Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway Play the Heroes of Control

Before seeing Get Smart, the movie, I had a chance to review the "reviews" of the media on Yahoo's movie section. I was disappointed to see the average coming in at a mighty "C+." That usually spells trouble for a comedy -- meaning it falls far short of expectations.

As my job is to see as many bad films as possible in a year's time, I got off my couch and drove to the local theater with my kids and wife in tow. I invited my mother-in-law, but she said she was feeling a little below the weather. I feared that my health was also about to suffer as a result of seeing a bad movie, but my expectations of disappointment were -- well disappointed.  Get smart was exactly what one would expect Get Smart to be. It was classic Get Smart.

If you love the series, you will love the movie. If you hated the movie, you probably are a professional movie reviewer. I liked the movie, so I guess that means -- hey, wait a minute . . . I really did like it . . .

To start, the two lead actors playing Smart and Agent 99 are spot on.  Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway play the two heroes of the super-secret Control. Joining Carell and Hathaway to battle the evil crime syndicate Kaos is a cast of characters worthy of a sophisticated drama including the likes of Alan Arkin (Chief) and James Caan (The President of the United States).

But then again, keeping to its true comedy roots, most of the supporting actors are kings of comedy such as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Bill Murray and Kevin Nealon as well as other guest appearances from many well known comedic faces.

Those looking for ironic humor shouldn't watch Get Smart hoping to find deep meaning. Get Smart and deep meaning are contradictions. Slap stick and obvious humor are what Get Smart has always been about. Fortunately for the attending audience wanting to see something more than another series segment, director Peter Segal (with some help from consulting director Mel Brooks) adds credibility to Max Smart's character that includes fun action scenes and a lot of choreographed kung fu.

Of course there is the developing love relationship between Agent 99 and Maxwell Smart as well as the interaction between Control Agents and Kaos Agents. The film version of Get Smart lost a little in translation from the series in the humor that was built into the pure evil of Kaos, which never took itself too seriously. Much of this may have ended up on the editor's floor, but not enough of the humor from the Kaos side made it to the film. In short, the evil characters took themselves a bit too serious and that was not true to the original series.

Despite some shortcomings of not being completely true to the series in every aspect, Peter Segal does update the series while still waxing nostalgic with the many unique aspects of Get Smart, the series. Without spoiling any particulars, many characters of the series are brought back in all their glory. This will be especially pleasing to those who loved the classic Get Smart.

There are some cautions that need to be made expressed to those with younger children.  This is clearly a movie that deserves its PG-13 rating.  The humor found within Get Smart is typical Mel Brooks of Blazing Saddle fame. That doesn't make the film bad, it is just a little mature for those under 15. Perhaps even 16. But younger children will not be "scorched" by anything other than language and a few sexually suggestive scenes which reminded this reviewer of many of the Pink Panther skits of the Peter Sellers era.

Get Smart is very much a film with built in humor derived from the likes of Benny Hill and Monty Python. That doesn't make the film bad per se, just adult. Some won't appreciate a few of the vulgarities, but they are not extreme, which casts the film exactly on its PG-13.  It gives us all a chance to laugh at ourselves and be silly for a night. It is not for the prudish at heart, or the self righteous. It is for those who don't take it all too seriously, e.g., Pink Panther Strikes Again.

In the final analysis, Get Smart is better than the C+ it has received from the critics, assuming one appreciates the type of humor of Get Smart and Mel Brooks. If you didn't enjoy Young Frankenstein, you won't enjoy this film.  If you loved Get Smart the series, however, you will find enough to keep you engaged and you will appreciate the ending, which sets up nicely for another Get Smart. Perhaps by getting some of the kinks out of this opening volley, Peter Segal will hit a home run in the second installment. Smart fans will await with great enthusiasm.