Get Smart

I know what you're thinking. You're probably asking yourself "What does a photo with a Kung Fu Panda statue have to do with Get Smart?" Well, honestly, not too much. However, if you recall from my Hulk review, I was disappointed that the theater I went to had their Hulk statue placed in a very awkward location, making it difficult to take a photo in front of the mighty beast. However, when I went to a different theater for Get Smart last night, I was very pleased to discover that they not only had a Hulk statue in a very convenient location, they also had a Kung Fu Panda statue AND life sized cardboard cut outs of the cast of High School Musical. While I've never actually seen any of the High School Musical movies, I'm a bit enamored with Vanessa Hudgens, so it was still cool.

So anyway, after the movie had finished, my friend and I walked towards the Hulk statue so that I could get even better photos than I did last weekend. However, as you can see, we never snapped that photo. For, you see, sitting in front of the statue was a teenaged male, who was straightening his hair (?!?!?!) with a BRIGHT GREEN HAIR STRAIGHTENER that he had plugged into one of the wall outlets. And it was about midnight at this point, too. We were so creeped out by the scene that I decided to cut my losses and just take a photo with the Kung Fu Panda statue as a consolation prize. Undoubtedly, it was one of the oddest thing I've ever seen in my entire life.

But, aside from that, Get Smart was an enjoyable, worthwhile movie experience. Click below for my review of the movie. Be warned, key plot points will be revealed, so avoid reading if you haven't seen it yet and don't want to be spoiled.

Before I get to my actual review, another interesting thing happened during the previews. One of the trailers was for Kevin Costner's Swing Vote. I had seen a preview for this a couple of months ago, I think for Forgetting Sarah Marshall. However, for that preview, the movie was portrayed as a sorta goofy, out-there comedy, in which the character of the daughter didn't even appear. In this trailer, however, the film was pushed as a sweet, semi-meaningful comedy. I always get a kick out of it when movies completely alter their ad campaigns, to the extent that it doesn't even appear to be the same movie.

Anyway, to Get Smart (finally). I think that my earlier description of the film summed it up best: It's enjoyable and worthwhile. Is it the funniest movie you'll ever see? No. In fact, it's probably not even the funniest Steve Carell movie you'll ever see. That being said, I certainly think that it was worth the $10 I spent and the hour and a half it took to watch it. While I wasn't necessarily holding my sides, the movie was consistently funny and didn't really seem to drag at any point.

I am curious, though, how longtime fans of the Get Smart television series will react to the movie adaptation. One important distinction is that Steve Carell is not playing Don Adams playing Maxwell Smart, he's simply playing Maxwell Smart. Ultimately, I think this was a wise decision. Not only would it have likely been a distraction hearing Steve Carell speak in the classic Maxwell Smart/Inspector Gadget voice, but it would also be a disservice to Steve Carell's comedic abilities. For that matter, from what I recall of the original series, Anne Hathaway bore very little resemblance to TV's Agent 99. But, again, I think it was more important to play the actors' strengths than to necessarily stay completely true to the characters' personalities (and for what it is worth, the movie DID make it clear to the audience that while the characters are the same, the events of the TV series was a different time period).

Speaking of Anne Hathaway, while I've always found her attractive, she looked positively AMAZING in this movie. Man, her stock went up SIGNIFICANTLY after this film. Bravo. Bravo, indeed. And on a less sexist note, her on-screen chemistry with Steve Carrel -- an unlikely couple -- was believable, and really helped make the film cute and sweet.

As a wrestling fan, of course I must mention Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Now that I think about it, this may very well be the first time I've seen him in a movie at the theaters. Not surprisingly, he did a remarkable job. He truly is a very charming, charismatic individual with great comedic timing. It's wonderful that he's managed to find his niche in the film industry. I'm a bit disappointed that he won't be in the sequel, should one be made, although my friend predicted his "heel turn" about halfway through the movie. And while the prospect of Steve Carrel and The Rock kissing is funny as it is, it was made even more humorous by his sounds of resistance (for lack of a better description). The Great Khali was also surprisingly effective in his role. I loved it when he abandoned Max and Agent 99 after he had made peace with them, leading Max to say "He just left us. What a douche."

Oh, and Masi Oka was in it, too! Hiro! Sure, his role was brief, but when he did appear it was absolutely hilarious. Especially the scene in which he and his partner are pretending to hold up Max. The fake fight, in which Masi's character reacts to Max's punch in the wrong direction, was great. I also enjoyed Terrence Stamp's role as one of the lead villains. It was a bit weird seeing him on screen, after only hearing his voice (as Jor-El) for the past several years on Smallville. Brought back some great Zod memories, though.

Other great scenes include Max's attempts to shoot a dart into the rope tying his arms together, leading to repeated catastrophe; the dance off; President James Caan, in general; the "If I were in Control, you'd already be dead"/"If you were in Control, I'd have already killed you"/"Well we're both alive, so I must not be in Control" interaction; Max's surprising instances of competency; Max accidentally setting the trap with the beads; and the opening sequence, when Max accidentally drops a sheet of paper and then must rush through the rapidly closing doors (a funny take on the television series' opening credits). Did I miss anything?

Like I said, overall it was a fun film. I recommend it for anybody looking for a good laugh, and not much more. In my opinion, it's worth seeing in the theaters.