Get Smart is a 2008 American spy comedy film based on Get Smart’s comic book series. The film was directed by Peter Segal and starred Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, and Terence Stamp.
The plot centers around Maxwell Smart (Carell), a secret agent for CONTROL, an agency of high-tech spies who are trying to stop a worldwide threat from an evil mastermind named KAOS. The film was released in the United States on July 22, 2008. It grossed $263 million worldwide and received mixed reviews from critics.
Contents
Storyline
Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell), the top analyst of the top-secret American intelligence agency CONTROL, aspires to be a field agent like his hero, Agent 23 (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson). Still, despite performing exceptionally well in the acceptance tests, Max is denied the promotion because the Chief of CONTROL (Alan Arkin) believes Max is too valuable in his current assignment.
This changes when the CONTROL headquarters are assaulted by their arch-enemy, the terrorist group KAOS, which is commanded by a man only known as Siegfried (Terence Stamp). Consequently, almost all of CONTROL’s operatives are revealed and murdered.
Max is assigned the code name Agent 86 and is teamed with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), whose recent cosmetic surgery has safeguarded her identity, while previous field operators such as 23 are reassigned to desk duties.
Max and 99 fly to Russia on a quest to discover how KAOS obtained nuclear weapons. Along the process, Max gradually demonstrates to 99 that he is a competent field agent despite his inexperience and clumsiness.
Max, like 99, starts to exhibit signs of having affection for her and him. 99, on the other hand, does not want to be in a relationship with an agent since she previously botched a mission because she was in a relationship with a partner (as it turns out, Agent 23).
The duo attempts to penetrate KAOS’s Moscow nuclear weapons complex, which is camouflaged as a bakery, and despite Siegfried’s warning, Max and 99 overcome the guards and lay explosives that will bury the nuclear weapons under debris.
Max even saves 99’s and his own lives by assisting one of Siegfried’s henchmen, Dalip (Dalip Singh), with his marital troubles using knowledge gathered through his analyst job. The Chief sends 23 to supervise the bakery’s cleanup, but 23 reports that he discovered no trace of nuclear weapons, leading CONTROL (and an irritated 99) to suspect that Max is a double agent.
Siegfried reveals that KAOS has distributed nuclear weapons to unstable dictators and will provide them with activation codes unless the American government pays him $200 billion. He decides to prove the credibility of his threat by destroying Los Angeles with a nuclear bomb during the President’s visit. The Vice-President does not accept CONTROL’s allegations that KAOS is a significant danger, so the Chief, 99, and 23 travel there to personally persuade the President, but they are unsuccessful.
Dalip sends a radio call-in show tip-off about the bomb to Max (who is in detention in Washington D.C.). So, Max escapes custody, equips himself with antique relics from the CONTROL museum (such as the shoe phone), and flies to Los Angeles to meet with the Chief and notify him about the device. Agent 23 does not trust Max’s claims or innocence since he has a crush on Agent 99, despite the Chief and 99’s belief.
This, together with Max’s detection of trace radiation on 23 (who had passed through the Moscow nuclear site), leads Max to believe that 23 is a double agent. Max and the Chief pursue 23 after he kidnaps 99 people and leaves with the bomb’s remote detonator. 23 binds 99’s hands together firmly and locks her in his vehicle. Smart kisses Agent 23, which was a trap to distract him, and pushes him into the now blazing, track-led government GMC Yukon, which Max and the Chief rescue.
The Climax of The Movie
There is no one definitive answer to this question, as the movie’s climax can vary depending on what viewers consider to be the climax. However, some key events that may occur during or near the climax of the movie include:
- The world’s first computer virus is released and begins to spread rapidly.
- CONTROL starts a worldwide manhunt for Maxwell Smart and his team in order to stop the virus from spreading any further.
- The virus causes widespread destruction and chaos across the globe.
- CONTROL realizes that they have been underestimating Maxwell Smart and sends out a team of their best agents to capture him alive.
The Story Behind the Movie
The story behind the movie can vary depending on what viewers consider to be the movie’s main plot. However, some key events that may occur during or near the beginning of the movie include:
- Max is recruited by CONTROL as a member of their elite intelligence unit.
- Maxwell and his team are sent to Moscow to investigate a series of anomalous energy readings from within the city’s nuclear reactor.
- The team discovers that someone within CONTROL is planning to release a computer virus into the world, which will cause widespread destruction and chaos.
Movie Cast and Characters
Anne Hathaway
In Get Smart, Anne Hathaway plays a character named Dina, who is recruited to join the team of a government agency called CONTROL. Her boss, played by Steve Carell, has been tasked with capturing an agent who has broken out of CONTROL’s prison.
Bernie Kopell
Bernie Kopell plays Maxwell Smart’s friend and colleague, Agent 99. He is initially skeptical of Smart’s abilities but eventually trusts and respects him.
James Caan
James Caan plays Maxwell Smart’s nemesis, Agent 99’s superior officer. He is almost always determined to catch and arrest Smart.
Alan Arkin
Alan Arkin plays CONTROL’s head of security, which is often frustrated by the organization’s inability to track down Smart and his team.
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson plays Agent 99’s partner, who is initially skeptical of Smart but gradually trusts and respects him.
Awards of Get Smart (2008)
The Get Smart movie was nominated for four awards at the 52nd Golden Globe Awards. These nominations were for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, Anne Hathaway as Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, Steve Carell as Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, and Dwayne Johnson as Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.
The Ending of Get Smart (2008)
When Max and 99 get entangled in the automobile, Max rescues 99 by flinging her to the ground while attempting to cut himself free. 99 looks up and sees the automobile being smashed by the approaching train, fearing Max and 23 have been killed. 99, who is devastated by Max’s death, expresses out loud that she wishes they had spent more time together in response to a question Max had asked her previously.
Max enters unexpectedly, surprising her, and tells her he “missed it by that much.” Max gets kissed by 99. The three discover that the bomb, which is buried in Walt Disney Symphony Hall, where the President is attending a concert, will be detonated when Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” is played to the last notes. Max arrives at the Hall just in time to assault the conductor, halting the orchestra and the explosives.
On the other hand, the orchestra is skeptical that there was a bomb, and the guards mock Maxwell. Maxwell accurately predicts that the explosive is hidden under the piano, shocking the guards. During Siegfried’s escape, the terror mastermind insults Dalip too many times, and Dalip tosses him over a bridge and into a river.
In CONTROL headquarters, the heroes celebrate their victory. The President is quite pleased with the agency, particularly Max’s bravery. Max and 99 begin a not-so-secret relationship and purchase a dog called Fang. The emergence of Hymie the Robot provides Bruce and Lloyd with some retaliation against a bully field agent.
The film concludes with Max and 99 exiting CONTROL through a series of high-tech security doors; of course, Max can’t leave the final door (which doesn’t shut) alone and fixes it with his pocket knife, causing the door to close on him and a small harpoon to pierce his cheek.
Overall Reviews
The film has a 51 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 223 reviews, with an average rating of 5.60/10. “Get Smart rides Steve Carell’s enormous appeal for a few chuckles, but ultimately proves to be a very average action comedy,” according to the site’s critical consensus. The film had a Metacritic score of 54 out of 100, based on 34 reviews, indicating “mixed or mediocre reviews.”
Roger Ebert and Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly both gave the picture good reviews. The film was also praised by Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times, who called it “one of the year’s most pleasant surprises.” It received a favorable review from critic James Berardinelli as well.
Glenn Whipp of the Los Angeles Daily News described it as “staggeringly terrible,” while Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said it “couldn’t buy a chuckle at a nitrous oxide plant with a handful of clown noses.” The Los Angeles Times’s Kenneth Turan said, “it neglects the laughs and amps up the action, resulting in a not very amusing comedy wedded at the hip to a not very interesting espionage thriller.”
It was also panned by Time’s Richard Schickel and Newsweek’s David Ansen, with the latter saying, “It’s not Maxwell who’s ignorant, but the filmmakers… Director (Pete) Segal is a comedy expert missing any obvious sense of humor.”
Visual Effects
The visual effects in the film were generally well-received. “The Hollywood Reporter,” said that they “offer a serviceable blend of CG and practical elements, without overdoing either.” Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote that the visual effects “are both sharply executed and convincingly realistic.”
However, some reviewers complained about the use of CGI in particular. Sharkey Grousbeck of RogerEbert.com said it was “painfully obvious” that most scenes were done with computer graphics and called it a “silly distraction.”
Stephanie Zacharek of Salon criticized the film’s insistence on using CG for everything from cars to people’s skin, writing, “Nothing ever looks quite real enough to trust. It feels like movies have come full circle and gone back to the bad old days of relying on computer graphics and tricks to make things look real.”
Acting Performance Get Smart (2008)
The acting in the film was generally praised. “The Hollywood Reporter,” said that while some of the comedy is broad, most of the cast do a good job with their comedic material. Travers wrote, “Among its many strong points, Get Smart boasts an excellent cast led by Moore and Daniels.” Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said that Moore and Daniels are “terrifically funny together,” while Turan called them two of television’s best comic talents.
However, Schickel and Ansen were less impressed: Schickel called Moore’s performance lackadaisical, while Ansen wrote that he “lacks the sass and pizazz to carry his own movie.”
Writing Style of Get Smart (2008)
The writing in the film was generally praised. Travers called it “charming,” and Grousbeck called it “smart.” LaSalle found it witty and humorous. Zacharek said that while some of the jokes may not be laugh-out-loud funny, they are clever and fun to think about. However, Ansen and Schickel were less impressed: Ansen said that the jokes are “flat” and “undistinguished,” while Schickel called them “canned.”
Sequel
On October 7, 2008, Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures announced that a sequel was in the works. Carell, Hathaway, and Arkin were expected to return, but the fate of the other cast members was unknown.
Steve Carell claimed in July 2010 that he had been handed a prospective screenplay for the sequel to getting Smart but had turned it down. He said that he was still highly interested in filming a Get Smart sequel but that he was ready to wait until a good story was written.
Carell said in 2010: “I passed on Get Smart 2, developed an entirely new narrative, and we’ll see what happens with it down the road… Anne Hathaway and Alan Arkin are absolutely in, so at some time… we don’t have a set date, and the screenplay still needs some refining and rewriting.”
Carell suggested in 2013 that a sequel was unlikely to happen. However, in December 2013, Peter Segal reported that a Get Smart 2 was close to being created, with Carell writing the “funny screenplay.”
Segal claimed in 2019 that the ship has sailed on a prospective sequel.
Conclusion
Get Smart is a 2008 American action espionage comedy film directed by Peter Segal, written by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember, and produced by Leonard B. Stern, who is also the original series producer. The film is based on a television series of the same name created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. The plot revolves around an analyst called Maxwell Smart (Carell), who aspires to be a true field agent and a better spy. On June 20, 2008, the film was released in North America.
FAQS
What Is Get Smart Movie About?
Get Smart is a 2015 American comedy film directed by Peter Segal and written by Jon Spaihts. The film stars Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, and Daniel Brühl. It tells the story of computer genius Max Bickford who the NSA recruits to help stop a global cyberattack.
Is Get Smart Appropriate?
There is no definitive answer as to whether or not Get Smart movie is appropriate for all audiences. However, based on the content and general themes of the movie, it may not be appropriate for some.
Get Smart is a spy comedy film that follows the story of Max Fischer, a computer genius who the NSA recruits to become their newest agent. However, his loyalties are questioned when he discovers that his former boss is working with the enemy.
Some elements of the movie that may be inappropriate for some include: strong language, sexual content, and violence.
Is Get Smart Inappropriate?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the appropriateness of a movie depends on the individual. However, some general guidelines that may help you make an informed decision include:
- Checking the movie’s rating before watching it.
- Checking the movie’s age rating.
- Considering whether or not the movie is appropriate for your personal values and beliefs.
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Who Was Your Favorite Character In Get Smart (2008)?
My favorite character in Get Smart (2008) was Agent 99. I found her to be very funny and entertaining. She was also very resourceful and brave, which made her a great asset to the team.
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