Get Smart
a.k.a. “Agente 86,” “Agente Smart,” “Max la menace,” “Salainen agentti 86,” “El Superagente 86” MPAA Rating:
 for some rude humor, action violence and languageReviewed by: Sheri McMurray Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience:
Teens, Adults, Family
Genre:
Action, Comedy, Crime
Length:
1 hr. 50 min.
Year of Release:
2008
USA Release:
June 20, 2008
“Saving the world… and loving it.” C.O.N.T.R.O.L. lives, although reported to have disbanded after the cold war and K.A.O.S. still lurks a formidable foe to all things good and decent in the world. The famed red Sunbeam and the tailored 60's suit of the most famous agent ever to grace secret agent-dom, now resides under glass display cases in the Smithsonian and a new sticky-note pushing, iPod toting, Maxwell Smart longs to be just like him. Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) has just passed his field training with flying colors, but to his disappointment does such a great and detailed job being the Chief’s (Alan Arkin) best darned analyst, he’s not promoted to be a full fledged Secret Agent. As fate would have it, not soon after he gets the discouraging news, Smart finds Control Headquarters blown to pieces, all the Agents visually identified and unable to work even under cover, and he the only man trained for the job of finding and stopping the dreaded Siegfried (Terence Stamp) from Nukeing Los Angeles and the President (James Caan) of the United States. The Chief teams Smart with his only other operative who’s face has been altered so she won’t be recognized, the beautiful and very competent, Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway). Together they are to uncover and stop Siegfried from stockpiling nuclear weapons to extort billions from the West. Demonstrating KAOS’s power, Siegfried plans to nuke L.A. where the President will be attending a Concert in his honor. Meanwhile, back at Control Headquarters, the dashing Agent 23 (The Rock, Dwayne Johnson) is not fitting into his new role as ops analyst very well and is having fun beating up nerds and stapling papers to their heads. The adventure whirls Max and Agent 99 from Washington to Russia and on to Los Angeles, with a big fight sequence in and between each local. I feel as though I am repeating myself a lot these days, as the humor factor in many of my reviews of comedies of late is high, but the way in which the humor is portrayed, especially to Christian families, is objectionable. One would only know that the humor started and honed by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry would be profuse with sexual innuendo and wicked use of unacceptable language for very young children. PG-13 for rude humor, violence and language is right, but I must add that it is still misleading, as impressionable pre-teen boys in particular should not see this film simply because of it’s reference to all sorts of sex and the action violence alone. I, for one would not want my young son to go around stapling papers to people’s foreheads in real life, thinking it was funny to do so. Get Smart includes lots of physical humor, that could be funny to an adult, but to kids who might try and emulate it, could prove harmful to other children. In the beginning scenes alone a man is shot and falls out a window to his death several floors below, the building blows up and everyone in it is killed, and all through this film, even though a comedy, parents must keep in mind it is a spy film and people are seen being killed, shot, beat up using martial arts moves, and are constantly in life threatening peril. Foul language is sprinkled freely through out Get Smart and includes: bi**h, whore, holy sh**, and even though some of these words are in another language, they are displayed through subtitles across the screen. A woman gives ‘the finger’ to a crowd of onlookers, Smart grabs Agent 99's breast on accident, and other lesser though no better uses of distasteful references that will send up a red flag to Christian movie goers are: while Maxwell Smart and Agent 23 are going through field ops training the other guys call Smart names such as “maxi-pad”, the words “go-nads” as well as “ball-sack” is used to describe the male anatomy. While Agent 99 and Smart are undercover as a married couple and are discussing their contrived back ground story, Max says the female cannot conceive because “ her eggs could dry up and fall out her uterus.” Another reference was made to this by saying she has a “dusty uterus.” Agent 99 asks Max if he is looking at her butt several times, and butt humor is used frequently. Max is shown dancing with an over weight woman and he grabs her butt and the ending is centered around this joke which runs through out the film. I could go on and on about these reoccurring symbols intended as humorous play through out Get Smart, but I hope Christian families consider this type of humor and judge accordingly as to whether they wish to see this film, especially with their 13 plus aged children, or not. There are redeeming threads in the story, but I wish to stress that just because I highlight these themes here, does not mean I recommend this film to a Christian audience. I only wish to give them note as very positive elements. There is no sex, although a couple of kisses were exchanged between the Maxwell Smart character and the Agent 99 character. They are shown to truly care for one another and respect one another over the course of the film. The Smart character cares about his job and has a proud work ethic. He is dedicated to good and what is right and genuinely wants to save and preserve the country in which he lives. He has a respect for authority. Smart also will do anything for his friends and if that means giving his life, he is prepared to do so. Because of these qualities and his seemingly innocent take on life, all that he seems to botch overall comes about as right and good in the end. Sean O’Connell of Filmcritc.com sums up the new “Get Smart” well:
Full of funny adult themed sight gags and humor, the polished action sequences and better than average acting, brings Get Smart into the modern age. It is unfortunate that many Christian families will have to pass it by based on the limits they have set on their humor-meters. I suggest that discerning adults see it in theaters, and perhaps consider renting “Get Smart” when it comes out on DVD, using their best judgment and prayerful regard when family movie night comes around. Violence: Heavy / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: Mild See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.   Comments below:
Positive
Positive - It's not the best remake of a classic TV show, but it's not totally horrible, either. Carrell and Hathaway do fine as Agent 86 and Agent 99 without being total imitators of the actors in the original show. Those who are familiar with the 1960's series will appreciate the nods made to the show. Keep in mind that the sanitized humor in the original show has been modernized -- cursing, references to pre-marital sex, gay jokes, a brief shot of a scantily clad character, another character using a rude hand gesture and some gross out humor. It would be fine for older teens, but not for small children. Positive - I truly enjoyed this funny movie. Steve Carrell once again plays his role well and succeeds in portraying a very earnest agent who fumbles as an agent, but with the best of intentions, and when he seems totally inept, comes through with some weird genius for deciphering the truth and knowing what to do. That's what Don Adams did in the original Get Smart tv series. Anne Hathaway does well as Agent 99, and the chemistry between the two is believable. She starts off as the clever, experienced agent, and then, because of his zany ardor and sheer enthusiasm, Smart catches up with her. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep the audience on its toes, and I thought the dialogue was laugh out loud funny. Positive - My wife and I have had the unusual pleasure, and sometimes displeasure, of going to see several movies this summer. Get Smart surprised us in that we feel it is by far the best film, not just of the summer, but of the year so far. Positive - I saw the opening show of this movie and must disagree with the reviewer's final comments. I agree there were SOME offensive content in this film such as occasional cussing, sexual innuendo and of course, it's an action film, so a string of action sequences. However, the cussing was few and far between and no extremely offensive words were used, there were also some 'not nice' words...but this movie certainly does not deserve a 'heavy' profanity level! I also see the sex/nudity rating of 'mild' as inaccurate. There was NO nudity and NO sex shown in the film (one scene insinuated, see below). Finally, the 'heavy' rating for violence I believe is also extreme. It is an action film so there are fight scenes, but no gore, slashing, or extreme violence. I can't really even remember if there was any blood. Positive - I really enjoyed “Get Smart.” It managed to hit a good balance of action and comedy. The film was different than the classic television series. The movie Smart has elements of competence and even brilliance, juxtaposed against moments of bumbling incompetence (a la TV Smart). Anne Hathaway was a convincing Agent 99. The Rock also played a believable secret agent and added to the comedic value of the film. Get Smart was consistently funny. My husband and I laughed out loud several times during the movie, as did the rest of the audience. Positive - I cannot believe the reviewers comments and rating as offensive! What a fantastic film and if we have brought up our children correctly, then they will not be influenced by small pieces of butt humour! It is certainly a lot cleaner than any other movie out there. Positive - I loved “Get Smart” as a kid, and was a tiny bit disappointed with all the potty humor, but still found myself laughing and enjoying the movie overall. Steve Carell was the perfect replacement for Don Adams, continuing with the bumbling, sweet and eventually successful antics to save the U.S. Positive - I thought this film was very enjoyable... I honestly didn't expect much going in, and it turned out much better than I expected. It's not something I would take the younger kiddies to see, but I'd say it's alright for some of the older ones. The worst thing I remember is a quick scene near the end with Steve Carrel's bare butt. But the reviewer does realize that the term “gonads” is a scientific term for the reproductive organs and not a crass nickname for genitals, right? Positive - This movie was great for all 12 year olds and above. The movie is a great family movie!!!! I would take my 12 year to go see it any day. Positive - I loved this movie. I am a huge fan of The Office so when I saw that Steve Carrell was doing a movie, I was immediately on board. Positive - I loved Get Smart as a kid, and was a tiny bit disappointed with all the potty humor, but still found myself laughing and enjoying the movie overall. Steve Carell was the perfect replacement for Don Adams, continuing with the bumbling, sweet and eventually successful antics to save the U.S. Positive - I cannot believe the reviewers comments and rating as offensive! What a fantastic film and if we have brought up our children correctly, then they will not be influenced by small pieces of butt humour! It is certainly a lot cleaner than any other movie out there. Positive - I really enjoyed Get Smart. It managed to hit a good balance of action and comedy. The film was different than the classic television series. The movie Smart has elements of competence and even brillance, juxtaposed against moments of bumbling incompetence (a la TV Smart). Anne Hathaway was a convincing Agent 99. The Rock also played a believable secret agent and added to the comedic value of the film. Get Smart was consistently funny. My husband and I laughed out loud several times during the movie, as did the rest of the audience. Positive - “Get Smart” is surprising good especially when one considers the train wreck it could've been. Get Smart works because the filmmakers looked like they thought this film through and didn't resort to simple mindless slapstick. What impressed me about the film is that almost all the humor is connected to what is going on in the plot. There really are no self contained scenes that are in there only to provide an irrelevant joke. Even the toilet humor connects, when you consider how many serious spy movies have the hero infiltrate the villains lair via the sewer. “Get Smart” is probably the first film for the hero to comment on just how unpleasant something like that can be. Steve Carrell is hilarious as Smart, and what surprised me is that although his character has his bumbling moments the filmmakers don't make him into an incompetent boob. He has his clumsy moments but he is also intelligent and very resourceful. Anne Hatha
way is perfectly cast as the beautiful Agent 99 who is initially exasperated by Smart's bumbling but ultimately sees that Smart is the right man for the job. Also, funny are Alan Arkin and Dwyane Johnson. Positive - There is some adult content in here which is why I give it an Average rather than an Offensive rating. Nothing vehemently anti-Christian but not exactly pro-Christian, either. Neutral
Neutral - I found the movie extremely boring - to the point where I actually wandered out of the theatre to walk in the lobby - they could have done so much with the old Get Smart theme, and I really enjoy other films that the 2 main actors have done, but I found this to drag on. Neutral - The magic just was not there between Max, 99, etc. Many of the gags easily have their origin in other movies. The villains were not likable as in the original series. The list of negatives could go on forever... The movie itself was a waste of time. The plot under-developed and characters who should have been developed were not. Neutral - Steve Carell stars as Maxwell Smart, a clumsy analyst working for a clandestine U.S. organization known only as Control. He's a former fat guy turned Jared Fogle who desperately wants a shot at working in the field as an Agent. After a massive raid - correction, major pillaging - of Control, Smart gets his promotion as a coveted Agent. Without any delay, he's paired opposite The Hollie's Long Cool Woman-incarnate Agent 99, played by Anne Hathway. Even though Carell is conceivably old enough to be her daddy, the two work well with one another at generating convincing chemistry, and their score age gap is all but forgotten. Neutral - I found the movie extremely boring - to the point where I actually wandered out of the theatre to walk in the lobby - they could have done so much with the old Get Smart theme, and I really enjoy other films that the 2 main actors have done, but I found this to drag on. Neutral - Steve Carell stars as Maxwell Smart, a clumsy analyst working for a clandestine U.S. organization known only as Control. He's a former fat guy turned Jared Fogle who desperately wants a shot at working in the field as an Agent. After a massive raid - correction, major pillaging - of Control, Smart gets his promotion as a coveted Agent. Without any delay, he's paired opposite The Hollie's Long Cool Woman-incarnate Agent 99, played by Anne Hathway. Even though Carell is conceivably old enough to be her daddy, the two work well with one another at generating convincing chemistry, and their score age gap is all but forgotten. Neutral - The film was funny at some parts but not really at others. The homesexual tedencies I did not like or find really funny. Plus another negative thing for me was the nude shot of the butt and do not like to see people nude. But, overall, it was an ok movie, but offensive. Negative
Negative - I agree with the writer for USA Today: 'missed it by that much...' We were looking forward to this remake, but were greatly disappointed by all the crude sexual remarks and cursing. I'm ashamed we didn't walk out. I do NOT recommend this movie; save your money for ice cream. Negative - We just watched this movie. I would not recommend it to anyone. It has too much of the homosexual agenda within it. Even though they were fighting, Max kisses a man. Plenty of bathroom humor. It could have been a good movie if made 20 years ago. Save your money. Negative - We were wanting to put in our 2 cents worth regarding the new Get Smart movie. We believe other Christians will have the same sentiment we do. As a devoted fan of the 60's 'Get Smart' TV show, who was hoping to see a revival of the old series, and as a Christian who enjoys the clean humor of that era, I couldn't wait to see the 'Get Smart' movie, especially after hearing so many positive reviews. A few Christians even said it was funny and not too offensive. Sad to say, I was utterly disgusted and disappointed. The new 'Get Smart' movie is nowhere near the quality of humor and gags of the original 'Get Smart.' As far as suitable for the Christian family, it is absolutely unacceptable. Negative - As a big fan of the original television series (yes, I know I'm a little young, but what can I say, I love classic television) I will not be going to see this movie. The crude 'funny parts' they show in the trailers alone have turned me completely off, so I can imagine how much worse it will get in the actual movie. This movie is NOTHING like the classic TV show. If you want to spend money on “Get Smart,” I would suggest renting or buying the DVDs of the classic series instead. What you'll get will be a whole lot more entertaining and certainly much cleaner than this movie. Negative - THis was an ok movie. I wouldn't in a million years take small children to see this. Of course, most kids have probable seen worse, but I don't think it's ok for little ones. Negative - They took a classic wholesome TV show, made a movie and added in some sin, just for laughs. Max kissing the person he is fighting with, mind you I didn't view this as Homosexuality, it was gross and it did have a lead in, okay I laughed. Comments from young people
Positive - I loved this movie. I am a huge fan of The Office so when I saw that Steve Carrell was doing a movie, I was immediately on board. Truly, the humor from this movie comes from slapstick humor and one-liners. One character staples a piece of paper to another characters forehead (haha). Carrell's character shots darts into his own body by mistake. I would list the one-liners, but I don't want to ruin the movie for anyone. There are plenty of instances where the audience is expected to laugh at pain. If you do not condone that, then do not see this movie. Positive - This movie was amazing!!!… me and my friend went to see thinking it would only be OK but we couldn't stop laughing throughout the movie!!! it was good cuz most of the funny stuff was pretty clean and there was next to none swearing (no F words) if you want to see a really funny family movie GET SMART is the perfect movie! 5/5!!!! Positive - The movie was very good to me. I didn't find it to be offensive as other comedies might be. I will definitely be seeing it again… Positive - …I have seen this film all the way through, and many of the parts multiple times. There is barely anything to be offended by in this movie, and even at that is it is so mildly offensive that it bugs me everyone is putting it down because of that. And the language that they are talking about is very minor, and nothing that should turn someone off to this. There were only a few swears scattered throughout the entire movie. I went and saw this just the other day and I though that it was hilarious! And when the way that they talk about the violence in the review is way over the top, it was all done in a comical fashion, and is not worse that people would see in most of the show that they watch on tv, even of the kids channels. I thought that this film did a good job of updating the series for a new generation, and Steve Carrel was perfect as Maxwell Smart. I would suggest this to anyone looking for some good, CLEAN fun. Positive - Although “Get Smart” isn't the hilarious comedy the trailers would have you believe, Steve Carell's newest movie is a very enjoyable flick. If you go to see “Get Smart,” don't expect a comedy, but rather a comic action movie that is funny at times and thrilling at others. It is a well put together and superbly acted genre-blending blockbuster, one that will easily entertain on a hot summer day. Positive - The movie was very good to me. I didn't find it to be offensive as other comedies might be. I will definitely be seeing it again =) Positive - This movie was amazing!!!!!! me and my friend went to see thinking it would only be OK but we couldent stop laughing throughout the movie!!! it was good cuz most of the funny stuff was pretty clean and there was next to none swearing (no F words) if you want to see a really funny family movie GET SMART is the perfect movie! 5/5!!!! Positive - This movie is very good. I went to see it with a Christian buddy of mine. We both loved it and it was very funny. The parts that are explained as offensive in the offical review are not as bad as defined. Yes, there is average profanity; also the 'max-i-pad' joke was barely hearable and I had to think about what was said before I new what he said. Steve Carrell did an excellent job playing his role. Overall, a great movie! Movie Critics
“…a truly hilarious spy-spoof update… ‘Get Smart’ is the near perfect blend of physical comedy, goofy jokes, and witty repartee.…” “…Farfetched ‘Get Smart’ adaptation lacks dumb fun of TV series… All I expected was dumb fun, but there was disappointingly little fun to be had.…” “…Politically edgier, the new ‘Get Smart’ mocks the President… mixes broad slapstick and off-hand one-liners in a sometimes surprisingly funny mixture.…” “…misses out on originality… goofy, if largely forgettable, fun.” “…The ‘Get Smart’ remake: Missed it by that much… stops short of being clever…” “…Carell does a nimble job of keeping that tension alive.… The plot feels provisional, like the movie is feeling its way toward a better sequel.… Still, by movie's end, we can imagine spending some more time with Agents 86 and 99, and liking it.” |
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