The Red Right Hand
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GET SMART
Saving The World. And Loving It.

Director
Peter Segal

Starring
Steve Carell
Anne Hathaway
Dwayne Johnson
Alan Arkin

I was never a fan of the 1965 TV series, Get Smart; not my generation, I suppose. Nor was I a fan of the 1989 flick, Get Smart, Again! or the attempt at a reboot in 1995. In fact, the only reason I knew of Don Adams was due to the fact that he was the voice of Inspector Gadget.

The plot isn't really worth mulling over, just your typical new agent clumsiness, silly love interest, bad guy steals nukes, foil plan, save world, blah blah; so let's move on to the comedy. Unfortunately, any genuinely humorous moments are largely delivered by the supporting cast; other than that, the film lowered itself to obvious and rather childish jokes ("I know! I'll try to lift this fat man from behind. Oh no! Anyone looking through the window will think I am partaking in an act of sodomy!" "I know! I will break free from these plastic cuffs by aiming a miniature crossbow at them. Oh dear! I seem to have missed. I missed again... and again" "I know! The big scary assassin just needs a hug to make everything better! How wonderfully American!" "Yay! I've saved the world!") The British have an alternative to Get Smart in the form of the mediocre Johnny English. The main difference being that the character of Johnny English was pompous and innocently arrogant, believing himself to be an exceptional agent, rather than the bumbling fool he was; who simply got lucky. One of the glaring faults of this film is that Max Smart [Carell] is actually a really good spy, he simply lacks experience in the field. I know that may sound strange but if the character isn't always haphazardly stumbling over things (in that sort of fish-out-of-water way) or completely incompetent yet surprisingly lucky, then where exactly are the roots of the comedy? Oh, in the sexual tension, buddy-comedy element between Smart and Agent 99 [Hathaway]; of course! Too bad it's executed in such a mundane way. I'm not discrediting the actors, you should all know I highly respect both Carell and Hathaway, I just didn't like the way the film played out.

I'm afraid, I'm not entirely sure who's to blame, so I will point my finger at director, Peter Segal (director of that wondrous hit Nutty Professor II: The Klumps). I intend to hold him responsible for the overuse of computer effects, for the stupid goofball comedy element and the hideous editing. I mean, there's entertaining goofball pratfalls and what-have-you but most didn't make any real sense. The perfect example is something I briefly (and somewhat facetiously) addressed earlier. Handcuffed with those plasticuffs that Americans love so much, Max attempts to free himself by firing tiny arrows from a miniature crossbow, naturally he misses and manages to get repeatedly struck in the face. Said crossbow, I might add, was keenly concealed within a Swiss Army Knife... I'll give you a minute to figure that out. I'll give you a clue, the key word is knife. Actually, I want to go back and spend a minute on the editing. I don't often say this but as I watched Get Smart's action sequences unfold I kept thinking, "I could have edited this better." It was almost as if Segal filmed half the necessary shots and repeated what he could to make it all fit - which it invariably didn't.

Sure, it's not nearly as despicable as Steve Martin adorning a 'tache and a terrible French accent a la The Pink Panther [I still can't believe they're doing a sequel!] but it's pretty awful. The only reason I've bumped the film up from a sub-par rating to an average one is largely to merit the casting. The script is terrible, the jokes are stale, the plot is generic but the characters seem to sell what they're doing, which is somewhat forgivable - no doubt Yanks will love it.

Release Date:
22nd August 2008

The Scene To Look Out For:
During Max's escape he is confronted by his fellow nerdy colleagues Bruce [Masi Oka] and Lloyd [Nate Torrence]. During their exchange, Max asks why they're holding a gun and making stupid faces, to which Bruce explains that if they simply let him go they will be fired. It's a silly little scene but I thought it was funny. Additionally, there was an equally silly but funny cameo by Patrick Warburton's that I enjoyed - probably just because I think Warburton's really underrated; seriously, have you seen The Tick?

Notable Characters:
**Large spoiler present, look away if necessary**
I really like Dwayne Johnson/The Rock. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fawning twelve year old girl who wants to scratch his name in my pencil case, I just think he's a surprisingly good actor. Sometimes he gets a lot of bum roles but he's got a vast amount of charm and charisma that really works for him. Alan Arkin also had good moments, the cream of which focused on his intolerance for other agencies. There was also a random cameo from Bill Murray (apparently Agent 13 was an unfortunate in the original series, stuck with hiding in mailboxes and bins, etc) but it just failed to make me laugh - sorry, Bill.

Highlighted Quote:
"I'll do it, sir; I have no problem exposing myself"

In A Few Words:
"Mediocre action film with a few jokes slung in for good measure. Overall, a tad boring"

Total Score:
5/10


Matthew Stogdon