'Get Smart' Film Review
Where an otherwise quite strong, quirky script disappointed however was in the under-use of Hathaway as the unnamed Agent 99. While her initial reluctance to be teamed with analyst Maxwell Smart made - in the face of all available evidence - perfect sense, the face-lift story made less, and in the end felt like an attempt to scrape together some ultimately unsubstantiated character development. Barbara Feldon's original Agent 99 was a strong woman of unique charm, shackled with a buffoon partner, yet who made us laugh more out of sympathy than sarcasm. Hathaway on the other hand fared less well, dealing as best she could with familiar, rehashed stereotyped material, and with this the film failed to produce a remarkable, distinctive female lead where there was undeniably room to develop one. In another film season dominated by male leads and unmemorable women characters, this represents a genuinely lost opportunity.
In addition, the story between Maxwell and his hero Agent 23 could arguably have played out more emotively and dramatically without the predictable third-party complication.
Those quibbles aside, director Peter Segal and writers Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember have delivered an hour and a half of laughs and fun. The novelty of setting the spy-thriller prerequisite car-chase on fire with a flame thrower hidden inside a pen knife was a nice twist too...
Get Smart opens August 22 across the UK.
Want to get a fix of classic Get Smart? Enter our competition!
Adele Kirby
In addition, the story between Maxwell and his hero Agent 23 could arguably have played out more emotively and dramatically without the predictable third-party complication.
Those quibbles aside, director Peter Segal and writers Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember have delivered an hour and a half of laughs and fun. The novelty of setting the spy-thriller prerequisite car-chase on fire with a flame thrower hidden inside a pen knife was a nice twist too...
Get Smart opens August 22 across the UK.
Want to get a fix of classic Get Smart? Enter our competition!
Adele Kirby
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