Get Smart (2008)

Directed by: Peter Segal | 110 minutes | action, thriller, comedy | Actors: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp, Terry Crews, David Koechner, James Caan, Bill Murray, Patrick Warburton, Masi Oka, Nate Torrence, Ken Davitian, David S. Lee, Dalip Singh, Geoffrey Pierson, Kelly Karbacz, Arthur Darbinyan, Bill Romanowski, Mark Ivanir, Lindsay Hollister, Dimitri Diatchenko, Richard V. Licata, Greg Joung Paik, Joey Yu, Mike Akrawi, John Abiskaron, Kerry Lai Fatt, David A. Parker, Bonnie Hellman, John Farley

‘Get Smart’ is yet another film based on a popular TV series from the good ol’ days, this time starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway. But this remake is – unlike many predecessors – successful and, if you can believe the fans of the series, at least just as funny. Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is an intelligent analyst for the secret organization CONTROL. But he really wants nothing more than to do field work and be a real agent, just like the great hero of the company Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson). It’s not because of his knowledge – he knows the book flawlessly by heart, all that’s missing is experience. However, after a serious incident, his boss (Alan Arkin) can’t refuse to send Smart into the world and save the world. Together with the charming Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), he sets out to stop the terrorists of KAOS. At first they don’t really get along, but need breaks the law and they soon learn to work together.

Carell stands for humor, that should be clear by now with roles in comedies such as ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’, the hit series ‘The Office’ and the spin-off around the character Evan Baxter from ‘Bruce Almighty’. Also in ‘Get Smart’ he shows how a real comedian should work: pretend you don’t know you’re in a comedy. The boat is sometimes missed here and there, but in general Carell stands for hilarity on different levels – something for everyone.

Anne Hathaway, a less obvious choice for a role in a film like this, holds up well next to Carell. Here and there some of her earlier, somewhat more innocent sweet roles as (fairy tale) princesses still shine through, but her development into femme fatale is almost complete. Despite the age difference between Carell and Hathaway, the chemistry explodes and soon the combination doesn’t seem so strange anymore.

‘Get Smart’ does not bring spy humor like the meanwhile milked way of ‘Austin Powers’, but shows that it can also be done in another way: in short, an intelligent action comedy of unprecedented quality. Hilarity mixed with the necessary exciting action scenes mean that ‘Get Smart’ manages to remain fascinating for almost two hours, although the story is sometimes a bit predictable. And that Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, the writers of the series, can also laugh heartily about it says enough.