Starring: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin
Director: Peter Segal
Category: IIA
Anyone who's seen Steve Carell in Evan Almighty or any movie with Anne Hathaway playing a sweet but clueless ingenue can be forgiven for wanting to head for the hills at the mere mention of Get Smart.
Not only does it have two stuck-in-a-rut stars, the film is a remake of a 1960s television series - and we all know how most of these have turned out on the big screen. One can almost see the stale jokes and slapstick unfolding relentlessly on the screen.
But the pleasant surprise is that Get Smart is actually quite a, er, smart comedy. Carell fits comfortably into the big cellular shoes of Don Adams as Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) and makes them his own, while Hathaway gets to flex her muscles - physically and talent-wise - as the kick-ass Agent 99.
Those expecting a replay of the TV series will be disappointed. Peter Segal, who directed 50 First Dates and Anger Management, pays homage to the original series but takes it to a new millennium audience by cutting down on slapstick and adding wit and a good dose of action.
