Not silly enough!
Based on the goofy sixties TV show, this espionage parody aims to amuse and excite in equal measures… and that is its fatal flaw. There are times during this “comedy” when it seems to forget the jokes in favor of James Bond / Jason Bourne action sequences. As a result, “Get Smart” feels more like a PG action flick than the intended hilarious spoof that it should have been.
Sure — I laughed. There are a number of bits that will elicit hearty chuckles. Although, I doubt there are too many in the audience who will shed tears of hilarity. It is almost as if the film makes the rare Hollywood mistake of “not trying hard enough”. I never thought I would say that.
Nevertheless, the cast is charming. Carell can generate a smile on my face without uttering a word. Hathaway is just about the most gorgeous creature on the planet right now and adds a great deal to every film she is in. She matches Carell in every comedic department and manages to hold her own with the physicality of the part. She even manages to out-laserdodge Catherine Zeta Jones in “Entrapment”.
It just feels like the filmmakers got the script all out of whack. Their priorities were to thrill — but they forgot to entertain. “Get Smart” is not a bad film by any means… just a miscalculated one. Perhaps the inevitable sequel will strike the comedic balance more accurately.
