Get Smart Again
Because the title of a hit TV show from the mid to late '60s called Get Smart is still a semi-recognizable brand (primarily among boomers and older GenXers who were in their early tweens to late teens when "would you believe...?" was a cool catch phrase, and who are now in their 40s, 50s and early 60s), Warner Bros. is making a Get Smart movie with Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway in the Don Adams and Barbara Feldon (i.e., Agent 99) parts.
USA Today's Anthony Breznican has written a totally boilerplate, just-the-facts piece about it,
The new Get Smart is reportedly an origin story about how Carell's Maxwell Smart got to be a top secret agent and work for CONTROL, etc. (Alan Arkin is playing the chief with Hathaway as Agent 99.) The baddie-waddie org known as KAOS is back also, along with the shoe phone and the Cone of Silence. The world of the mid '60s (James Bond spoofs, the Hugh Hefner aesthetic, threat of Russian and Chinese communism, boning the babes, dry martinis, Ford Mustangs) transferred to a world that has next to no relation to the one that existed 40 years ago.
All in an effort to sell tickets (a fundamental reason to make a film, obviously, but one that ensures a rancid and empty vibe if that's primarily what the makers are thinking about) and make people like me miserable.
You can''t go home again. The mid to late '60s can't be re-animated and re-alchemized, and 40 year-old TV shows don't mean much to anyone under-40 who doesn't watch Nickleodeon. Or do they?
To increase the offensiveness, the producers have Peter Segal -- the grinning go-alonger with the Adam Sandler relationship and, okay, a certain facility with lightweight comedy (50 First Dates, Anger Management, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Tommy Boy) -- directing it.
The problem is that Segal is just a breezy-ass hah-hah guy -- no apparent "taste" or seasoning or underlying whatever. I don't know if the producers approached Jay Roach or Richard Linklater (or if these guys felt that Get Smart was beneath them and blew them off...I would have). But if the producers had any interest in making something that wasn't intended as a total wank from the get-go, they wouldn't get Segal. (How about someone like Jon Favreau or...I don't know....Christopher Guest?)
How would you like to be Segal and know that you're directing a movie that's regarded by your top stars as a straight hold-my-nose, do-the-job and get- through-it-so-I can-pay-for-my-children's-education type gig?
Carell has now officially squandered the good will and positive associations he had in his pocket all last year as a result of his extremely winning, ground-level comic performance in Little Miss Sunshine. It's over and he's pissed it away. His image (doubly fortified by Evan Almighty) is now that of a complacent and obedient clown who makes corporate comedies for guys in suits as long as you pay him enough.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on April 11, 2007 at 7:30 AM
comment #1
D.Z.
says ...
I just hope it's better than the "sequel" from '95, where Andy Dick play Adams' son.
Posted by D.Z.
at April 11, 2007 11:53 AM
comment #2
vansmith
says ...
i will see this!!! okay im in my mid to late 30's but i remember this show! the music, the quips, steve is a funny guy, he can pull it off, wont even be a stretch..they should get will to do a guest appearance as some zany KAOS agent and get Buck Henry in there to write a few scenes and... i could go on and on with this one....
Posted by vansmith
at April 11, 2007 11:58 AM
comment #3
christian
says ...
i recall jeff making a similar kreskin-like prediction about a little film called CASINO ROYALE...make that criswell-like...
but what jeff leaves out is the plot, which is supposed to deal with post 9-11 failure of agency communications...nothing screams laff-riot more than a comedy about 9-11 intelligence failures.
Posted by christian
at April 11, 2007 12:10 PM
comment #4
Joe Leydon
says ...
Just wondering: Is Get Smart being shown anywhere, even on fringe cable, anymore?
Posted by Joe Leydon
at April 11, 2007 12:12 PM
comment #5
vansmith
says ...
steve hasnt thrown away the good will, he is a straight up funny guy, he is always good...
Posted by vansmith
at April 11, 2007 12:14 PM
comment #6
Rich S.
says ...
Didn't they already make this movie? I believe it was called Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
Seriously, though, I'm sure this isn't going to be a world-beater, but Carrell will do fine. As D.Z. points out, efforts to revive this franchise have been a little, um, disappointing (The Nude Bomb, anyone?). So it's not like Steve Martin's unfortunate sashay across Peter Sellers' grave.
One weird thing, though. Isn't Anne Hathaway, like, half Carrell's age? One of the key components of the original was the sexual tension (such as it was) between Adams and Feldon. Trying to pull off the same thing here seems more than a little icky to me.
Posted by Rich S.
at April 11, 2007 12:16 PM
comment #7
jeffmcm
says ...
Jeff is also ignoring Carell's consistently excellent work on The Office, mixed in with his same-old same-old (God, now he's got me writing like him, ugh).
Posted by jeffmcm
at April 11, 2007 12:16 PM
comment #8
christian
says ...
and I SPY really killed 'em...
Posted by christian
at April 11, 2007 12:22 PM
comment #9
D.Z.
says ...
Joe: HBO's going to be selling the show on dvd for $200 in stores later this year. They currently are selling it through Time Life.
Rich: The Nude Bomb was still leagues better than the Andy Dick debacle. I can't believe they let him work on Newsradiow after that.
Posted by D.Z.
at April 11, 2007 12:24 PM
comment #10
D.Z.
says ...
http://www.timelife.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=9613
Posted by D.Z.
at April 11, 2007 12:24 PM
comment #11
christian
says ...
andy dick is one of the nicest guys you could meet. just don't do it on a stage.
Posted by christian
at April 11, 2007 12:41 PM
comment #12
Rich S.
says ...
The original was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. I don't think they ever got within a country mile of the remakes/sequels. I doubt they're going to have any input here, but it couldn't hurt.
Posted by Rich S.
at April 11, 2007 12:42 PM
comment #13
Pelham123
says ...
The original show was comedic brilliance (Mel Brooks/Buck Henry/Don Adams/Barbara Feldon and more). All attempts to revive it have been abominable. But, yes, the TV series revival with, good lord, Andy Dick is to "The Nude Bomb" as "Robin Hood: Men In Tights" is to "Life Stinks", variants on awful, one much, much worse than the other. Was Andy Dick "Maxwell Smart, Jr." in that? So, yeah, good luck with this attempt.
Posted by Pelham123
at April 11, 2007 12:49 PM
comment #14
Craptastic
says ...
I'm going to pull a Wells on this one and say: Anne Hathaway looks f-ing HOT. I'll see it just for that.
Posted by Craptastic
at April 11, 2007 12:56 PM
comment #15
Wrecktum
says ...
Hathaway looks great and at home in both contemporary (Prada) and vintage (Brokeback) roles. Lots of times people look like they're playing dress-up when they affect performances from the past, but Hathaway is a natural either way.
Posted by Wrecktum
at April 11, 2007 1:10 PM
comment #16
Me
says ...
Yeah, the age issue between the leads is a bit much. Though it'll be interesting to see if Anne Hathaway can start pulling off adult roles.
And as much as I love Steve, and will probably see this, it does feel like a tired genre.
Posted by Me
at April 11, 2007 1:11 PM
comment #17
Terry McCarty
says ...
Re Jeffrey's comment on Christopher Guest:
Judging from FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, it's safe to say that Guest would regard directing a contemporized GET SMART as something utterly beneath him.
Posted by Terry McCarty
at April 11, 2007 1:22 PM
comment #18
Noah
says ...
Jay Roach and Richard Linklater are not comparable filmmakers to each other. One guy directed Dazed and Confused, Slacker, Before Sunrise/Sunset, Waking Life, Tape and A Scanner Darkly. The other guy directed three Austin Powers movies, two Fockers movies, and Mystery Alaska. I don't think this material would have been beneath Jay Roach at all, but it would definitely be beneath Linklater (although he did remake Bad News Bears, but hey I'll forgive him).
Posted by Noah
at April 11, 2007 1:23 PM
comment #19
George Prager
says ...
Bob Clark would've jumped at the chance to direct this piece of crap, but he's dead.
Posted by George Prager
at April 11, 2007 2:04 PM
comment #20
Craptastic
says ...
..and you're a jackass, hot pocket breath
Posted by Craptastic
at April 11, 2007 2:11 PM
comment #21
lesterg
says ...
Wrecktum: "Hathaway looks great and at home in both contemporary (Prada) and vintage (Brokeback) roles. Lots of times people look like they're playing dress-up when they affect performances from the past, but Hathaway is a natural either way."
Agreed. It bothers me that she doesn't get the respect of other actresses her age (Scarlett in particular) despite a box-office consistency most would kill for. She's the closest thing to the new Julia.
Posted by lesterg
at April 11, 2007 2:18 PM
comment #22
KevinTC
says ...
Read they were going for some sort pre-9/11 information-lost-in-bureaucratic-quagmire satire, not a back-when rehash. Still, it seems doubtful here that it will be pulled off in any meaningful or interesting way, no?
Posted by KevinTC
at April 11, 2007 2:34 PM
comment #23
IndiSB
says ...
Uh D.Z. go to The Digital Bits for DVD info before you start telling us anything. The Get Smart info is that it may be released later this year, but not for 200 bucks!
Posted by IndiSB
at April 11, 2007 2:41 PM
comment #24
Josh Massey
says ...
Uh, you are aware Steve Carell is featured on a critically adored, successful sitcom every Thursday night, right?
Posted by Josh Massey
at April 11, 2007 2:44 PM
comment #25
Craig Kennedy
says ...
The fact I've been defending Tarantino Brand Nostalgia Wallowing for the last week or so precludes me from taking a crap on Get Smart, much as I'd like to. Maybe they'll even spin something original and amusing out of it.
I think it's a little soon to declare the good will surrounding Steve Carrell as "completely squandered" especially since the two films he supposedly wasted it on haven't been seen yet, but whatever.
Posted by Craig Kennedy
at April 11, 2007 3:23 PM
comment #26
nola
says ...
Why cast anne? I like her but there is a 15 year age difference. From what I remembered of the series there was a LOT of sexual tension.
I guess they think Anne will bring in the young female audience. I agree with Jeff making movies from a series that ran 40 years ago makes no sense.
Posted by nola
at April 11, 2007 3:30 PM
comment #27
D.Z.
says ...
Kevin: So it's gonna be like a PG 13 version of
Team America?
Posted by D.Z.
at April 11, 2007 3:50 PM
comment #28
Dixon Steele
says ...
This movie will be huge. Segal is a solid "commercial" director and has numerous mainstream hits to his credit. When did that become such a bad thing?
And right, the director of A Scanner Darkly would be perfect for this. After all, his remake of Bad News Bears was so great...not!
Jeff, sometimes you exhibit the intellgence of Hymie the Robot...
Posted by Dixon Steele
at April 11, 2007 3:51 PM
comment #29
Cadavra
says ...
Christian: I SPY tanked because it wasn't I SPY. It looked like a RUSH HOUR knock-off, which it mostly was, and the fans stayed home. The entire history of movies based on TV shows boils down to one simple truth: the closer you stick to the original source material, the more successful it's likely to be. Or as David O. Selznick sagely observed, "People expect the book."
Posted by Cadavra
at April 11, 2007 4:29 PM
comment #30
alynch
says ...
Yes, it's a real shame that Steve Carell isn't using his recent critical success to do something artistically risky like Toy Story 3.
Posted by alynch
at April 11, 2007 5:00 PM
comment #31
CambridgeCat
says ...
I think the children of baby boomers who, like myself, saw this show in syndication every day for years might be interested too.
Posted by CambridgeCat
at April 11, 2007 5:14 PM
comment #32
christian
says ...
"...and the fans stayed home. "
i think the fans of I SPY are fewer in numbers than those who remember grindhouse drive-in movies....
Posted by christian
at April 11, 2007 5:48 PM
comment #33
zoey
says ...
I also think that Anne Hathaway could be too young for Steve Carell...I think the age difference is more like 20 years. But twenty years is about right for Hollywood romances these days, I guess. At least Woody Allen isn't remaking it.
Posted by zoey
at April 11, 2007 6:03 PM
comment #34
Hallick
says ...
"Didn't they already make this movie? I believe it was called Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery."
Really? I thought the title was "Undercover Brother".
Posted by Hallick
at April 11, 2007 7:23 PM
comment #35
KevinTC
says ...
DZ...
(and I suppose it's "post-911" not "pre"):
From a USA Today article:
"Director Peter Segal (50 First Dates, Tommy Boy) says the challenge was figuring out a way to update a silly Cold War comedy for the world after 9/11, finding things to laugh at in the face of global fear.
"We try to show the disconnect between government agencies as we saw right after 9/11 when the CIA and FBI weren't really communicating," Segal says. "We wanted to make sure we were politically satirical."
Posted by KevinTC
at April 11, 2007 7:47 PM
comment #36
christian
says ...
...between shots of carell getting hit in the balls.
Posted by christian
at April 11, 2007 9:34 PM
comment #37
jeffmcm
says ...
Team America was political satire. It sounds like Segal is saying that they were trying to find away to make a non-political spy satire.
Posted by jeffmcm
at April 12, 2007 12:31 AM
comment #38
Dublin101
says ...
"Agreed. It bothers me that she doesn't get the respect of other actresses her age (Scarlett in particular) despite a box-office consistency most would kill for. She's the closest thing to the new Julia."
Plus she's willing to take her top off..
Posted by Dublin101
at April 12, 2007 1:53 AM