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« Kelvington's Corner
Get Smart... actually is...
There are several films you go to that you either want to love or hate. And I really wanted to hate "Get Smart". Because I used to love the original series so much.
Most remakes, like the Pink Panther, I loathe, I hated Steve Martin for trying to fill the incredibly huge shoes of Peter Sellers. I was not at all fond of the idea of Steve Carell filling in for the incomparable Don Adams.
Well I was wrong, Carell has been saying over and over again on the talk show circuit that he WASN'T going to do an impression of Don Adams, but more, his take on the character. Guess what, it worked.
As much as I didn't want to enjoy this film, I found myself laughing out loud at parts. Many TV shows don't make it to the big screen well, and this includes "Get Smart" when it was done years ago as "The Nude Bomb". But this version really works.
A lot will be said about Anne Hathaway playing 99. Would she be a worthy successor to Barbara Feldon, well she is. As much of a crush I used to have on Ms. Feldon, I have to admit that Hathaway does a great job of being both the professional field agent and the lovable foil to some of Max's jokes. This is due in part to the great back story the wove for her character though the film.
The movie chugs right along and has a near perfect pace, from the moments we learn how Kaos is going to get some nuclear bombs, to how Control sends Max and agent 99 into Russia. Every time I thought the film would drag, it's pumped with a few jokes, great cameos, or clever bits to make you laugh.
There's some nice homages to several films here with dance numbers, and gymnastically moving through laser fields. So without becoming a parody, the film manages to parody other films in the process, like "Entrapment".
Is this film for everyone? No, you have to have a fondness for the old show and films like "Police Squad" to really enjoy this. The script found the right notes between slapstick and love story. Something that future sequels will have a very hard time doing. Oh yes, there will be sequels, as sure as I'm writing this there will be sequels, and rest assured I will go see them.
Just my 2¢,
Kelvington
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Jun 20, 2008 4:21 PM
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much of a crush I used to have on Ms. Feldon
Me too! I must have been about 10 years old towards the end of Get Smart and I loved 99!
I loved Get Smart too! From the shoe phone to the Cone of Silence I loved it all! Glad to hear that you enjoyed the movie Kelvington!
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Jun 20, 2008 6:29 PM
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I am glad to hear that you were pleased with the results. I was also fearful that Carell would leave a blot on my fond memories of Don Adams. I will be looking for it soon after it's release on dvd.
As for 99, I admit,I probably had a girl crush on her. More to the point, I just wanted to be her. She was lovely, intelligent and got to work side by side with Maxwell Smart. I thought he was pretty attractive, just not as suave and graceful as say... Bond, James Bond.
Thanks for your two cents worth!
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Jun 20, 2008 7:17 PM
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I hope to see this movie soon. I remember laughing out loud in the original TV series, and want to see the film version of this. I appreciate your insights since the NT Times review almost seemed damning in its faint praise. If I do get to see it in the theatre, I will return to this site and add my 2 cents (how did you get the cents symbol typed in?)
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Jun 21, 2008 8:32 AM
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IMO-these movies that are a remake of an original series like this one-the characters don't even look anything like the originals. I really don't think that they should be doing these remakes-JMO :-i
tvstar
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Jun 21, 2008 7:57 PM
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I thought that the casting for this movie was dead on, but I had read where people had read the script and found it lacking.
Well, I saw the movie last night, and it was very good! There were some serious belly laughs, and it held my interest the whole way through.
Yeah, there were some incredibly impossible things that took place, but I got over those quickly.
I loved the 3 cameos (the agent in the tree, the driver of the car Max stops in the middle of the road, and the "new guy.")
I also like how it wasn't politically correct while pretending to be PC. Max's response on the plane, and the gal at the ball are both good examples.
I KNEW that was "The Great Khali" of the WWE. I was clicking through the channels one night about a year ago and saw this HUGE guy on WWE. I hadn't seen an episode in years when my step son was younger, but this guy was so massive that I stopped for a second to get a good look at him. They've had some huge monsters in the WWE before, but this guy appeared to be in the best shape of all of them as most have been pretty heavy. I changed the channel until I found something worth watching, but at the first commercial I looked him up on wikipedia. Turns out, he was a power lifter and was at one time a COP! Holy moly! Could you imagine getting arrested by a guy who's 7'3" and 420 pounds of solid muscle! Especially since he's from India where the average person is under 6' and under 200 pounds. Oy!
Anyway, I have always been a fan of Get Smart and I'm glad that this movie turned out to be a lot better than what I had been led to believe by those who had reviewed the script. I'm guessing that they got an early draft as is typical when those things get out. So, I have to highly recommend this movie for fans of the tv show, fans of the actors in this movie, and fans of comedy.
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Jun 22, 2008 8:12 AM
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Loved the old show, and love Steve Carell so it should be a good mix.
Great review. Can't wait to see it.
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Jun 22, 2008 8:01 PM
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I'd hoped to see the movie over this weekend, but didn't quite make it. Anne Hathaway was on the Tonight Show a week or so ago - and I knew after hearing them talk about it and seeing the clips that I just had to see it. Maybe this weekend!
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Jun 23, 2008 8:06 AM
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I'm so glad to hear it is good; I can't wait to see it this weekend! I absolutely loved the original, it was my first favorite show as a kid. I also like Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway so I have high hopes. 
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Jun 23, 2008 3:52 PM
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