM.

Buy Get Smart (2008) Now

I don't go to very many movies at the theater, usually wait for the DVDs to come out. Get Smart, however, is one movie that I saw twice at the theaters. Laughed my head off both times. Steve Carell plays an excellent Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway is great as his beautiful and sexy sidekick. If you remember the TV show you'll love this movie. The nuances connecting the movie to the show will make you smile.

Read Best Reviews of Get Smart (2008) Here

Hi Folks,

Being a huge fan of the original I missed this in theaters due to negative reviews..it isn't as bad as they made out...and is better than much I've wasted my money on...all that said...the SINGLE DISC version is a much better deal in my opinion..

the 5 bonus features on the second disc of this set..all add up to about 20 minutes!! There isn't a really solid "making of" to be found in this deluxe 2 disc edition. There was no need for a second disc for this skimpy bunch of nothing. The Digital copy is truly the ONLY reason for anyone to buy this version and that is what my review is about. There are plenty of reviews of the movie..but if you don't need the digital copy ..stick with the single disc edition..this bunch of truly nothing isn't worth your money..

OH..I almost forgot the annoying 1st disc special feature with the bonus 62% more "laughs" ...well the reason its annoying is that you can't simply choose this version..(which wouldn't make sense anyway as many of the additional laughs were versions of scenes cut or deleted for ones in the movie so we are seeing alternative versions of funny scenes) but have to have your remote in hand and instead of an icon which shows up on screen the whole picture freezes up and shows you an image of a remote and you then hit enter and see the additional laughs (or additional attempts at laughs)..as if you can even remember where you were in the story after all that ...over and over and over...really not a viewing option for anyone who isn't overly curious to see all the less than stellar bi-product of the production to understand why those "laughs" never made the movie in the first place.

I wish I'd have saved the money and purchased the single disc version.

you have been warned!

Want Get Smart (2008) Discount?

This movie was this summer's TV rerun turned big screen flick. I laughed. I cringed. I held my breath. And, ultimately, I wished I'd listened to my two roommates who saw it opening night and hated it. I thought it was okay, but there were other things I could have done with my time and money.

While most people think the Communist organization KAOS died at the end of the cold war, it really went under ground. So, too, did the US organization devoted to stopping it, CONTROL. Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is their top analyst, but he secretly desires to be an agent because they get all the glory. His idol is Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson), not only the best, but a popular nice guy. But The Chief (Alan Arkin) won't promote Max because his extremely detailed reports are critical to the success of the agency.

All that changes when KAOS manages to attack CONTROL's main office. With all their agents' identities exposed, Max has to team up with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) to discover KAOS' plan. But Agent 99 is less than thrilled to be working with an obvious rookie who is a bit of a spaz. Can the two stay alive long enough for CONTOL to gain ... well, control?

Fans of the original show will see glimpses of what they loved here, including some of the outdated gadgets that were cutting edge for the 60's. Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway do a good job of making the characters their own while also recalling the originals. And the rest of the cast is entertaining in their parts.

But while the original was a sitcom, this is an action comedy. The plot was fairly predictable, but I certainly got caught up in it and was holding my breath for the climax.

There was still humor here. Some of Max's antics were funny, but I found too much of it stemmed from bathroom humor and sexual situations for my tastes. These were what earned the movie its well deserved PG-13. The funniest bits went to the two gadget geeks, Lloyd and Bruce, and the agents who were reduced to being analysts. If the movie had had more of them, I would have enjoyed it more.

Then there's the message the film is trying to send out. I think it might have been trying to skewer both sides of the political spectrum. But if that's the case, it didn't work. Instead, I was left confused about what it was trying to say. I've got to say, however, that one line the villain has related to all this got the loudest laugh from me.

I wish I enjoyed all of this movie because I enjoyed most of the film. But for me, the sex jokes and bathroom humor made me wish I hadn't seen it.

Save 47% Off