Wow I guess I'm the only one who has the balls to stand up for this movie. Overall, I think it deserves its rating of a 7, but personally I gave it a solid 8. Now, I'm sure the OP and pretty much everyone who replied to this board is probably thinking, "wow, now all I need to know is where to find a drug that would make one so delusional." Well, contrary to what most of you might think, I am not at all delusional, just up at three in the morning discussing what I think is good about this movie and why it deserves its rating. So here it goes.
First of all, the acting was right on. Although I have never seen the original series, I think Steve Carrel played his part very well. Obviously it was not Oscar worthy or anything close, but a well played part that was not the most serious of roles. Anne Hathaway also did well, along with "Dwayne Johnson", or the Rock, and minor characters like David Koechner and James Caan. I did however have a problem with Alan Arkin who plays the Chief. He just didn't do it for me.
The action and CG was also done remarkably well considering the comedic nature of the film. The dialog was done pretty well, although there were some pretty corny lines. The story was also pretty well developed, but I have to say I suspected the Rock to be a traitor from the very beginning. The comedy elements were pretty good, although it was a little over the top at times, such as the airplane bathroom and the dance scene, for example. Overall, I think an 8 out of 10 is in order. While it certainly was not anything like Wedding Crashers or the 40 Year Old Virgin, it is definitely a well developed comedy that should be given a chance, especially with all the horrible spoofs out there, such as Meet the Spartans or Superhero Movie.
But obviously everyone who replied pretty much thought this movie was overrated, which is perfectly ok. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, myself included. That being said, if this movie was awful, in my opinion that would make films like Zoolander atrocious. And also, you know how I know you're gay? You like Coldplay. And it was also pretty good compared to some of the sh!t released in the spring and summer, such as Strange Wilderness, or the movie where Indiana Jones was raped by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. I guess that goes to show that Lucas and Spielberg need to retire, along with the completely average Harrison Ford. Speaking of sh!tty films, how about that God-awful Twilight movie that just came out, or that poor excuse for a werewolf move Blood and Chocolate? EVERYONE must agree, those were trash. But if this movie's rating is too high, then those ones certainly are too.
And speaking of overrated, how about Stallone's new Rambo film. And just having watched Hearts of America a few days ago, I've come to the conclusion that Uwe Boll deserves to have his ball sack ripped out and fed to him. And Mary Harron, director of American Psycho, should be shot for producing such a pathetic excuse for a psychological thriller. Oh, and back to movies in the summer, I don't think I have to even mention the biggest failure all year, The Happening. Wow. That was pretty f..king terrible. And going back a few years, I have to say I absolutely hated that poor excuse for a classic, The Sterile Cuckoo. Path to War and Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever were two 2002 films that were simply awful. Hated them both. And out of all the horror films I have ever seen, Wishmaster has to be as bad as it gets. Oh, almost forgot. Whoever thinks Mare Winningham is even the least attractive deserves to have a psychological evaluation. So thank you for reading, I know it was long. And maybe I'm on the delusional drug, but I just thought of that. =]
Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.
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punisher707
15 years ago
wth, i thought this movie was good I have it a 10... I think it was really hilarious, probably because I never saw the original series (AND I NEVER WILL I HATE OLD STUFF)
Last Movie Seen In Theatres :
Role Models (2008) 10/10
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dancesingact13
15 years ago
Wth is right.
This movie was hysterical!
But I agree... I've never seen the old series and I really don't want to XD
But, that being said, this was a great movie. Ten out of ten.
And, for the record, Anne Hathaway is a very talented actress and she did really well in this movie.
Stop hatin, it was a GREAT movie.
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Dan-I-am
15 years ago
I loved the film. Yes I havent seen the original but I thought it was a lot of fun and I laughed heaps!! I gave it an 8.
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OdumC
15 years ago
Having grown up on the original I was really anxiously waiting for this to come out as soon as I heard about it and was NOT disappointed.I loved it and agree the dedication to Don Adams and Edward Platt at the end had me choked up. 2 great comedians who really delivered on the original series.
As for people saying the characterization was off, Good! who wants to watch Steve Carrel do his Don Adams impersonation?? the man isn't Don Adams, let him bring his own take on the character to the table which he did with much success in my opinion. in the original series Maxwell Smart was pretty much the dumbest and luckiest guy alive. without an ounce of common sense. at least Carrell gave him intelligence, just a total unlucky streak. take knowing all the intelligence, picking the right restaurant, the laser obstacle he was impressing 99 with until the bad luck kicked in with the rat, it was Get Smart just seen from another angle and I liked it.
I found this to be a great tribute to it's source material all the way down to figuring out a way to use old props like the suit car and shoe phone. it would not have been Get Smart without the shoe phone.
Everything was handled respectfully, cameos by original characters (Bernie Koppel driving one of Max's original cars)the lonely agent 13 hiding in the most absurd places (Bill Murray taking on the role in a tree) were all a real treat to see for someone who idolized the original series.
(Also I don't think the fat girl dance was that random. he was looking dead at the hot chick, she shot him down and in typical Maxwell Smart fashion he twisted it to not asking her and latching onto the nearest sure thing, the fat girl, to save face. Or another take on it is he kept mentioning he just lost 150 pounds so maybe he felt sorry for her. either way it was great when she flipped off the hot chick after the dance)
Thank the Gods for NETFLIX!!
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hq-3
15 years ago
Agree with you!
I LOVED the old show, more than this film. But I enjoyed this film, too, and gave it an 8.
Carrell was super. Had restraint and did not (as I'd feared he would) go overboard.
Watching it with one eye on the past shows (such as I remember) I was impressed by the care in updating detail. I also did not expect the carry-forward technologies and agency history. Yes, it was still Max/86, 99, and The Chief. But they also seemed like professional descendants of the originals. Ditto the HQ and devices. The geeks were a super addition.
I actually liked Arkin's chief. No one could do exasperation like Edward Platt. But I like Arkin's choice to play him differently, as the loyal old warhorse.
My only disappointment (and my husband totally disagrees) is 99. I really missed Barbara Feldon's perennial serenity, cheerfulness, and acceptance of 86. To have the remake's 99 do the same would not be a compromise of female strength and would be much funnier.
I even had a funny dream about Dick Cheney afterwards!
A creditable job! I like it much better than Austin Powers (yuck).
To each his own, kids...
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glasshull
15 years ago
w-t-f-i-d126,
You're the man!
Nice standing up to the haters. People just needed a leader to get the other side rolling.
Loved this movie. Amused and entertained me greatly. Was disappointed to see it only get 2 stars in the newspaper's TV listings. Would like to watch it again.
Time to bring the reruns of the original to late night TV.
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JoJo31
15 years ago
***with_the_flames_i_die126 said: First of all, the acting was right on. Although I have never seen the original series, I think Steve Carrel played his part very well. Obviously it was not Oscar worthy or anything close, but a well played part that was not the most serious of roles. Anne Hathaway also did well, along with "Dwayne Johnson", or the Rock, and minor characters like David Koechner and James Caan. I did however have a problem with Alan Arkin who plays the Chief. He just didn't do it for me.***
I like Steve Carrel and Anne Hathaway . . . but the acting was not "right on". Because you haven't seen the original series, you wouldn't understand this. Steve Carrel was the right choice for Max, but he had Max so messed up it made the character agonizingly unbelievable. And I don't even want to comment on Anne Hathaway's interpretation of 99. OMG, it was so far off it's more painful to watch. Alan Arkin as the Chief, I agree, he didn't do it for me either. Dwayne Johnson and James Caan played characters not in the '65 series, so they did okay.
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Sateena54
14 years ago
Although I have never seen the original series...
While that bit right there doesn't completely invalidate your opinion, it does make it a lot weaker. The only way one can truly appreciate a remake such as this is by having experienced the original. And most people who have watched the original, and seen how much it was botched by the new writers and actors, can see that this movie is pretty much *beep*
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fred1239
14 years ago
basically you guys don't get that some other people out there liked it enough to give it a 7, instead of a 5 that you guys are trying to pass off as fact, instead of an opinion.
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