Get Smart

Before delving into this movie review, I should disclose that I have not seen the original Get Smart television series from the 60's upon which this movie is based. So, as someone previously uninitiated to the secret world of Control, I can say I thoroughly enjoyed this film.

One of the things I found refreshing about this movie was the humor.  In all but a few cases I found the jokes and gags in this movie laugh-out-loud funny and also very original.  Another thing I found refreshing was that nobody was perfect in this film; they even had the prototypical “best agent” make a few self-deprecating mistakes.

In my experience most comedies usually lack good stories with character arcs, and this movie is an exception.  Both lead characters ultimately learn something by the end of the film, which in my opinion makes the movie more enjoyable to watch.  The movie also has not one, but two instances of the prerequisite geeks; while they mostly provide comic relief, I’m happy to report that they get their turn by the end of the film.  The movie also takes a couple of spot-on jabs at our current President (“It’s pronounced ‘New-Klee-Ur’!”) which were very funny.

I found only one minor flaw with the film, and it was an inconsistency used to facilitate a comic gag.  To explain it would mean spoiling part of the movie, but suffice to say the part of the movie that the gag was inconsistent with occurred too close to the gag itself; this broke my suspension of disbelief, and as I sat in the theater thinking about it I came to the conclusion that the gag wasn’t funny enough to warrant the inconsistency.  Other than that, this movie had all the makings of a good spy comedy: plentiful, original humor, a hot chick, an evil enemy bent on becoming rich and powerful, a plot twist, and plenty of cool gadgets (some of which don’t always work as intended).  I place this movie above the Austin Powers trilogy (and I found those quite funny); unfortunately, I don’t think it will have the same cultural staying power.

Rating (out of 4):