Get Smart

Genre: Comedy, Thriller and Adaptation
Run time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for some rude humor, action violence and language.
Starring: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp
Synopsis: Maxwell Smart is on a mission to thwart the latest plot for world domination by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS. When the headquarters of U.S. spy agency Control is attacked and the identities of its agents compromised, the Chief has no choice but to promote his ever-eager analyst Maxwell Smart, who has always dreamt of working in the field alongside stalwart superstar Agent 23. Smart is partnered instead with the only other agent whose identity has not been compromised: the lovely-but-lethal veteran Agent 99. As Smart and 99 get closer to unraveling KAOS' master plan--and each other--they discover that key KAOS operative Siegfried and his sidekick Shtarker are scheming to cash in with their network of terror. Given little field experience and even less time, Smart--armed with nothing but a few spy-tech gadgets and his unbridled enthusiasm--must defeat KAOS if he is to save the day.


Although I've only been blogging about movies for about a week, I've been honing my movie watching for the last four, and I must admit that I still have a difficult time picking out specific themes in some movies. Movies like "Get Smart" have such an overwhelming silliness that it is often difficult to see the trees for the forest. There is however one scene in the movie that stands out in my mind. Again, if you haven't yet seen this movie, beware of spoilers.


Near the end of the movie, Max (Steve Carrell) was imprisoned for treason, but escapes and flies across the country to locate those who accused him of treason...why? To make sure that they stop the bomb. I love what the Chief (Alan Arkin) says "You escaped prison and ran back to those who captured you. You're either an idiot or innocent and I don't think you're an idiot." (paraphrase)


Max had every right to give up and sulk when he was wrongfully accused of treason, but instead he escapes and continues to save the day in his unique, bumbling way. This theme stuck out to me as I watched the movie. But unless you're looking for it, you'll miss it behind the comedy and general ineptness.

Although living in the grey world of spies and espionage, Max has a very definite idea of right and a distinct set of values to go along with it. He's not beyond playing the espionage game to protect those values, but he would never stray from them - even when accused of treason and thrown in jail...he still managed to hang on to his beliefs and optimism and rise to save the day.