Get Smart (film)

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Get Smart
Maxwell Smart, wearing suit and holding a gun, his tie blown to the side, covering the face of Agent 99 who is standing behind him wearing a white jacket.
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Peter Segal
Produced by Alex Gartner
Charles Roven
Andrew Lazar
Michael Ewing
Written by Tom J. Astle
Matt Ember
Based on Get Smart 
by Mel Brooks
Buck Henry
Starring Steve Carell
Anne Hathaway
Dwayne Johnson
Alan Arkin
Terrence Stamp
Terry Crews
David Koechner
James Caan
Music by Trevor Rabin
Cinematography Dean Semler
Editing by Richard Pearson
Studio Village Roadshow Pictures
Mosaic Media Group
Mad Cahnce
Callahan Filmworks
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)
  • June 20, 2008 (2008-06-20)
Running time 110 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $80 million
Box office $230,685,453

Get Smart is a 2008 American spy-fi comedy film which was produced by Leonard B. Stern, who is also the original series' producer. The film is based on Mel Brooks and Buck Henry's 1960s spy parody television series of the same name. The film stars Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson and Alan Arkin. The film co-stars Terence Stamp, Terry Crews, David Koechner and James Caan. Bernie Kopell, who played Siegfried in the original series, also appeared in the film. Bill Murray makes a cameo appearance. The film centers around an analyst named Maxwell "Max" Smart (Steve Carell) who dreams to become a real field agent and a better spy and fulfills it as he successfully fends off the KAOS' plans of killing important United States government officials, specifically the President, and destroying rogue states by means of a nuclear bomb, together with his friends and/or allies, Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), Max's love interest, The Chief (Alan Arkin), Max's boss, and Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson), Max's idol.

Contents

Plot [edit]

Maxwell "Max" Smart, an analyst for the top secret American intelligence agency, CONTROL, yearns to become a field agent like his idol, Agent 23. Despite his amazing scores in the acceptance tests, Max is denied the promotion because the Chief of CONTROL feels that Max's analytic skills are best used for his present assignment. When CONTROL headquarters is attacked by the terrorist organization KAOS, led by Siegfried, almost all of CONTROL's agents' identities are exposed, leaving only Max and Agent 99, to pursue the culprits while former field operatives are demoted to desk jobs. Max is promoted to field agent as Agent 86, but the experienced 99 is reluctant to partner him because of his clumsy personality.

Max and 99 enter Russia by parachute, hoping to trace KAOS' recent acquisition of nuclear materials through its chief bomb maker, Krstic. Along the way, they are attacked by Dalip, one of Siegfried's henchmen. By infiltrating a luxurious party hosted by Krstic, they trace the nuclear material to a KAOS nuclear weapons factory disguised as a Moscow bakery, but when Krstic and his men corner them, Max is forced to shoot him. In the bakery, Max meets with Siegfried and his second-in-command, Shtarker, only to learn that Siegfried was expecting him because a double-agent has compromised his and 99's identities.

Max manages to escape capture and destroy the weapons factory, but during their escape, Max and 99 are confronted by Dalip. Realizing that he knows Dalip through hours of listening to him on spy 'chatter', Max manages to persuade Dalip to spare their lives. The Chief sends 23 to observe the clean-up of the factory, but KAOS manages to sneak the weapons out through the Moskva River, with 23 reporting that only a bakery has been destroyed. Realizing that Max was alone during his key discoveries, CONTROL believes Max to be the double-agent. 99, who has been gradually falling in love with Max, is heartbroken but takes Max into custody.

CONTROL's warning is disregarded when Siegfried threatens to release nuclear weapon detonator codes to rogue states unless the United States government pays him $200 billion. KAOS plans to plant a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles. While Max is in a CONTROL holding cell, Dalip sends him a coded message via the radio show American Top 40 revealing Siegfried's plan. Max escapes from CONTROL and flies to Los Angeles to unite with the Chief, 99, and 23, who have flown out to persuade the President to take the KAOS threat seriously.

Max manages to convince 99 and the Chief that he is not the double-agent. As KAOS plants the nuclear bomb in the Walt Disney Concert Hall, where the president will be attending a concert, the group figures out that 23 is the real double-agent after Max's Geiger counter-equipped watch beeps when he is near 23, picking up trace elements of radiation. 23 then pulls out a gun, takes 99 hostage and flees in a vehicle. Max and the Chief pursue 23 with a car before crashing into a golf course. The car hits a shack, sending it flying through the air, and landing on the fence of an airport which allows Max and the Chief to hop onto a small plane. Max reaches 23's car by jumping out of the plane and rescues 99, but in the struggle, the car is set on fire and forced onto railroad tracks. Max then kisses 23 to distract him. The car collides with a freight train, killing 23.

After analyzing 23's nuclear football, Max realizes that the bomb will be triggered by the final note of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy". They rush to the Disney Hall, with Max tackling the conductor just before the final note, saving the president and Los Angeles. Siegfried, finding that his plan has failed, informs Dalip that he will not kill his wife for his failure. In response, Dalip throws Siegfried into a river. Max is afterwards given honors and gets his dream of becoming a real spy with agent 99 as his girlfriend. The movie ends as Max and 99 exit CONTROL headquarters through the walkway.

Cast [edit]

Actor/Actress Role Character Information
Steve Carell Maxwell "Max" Smart/Agent 86 The protagonist of the film, who wishes to become a better spy
Anne Hathaway Agent 99 The partner and love interest of Agent 86
Dwayne Johnson Agent 23 A double agent and the primary antagonist. He is initially friends with Agent 86, but is later revealed to be working with KAOS (as its secret de facto head).
Alan Arkin The Chief The head of CONTROL and the boss of Agent 86
Terence Stamp Siegfried The "head" (de jure) of KAOS and the secondary antagonist
Masi Oka Bruce A technological mastermind who works at CONTROL. A friend of Agent 86.
Nate Torrence Lloyd See "Bruce."
Dalip Singh Dalip A KAOS agent who ends up helping Agents 99 and 86 escape.
Ken Davitian Shtarker Siegfried's second-in-command
Terry Crews Agent 91 A CONTROL agent. A bit of a bully.
David Koechner Larabee A CONTROL worker. Friend of Agent 91.
James Caan President of the United States The president of the United States. His exact name wasn't given in the film.
David S. Lee Ladislas Krstic Chief bomb maker of KAOS who gets shot by Max when he and his men cornered him
Lindsay Hollister Max's dance partner The dance partner of Max in the luxurious party hosted by Krstic.
Bill Murray Agent 13
Patrick Warburton Hymie

Soundtrack [edit]

Get Smart: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Trevor Rabin
Released June 17, 2008 (2008-06-17)
Genre Film score
Label Varèse Sarabande
Producer Trevor Rabin
Trevor Rabin chronology
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
(2007)		 Get Smart
(2008)		 Race to Witch Mountain
(2008)

This film's score was composed by Trevor Rabin who is well-known for scoring films such as Armageddon, Enemy of the State and Deep Blue Sea.

Track listing [edit]

All music composed by Trevor Rabin.

No. Title Length
1. "Smart Dreams"   1:52
2. "Get Smart Theme"   1:28
3. "Cake Factory"   3:00
4. "Theme (Look One)"   1:48
5. "Max Denied"   2:29
6. "Max Takes a Bow"   0:54
7. "Dropping Like Flies"   0:07
8. "Theme (Look Two)"   2:15
9. "Agent 23"   0:34
10. "Max Ejects"   1:53
11. "Skydiving"   2:01
12. "Laser Hallway"   4:04
13. "Entering Moscow"   1:22
14. "Rooftop Fight"   3:07
15. "Max Calls 99"   5:01
16. "Theme (Look Three)"   1:13
17. "The Big Chase"   4:58
18. "Wish We Had More Time"   1:46
19. "Smart Exit"   0:56
20. "Theme (Look Four)"   1:17

Marketing [edit]

A corresponding film, Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control (featuring Oka, Torrence, Miller, Warburton, Terry Crews and a cameo by Hathaway), was released on DVD on July 1, 2008,[1] 11 days after the feature film's theatrical release.[2][3] The film tells a standalone story that takes place concurrently with the events of the film (including a scene in which Agent 99 calls Lloyd and angrily chews him out for the poor quality of her gadgets compared to Max's; that scene takes place immediately after Max accidentally renders himself unconscious with a blowgun during a stakeout in the main film).

In addition to traditional television advertisement and movie trailers, Warner Bros. commissioned Pepsi to produce a flavor of Sierra Mist soft drink dubbed "Undercover Orange" to help promote the film.[4] Warner Bros. has also funded an online community called "CONTROL Vs. KAOS"[5] where visitors can participate in contests and "missions".

Reception [edit]

Critical response [edit]

The film received a mixed critical reaction. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 51% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 208 reviews — with the consensus that the film "rides Steve Carell's considerable charm for a few laughs, but in the end is a rather ordinary Summer comedy."[6] Metacritic gave the film an average score of 54%, based on 34 reviews.[7]

The film received positive reviews from Roger Ebert[8] and Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly.[9] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times also gave the film a thumbs up, saying that it was "one of the more pleasant surprises of the year".[10] Critic James Berardinelli also gave it a positive review.[11]

Negative responses came from Glenn Whipp of LA Daily News calling it "staggeringly bad" and Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle stating that "It couldn't buy a laugh in a nitrous oxide factory with a fistful of clown noses."[12] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times said "it neglects the laughs and amps up the action, resulting in a not very funny comedy joined at the hip to a not very exciting spy movie."[13] It also received negative reviews from Richard Schickel from Time[14] and David Ansen from Newsweek, with the latter stating, "it's not Maxwell who's clueless, but the filmmakers ... Director (Pete) Segal ... is a comedy specialist lacking any apparent sense of humor."[15]

Box Office [edit]

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $38,683,480 in 3,911 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #1 at the box office and averaging $9,891 per venue.[16]

As of November 26, 2011 (2011-11-26), Get Smart has grossed $130,319,208 domestically and $100,336,000 internationally, bringing its worldwide total to $230,685,208.[17] In the United States it is the highest grossing live-action movie for both Carell and Hathaway as lead actors. This successful box office performance of the film adaptation of the Get Smart series was absolutely the opposite of its previous film adaptation, The Nude Bomb, which was a box office failure.

Home media [edit]

Get Smart was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 4, 2008. Two versions of the film were released: the theatrical version and an enhanced version that allows viewers to view alternate takes and deleted scenes placed within the context of the film. The film was released on DVD in the UK on February 23, 2009.[18]

Approximately 2,088,163 DVD units were sold, translating to revenue of $34,652,714 (Blu-ray sales/rentals not included).[19]

Sequel [edit]

On October 7, 2008, it was reported that Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures are producing a sequel. Carell, Hathaway, and Arkin are set to return, but the status of other cast members has not yet been announced.[20][21]

In July 2010, Steve Carell stated that he had recently been given a potential script for the sequel to Get Smart, but had passed on it. He said that he is still very interested in eventually making a Get Smart sequel, but is willing to wait until a decent script is developed.[22] "I took a pass at Get Smart 2, wrote a completely new story and we'll see what happens with that somewhere down the line perhaps… Anne Hathaway is definitely in and Alan Arkin, so at some point… we don't have any projected date and the script still needs some tweaking and some rewriting."[23]

References [edit]

  1. ^ ASIN B0018O4SOQ, Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control (2008)
  2. ^ "Get Smart (2008)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-06-24. 
  3. ^ "Get Smart" Sequel Already Planned. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  4. ^ BevReview.com » Blog Archive » Review: Sierra Mist Undercover Orange. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  5. ^ CONTROL vs. KAOS Team. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  6. ^ "Get Smart Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2010-05-20. 
  7. ^ "Get Smart Reviews, Ratings, Credits". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-06-20. 
  8. ^ Roger Ebert. "Get Smart". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2010-12-20. 
  9. ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (2008-07-04). Get Smart (2008). Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  10. ^ Get Smart Review. Richard Roeper. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  11. ^ Berardinelli, James (June 18, 2008). "Get Smart". ReelViews. Retrieved March 16, 2013. 
  12. ^ LaSalle, Mick (2008-06-20). "Movie review: Get rewrite on 'Get Smart'". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-12-20. 
  13. ^ Turan, Kenneth (2008-06-20). "The wrong mission". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-12-20. 
  14. ^ Schickel, Richard (2008-06-19). "Get Smart Got Lost". Time. Retrieved 2010-12-20. 
  15. ^ 'Get Smart': Good Advice. Newsweek. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  16. ^ "Get Smart (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-06-23. 
  17. ^ Get Smart (2008). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  18. ^ "Get Smart (R2/UK BD) in February". The Digital Fix. 2008-12-24. Retrieved 2008-03-01. 
  19. ^ "Get Smart - DVD Sales". The Numbers. Retrieved 2009-11-11. 
  20. ^ Get Smart-2. /Film. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  21. ^ "Get Smart: Steve Carell to Return as Agent 86 in Movie Sequel". TV Series Finale. Retrieved 2008-10-07. 
  22. ^ "Steve Carell Hopes for Get Smart 2". Virgin Media. Retrieved 2010-08-08. 
  23. ^ "Steve Carell Has Scripted Get Smart 2 Himself, Tina Fey Is Scripting Another Comedy For Two of Them Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movies and TV News and Rumors". Bleedingcool.com. 2010-07-08. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 

External links [edit]

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