I liked the jocks vs. nerds rivalry in the CONTROL office. But the theme also fuels some irritating George Bush jokes. The writers hammer these into the plot rather than shape them into Bond send-ups. America’s secret agents are dumb brutes who couldn’t find a bomb in a swimming pool. James Caan is the president who can’t pronounce the word nuclear. Isn’t it a sign your material is old when it’s used in advertisements to sell cable TV?
Minus the carelessly dull political satire, Get Smart’s still a decent summer film with a mix of James Bond-level action and laughs. Anne Hathaway’s Agent 99 is tough and sexy. She and Carell make a great odd couple. The Rock, Terry Crews, and David Koechner are also funny even though they’re playing essentially extended cameos. Get Smart’s real cameo is Bill Murray as Agent 13 stationed in a tree. It’s the silliest scene in the whole movie and extra goofiness is what the movie’s missing. The TV show was outrageous for spoofing spy movies harder than anyone. For the sequel, they need to make Bush a renegade ex-U.S president with a hidden base. I know a certain segment of movie fans would get a kick seeing the Bush Library built on an island in the middle of nowhere.
Grade: B-
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