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Get Smart: A TV show turned movie that looks fun!
In a movie landscape littered with misbegotten TV-to-film makeovers (The Dukes of Hazzard, Bewitched), I was pleasantly surprised to read about a new TV show turned movie that actually looks like it might be fun.
USA Today has the scoop on the movie version of Get Smart, starring Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart (made famous by the late Don Adams) and Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada) as Agent 99 (played on TV by Barbara Feldon.)
I have only a passing familiarity with the original show, which was the invention of Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, but it looks to me like they got the casting right. Carell’s endearing nebbishness makes him ideal for the part. I’m actually looking forward to this more than this summer’s Evan Almighty. Seems to me this sort-of Bruce Almighty follow-up, with Carell as a Noah-like character, will be one of those comedies that’s heavy on scenery and light on jokes.
It seems a little strange that Hathaway’s much younger character will take Carell under her wing, but Hathaway could sell me on just about anything. She’s one of the most charming actresses of her age (or any age, really), and I have always felt that her talents have yet to be fully mined.
The director is Peter Segal, who has, shall we say, an uneven track record. His career ranges from funny guilty pleasures (Tommy Boy) to flat-out fumbles (The Longest Yard remake). And the fact that the script is by the writers of the painful Failure to Launch deflates my anticipation a bit. Still, the two leads give me hope.
Trivial note: This is actually not the first Get Smart movie. A feature called The Nude Bomb was made in 1980, and by most accounts, lived up to the last part of its name. It was wisely retitled The Return of Maxwell Smart for TV.
The movie is due out in June 2008. How does it look to you?
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Coming Attractions
Comments
By Alice
April 16, 2007 1:38 AM | Link to this
Well, why not cash in on a classic. Remakes are how the classics live on, Charlotte’s Web and the LOTR Trilogy, for example. I like Carell and Hathaway. I just hope Carell isn’t “too” over-the-top for my tastes. I love his humor, but he sometimes makes me feel uncomfortably embarassed for him, ie. The Office.By Sir Critic
April 12, 2007 12:31 PM | Link to this
Susan: I will admit that my fondness for Hathaway is somewhat … hormonally based, shall we say. However, putting my Sir Critical hat on, I maintain that she is an underrated talent. She’s delightful in “Ella Enchanted,” which indicated she’d be great in a full-on musical. And she’s the solid center of “The Devil Wears Prada.” Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt got all the attention, but without Hathaway, the film would not work. And let’s not forget her fascinating role in “Brokeback Mountain,” which had some nicely subtle shadings. Ang Lee would not have cast a “passable actress” in that small but important part. A crush? I plead guilty. But the talent IS there.By Susan
April 12, 2007 11:59 AM | Link to this
If ANYONE can play Max it’s Steve Carell � I can�t wait! But I’m laughing at your feelings about Anne Hathaway. Great actress? I think she’s actually only a passable actress, totally fine (like Andie MacDowell), neither helps nor hurts the film. But she is very pretty. I could understand if you have a crush. =)By Rob
April 11, 2007 3:56 PM | Link to this
It’s the 99-taking-86-under-her-wing part that worries me. The backstory should be incredibly simple, we shouldn’t need an origin story here. Most of the backstory can be handled with two lines, “Maxwell Smart, secret agent of Control” and “the International Organization of Evil, KAOS”. It’s really kind of high concept.By Kim S.
April 11, 2007 2:37 PM | Link to this
Can’t exactly say I’m chomping at the bit. Although I do really like Hathaway, Carrell doesn’t do much for me. I am very familiar with the show myself, and I can also see this as going the innuendo-sight gag route, as the TV show had a tendancy to do. I’d be interested to know who they would cast in supporting roles, especially as The Chief. The Cone of Silence should be good for a laugh or two though. I see it just as another attempt to cash in on shows that today’s moviegoers may not be familiar with.