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Anne Hathaway and Steve Carell in "Get Smart"
courtesy of Warner Home Entertainment
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“Pretty Smart”
It takes a good deal of chutzpah to remake a classic like “Get Smart.” It was done to perfection the first time around so how could a movie version/remake do it any better? Well in this case the new movie version of “Get Smart,” now out on DVD, is pretty good. We will never forget the original cast but the new cast does give a new spin to an old story.
Don Adams had a unique delivery of lines when he played Agent Maxwell Smart in the TV series. Plus Barbara Feldon was the coolest of cool as Agent 99. To have tried to emulate these two in the new movie version of the TV series would have been fatal. Luckily, and smartly, Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway do not. They create their own characters. The downside is that the movie is not nearly as funny as the TV series, but it does have its moments.
Maxwell Smart (Carell) works for Control, a secret government agency, as an analyst. What he wants to be is an agent. He wants to be like Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson) who is the epitome of a great agent. But his Chief (Alan Arkin) tells him he is too valuable as an analyst so he can’t promote him to be an agent. Max accepts this but then things change and Max does get his chance. He is partnered with Agent 99 to fight the deadly force called KAOS.
The plot of this movie is just an enlargement of an episode of the TV series. It isn’t even modernized that much. There are explosions and chases that could have been part of the TV series. Still they make the movie exciting in places and the kids who watch it will love that aspect.
As for the comedy, well that is not what Carell and Hathaway do best. In films Carell has established a persona as a likeable guy, an everyman of sorts. He delivers his comedic lines in a low key manner and puts the audience at ease just by being so calm. Hathaway is the same way. She exudes confidence and assurance. Together these two create a likeable crime fighting team that you want the best for in all areas.
There are some pleasant surprises in the film. Bill Murray has a droll cameo as an agent in a tree. Patrick Warburton strolls in as the robotic “Hymie.” Masi Oka of “Heroes” fame is a meek scientist at Control. And Terrence Stamp is a totally evil man working for KAOS.
“Get Smart” is just never smart enough. It is good, entertaining, amusing, etc. but it never gives you that extra added splash of something out of the ordinary. Still on total viewing you will probably think “Get Smart” is a pretty smart DVD.
“Termination Point” is one of those sci fi movies about “time travel” and I have always had a weakness for them. You know, it is the kind where if something is altered in the past then things in the present disappear. I love that stuff!
Jason Priestley and Lou Diamond Phillips co-star in this new DVD movie. Priestley plays the good guy and Phillips is the bad. He is the one who has stolen the “time travel” machine and Priestley is trying to get it back.
Both actors do a good job in the film and help make it an exciting sci fi movie. You and your family will enjoy settling in and having a night at the movies with this one.
Two excellent actors also make “When Did You Last See Your Father” enjoyable entertainment. Colin Firth and Jim Broadbent co-star in this drama. Firth plays Blake Morrison, a man dealing with the imminent death of his father (Broadbent). As the days dwindle down Blake remembers the past and relates it to the present.
Based on a true story this is a movie to be watched and absorbed. Some of the scenes are harrowing because they are so personal, but overall the movie is engrossing and worth watching. Firth and Broadbent are to be commended for the fine job they did in this film. |
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©2008 Jackie K. Cooper |
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