Get Smart
DIR: Peter Segal • WRI: Tom J. Astle, Matt Ember • PRO: Michael Ewing, Alex Gartner, Alan Glazer, Andrew Lazar, Charles Roven • DOP: Dean Semler • ED: Richard Pearson • DES: Wynn Thomas • Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp, Ken Davitian

We all know the beloved spy James Bond. He’s suave, charming, always prepared and very good at getting along with the ladies. Well, meet his complete opposite by the name of Maxwell Smart.

Smart (Steve Carell) is an analyst working for the secret spy agency Control but dreams of leaving his desk job days behind and becoming a field agent.

When Control’s arch enemy, KAOS, infiltrate the spy network and discover the identity of every agent except one – agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), Smart is promoted and becomes agent 86. Smart and 99 are then partnered together on a mission to thwart the plans for world domination by KAOS operative Siegfried (Terence Stamp) and his bumbling sidekick Shtarker (Ken Davitian).

With no field experience, a beautiful but deadly partner and some compulsory spy gadgets, Smart must use his own smarts if he is to prove his worth as a field agent and save the world.

Get Smart is the latest of the spoof spy comedies to hit our screens and, even after the long awaited return of this film genre, you may be sadly disappointed.

Being too young to remember the original television series I can only compare the new film to other spoof comedies such as Spy Hard, Naked Gun and the original James Bond movie collection.

Like those titles above, Get Smart has some ridiculous secret gadgets and many puns, which do offer a bit of a giggle accompanied by the odd eye-roll. However, many of the stunts, which include car chases, speeding helicopters and of course some hand-to-hand fight scenes are impressive.

If you’re a fan of films like The 40 Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up then Get Smart is a must-see but if like me you find Steve Carell a bit much to handle for the best part of two hours, then I wouldn’t recommend it.

Amy Dignam
(Read biog here)

Rated 12A (see IFCO website for details)
Get Smart is released on 22nd August 2008
Get Smart – Official website