I went to a sneak for the new "Get Smart" movie last night and thought I would share some observations. I was completely obsessed with this show back when I was 10 years old and it was on Nick at Nite. I taped them all on VHS and bought every piece of memorabilia I could with my non-existent money :lol:. Now I own the entire series on DVD (the only entire series set I've ever purchased).
When I first heard this movie was going to be made several years ago (I believe Jim Carrey was attached to it at the time) I was extremely upset. Remakes of classic TV shows always stink, and I was upset they were going to massacre my beloved "Get Smart."
A little over a year ago I saw a very short preview (the scene with the beads), and although I did not know much about Steve Carrell at the time (now I'm huge fan of "The Office," but back then I just knew him from "Bruce Almighty"), I thought he was a good pick because of the pointy nose and beady eyes (which were frequently mentioned as a gag on the show). I had some hope...
Surprisingly, I was not let down. The preview last night was packed with people of all ages, and literally people were howling with laughter. The movie updates the show (and characters) nicely, and maintains the same sense of goofiness as the show (without feeling forced or like they are "trying too hard"). It was laugh-out-loud funny, and I really haven't laughed that hard at a movie for quite some time.
I'm not one for giving away entire plots, but I do have some "mini-spoilers" if anyone is interested....it's just a short list (probably not exhaustive) of homages I found:
-An airline was named "Yarmy Airlines." Don Adams, the original Maxwell Smart, was born "Donald James Yarmy" and changed his name so his name would appear at the top of audition lists.
-Bernie Kopell ("Siegfried" in the series, also from "The Love Boat") made a cameo (no Barbara Feldon cameo that I noticed, which was disappointing).
-All 3 of Max's cars from the show were shown in the movie (the original red Sunbeam Tiger, the blue car from the opening credits of seasons 3 and 4....maybe just 3, I'm not sure on that one, and the gold tiny one from the final season that aired on CBS).
-James Caan plays the president in the movie...Caan was very good friends with Don Adams, and appeared in the two-part episode of "Get Smart" titled "To Sire With Love"
The characters of Bruce and Lloyd, who could have been incredibly annoying (which is hard to believe because I love Masi Oka, Hiro from "Heroes" so much) were surprisingly amusing and not irritating.
Characters who appeared in the show and make an appearance (in writing, mentioned, or appearing) in the movie include:
-Siegfried and Starker (not quite sure how I feel about Siegfried as portrayed in the movie)
-Larabee
-Hymie
-Fang
-The Claw
I'm wondering if this movie is going to do well..I hope so, because I enjoyed it, and also because I am a big fan of Steve Carell. If the crowd last night was any indicator, it should do pretty well. I'm not hearing very good buzz for Mike Meyer's new movie, which also comes out on Friday, so we'll see how it goes.
I'm also curious how the reviews will look. If the movie is taken at face value, as an amusing farce based on a campy tv show, than it should get decent reviews. It really was surprisingly funny (I was expecting to like it in the way you do when you want to like something...forced laughs and all. I really was laughing hard during the whole film).
So, embracing my inner "Get Smart" nerd, there's my thoughts on the film
. Also, while I was a big fan of the show, I really don't think you have to be at all to enjoy this movie. For you parents, I believe it was rated PG-13, and there was some "light" swearing and minor fighting.
When I first heard this movie was going to be made several years ago (I believe Jim Carrey was attached to it at the time) I was extremely upset. Remakes of classic TV shows always stink, and I was upset they were going to massacre my beloved "Get Smart."
A little over a year ago I saw a very short preview (the scene with the beads), and although I did not know much about Steve Carrell at the time (now I'm huge fan of "The Office," but back then I just knew him from "Bruce Almighty"), I thought he was a good pick because of the pointy nose and beady eyes (which were frequently mentioned as a gag on the show). I had some hope...
Surprisingly, I was not let down. The preview last night was packed with people of all ages, and literally people were howling with laughter. The movie updates the show (and characters) nicely, and maintains the same sense of goofiness as the show (without feeling forced or like they are "trying too hard"). It was laugh-out-loud funny, and I really haven't laughed that hard at a movie for quite some time.
I'm not one for giving away entire plots, but I do have some "mini-spoilers" if anyone is interested....it's just a short list (probably not exhaustive) of homages I found:
-An airline was named "Yarmy Airlines." Don Adams, the original Maxwell Smart, was born "Donald James Yarmy" and changed his name so his name would appear at the top of audition lists.
-Bernie Kopell ("Siegfried" in the series, also from "The Love Boat") made a cameo (no Barbara Feldon cameo that I noticed, which was disappointing).
-All 3 of Max's cars from the show were shown in the movie (the original red Sunbeam Tiger, the blue car from the opening credits of seasons 3 and 4....maybe just 3, I'm not sure on that one, and the gold tiny one from the final season that aired on CBS).
-James Caan plays the president in the movie...Caan was very good friends with Don Adams, and appeared in the two-part episode of "Get Smart" titled "To Sire With Love"
The characters of Bruce and Lloyd, who could have been incredibly annoying (which is hard to believe because I love Masi Oka, Hiro from "Heroes" so much) were surprisingly amusing and not irritating.
Characters who appeared in the show and make an appearance (in writing, mentioned, or appearing) in the movie include:
-Siegfried and Starker (not quite sure how I feel about Siegfried as portrayed in the movie)
-Larabee
-Hymie
-Fang
-The Claw
I'm wondering if this movie is going to do well..I hope so, because I enjoyed it, and also because I am a big fan of Steve Carell. If the crowd last night was any indicator, it should do pretty well. I'm not hearing very good buzz for Mike Meyer's new movie, which also comes out on Friday, so we'll see how it goes.
I'm also curious how the reviews will look. If the movie is taken at face value, as an amusing farce based on a campy tv show, than it should get decent reviews. It really was surprisingly funny (I was expecting to like it in the way you do when you want to like something...forced laughs and all. I really was laughing hard during the whole film).
So, embracing my inner "Get Smart" nerd, there's my thoughts on the film
. Also, while I was a big fan of the show, I really don't think you have to be at all to enjoy this movie. For you parents, I believe it was rated PG-13, and there was some "light" swearing and minor fighting.
