Get Smart (film)
Encyclopedia
Get Smart is a 2008 American spy-fi
comedy film
based on Mel Brooks
and Buck Henry
's 1960s spy parody television series of the same name
. The film stars Steve Carell
as Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway
as Agent 99. Alan Arkin
, who also worked with Carell in Little Miss Sunshine
, plays the Chief.
The film co-stars Dwayne Johnson, Terence Stamp
, Terry Crews
, David Koechner
, Masi Oka
, David S. Lee, Ken Davitian
, Larry Miller
, James Caan, Kevin Nealon
, Patrick Warburton
and Dalip Singh. Bernie Kopell
, who played Siegfried in the original series, Leonard Stern
, the original series' producer, and Bill Murray
make cameo appearances.
), an analyst for the top secret American intelligence agency CONTROL, yearns to become a field agent
like his friend Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson) whom he idolizes. Despite scoring extremely well in the acceptance tests, Max is denied the promotion as the Chief (Alan Arkin
) of CONTROL feels that Max’s analytical skills are best used for his present assignment. When CONTROL headquarters is attacked by its arch-enemy, the terrorist organization KAOS, (led by Siegfried (Terence Stamp
) in retaliation for CONTROL's infiltration of KAOS.) almost all of CONTROL's agents' identities are exposed, leaving only Max and Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway
), whose recent plastic surgery
has protected her identity, to pursue the culprits whilst former field operatives such as 23 are demoted to desk jobs. Max is promoted to field agent status with the codename Agent 86, but the experienced 99, who views the naive and bumbling, but overwhelmingly enthusiastic Max as an irritating encumbrance, is reluctant to partner with him. Before he leaves HQ, two of Max's friends and lab men give him an unusual Swiss Army Knife which not only has the standard equipment, it also comes with a flamethrower and a crossbow that fires harpoons.
After a series of mishaps while traveling on a commercial airliner, Max and 99 enter Russia by parachute (albeit with a slice of difficulty), hoping to trace KAOS’ recent acquisition of nuclear materials through its chief bomb maker, Krstic. Along the way, they are attacked by Dalip (The Great Khali), a formidable henchman of Siegfried’s. By infiltrating a luxurious party hosted by Krstic, they trace the nuclear material (specifically Yellowcake
uranium) to a KAOS nuclear weapons factory disguised as a Moscow
bakery, but Max is forced to shoot Krstic when he and his men corner them. In the bakery, Max meets with Siegfried and his second-in-command, Shtarker, only to learn that Siegfried was expecting him; a double agent has compromised his and 99's identities. Max manages to escape capture and bombs the weapons factory. During their escape, Max and 99 are confronted by Dalip; realizing that he knows Dalip through hours of listening to him on spy ‘chatter’, Max manages to persuade Dalip to spare their lives by giving him advice on how to repair his failing marriage. The Chief sends 23 to observe the clean-up of the factory, but KAOS manages to sneak the weapons out through the Moskva River, leaving 23 to report that only a bakery has been destroyed. Realizing that Max was alone during his key discoveries, CONTROL believe Max to be the double-agent; 99, who has been gradually falling in love with Max through their shared experiences, is heartbroken but takes Max into custody.
CONTROL becomes a laughing stock in the intelligence community. Their warning is disregarded when Siegfried threatens to release nuclear weapon detonator codes to rogue states unless the United States government pays him $200 billion. While Max is in a CONTROL holding cell, Dalip sends him a coded message via the radio show American Top 40
revealing Siegfried’s plan; as a ‘demonstration’ he intends to detonate a nuclear device during the President’s visit to a concert performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall
in Los Angeles
. Max escapes from CONTROL, takes items from the original 1960s television series (such as the Shoe Phone, cars, suit and Colt Detective Special) and flies to Los Angeles to unite with the Chief, 99, and 23, who have flown out to persuade the President to take the KAOS threat seriously. Although 23 is skeptical, Max manages to convince 99 and the Chief that he is not the double agent. As KAOS plants the nuclear bomb in the concert hall, Max's watch beeps when he's near 23, picking up trace elements of radiation. Max questions him as to why he'd have radiation on him if he said the bakery was clean. 23 tries to cover up by saying that half of Russia is radioactive. Max also points out that 23's knife wound is seeping blood which 23 had previously said happens when his blood pressure rises, concluding that 23 is the double agent and is nervous about having been found out. 23 then pulls out a gun and takes 99 hostage. He tells Max and Chief that if he's followed, she'll die. He flees, forcing Max and the Chief to give pursuit, despite 23's threat to kill 99. They give chase in a limo, but soon hop onto a plane. Max reaches 23's car by jumping out of a plane and rescues 99, but in the struggle the car is set on fire (due to Max's Swiss Army Knife) and forced onto railroad tracks. 23 is distracted when Max follows 99's example during the skydive and kissed 23 to distract him.
After the kiss, the car collides with a freight train and 23 is killed. After analyzing 23's nuclear football
, Max realizes that the bomb will be triggered by the final note of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy
". Max, 99, and the Chief manage to reach the concert hall, and Max tackles the conductor
just before the final note. Max is applauded for rescuing the president by every one inside the concert hall. Meanwhile, Siegfried finds that his plan has failed. Siegfried tells Dalip that he will not kill his wife for his failure, though he comments that he would be doing "the sighted world a favor" if he did. In response, Dalip throws him out the car window. Max is given honors and gets his dream of becoming a real spy with agent 99 as his girlfriend. The movie ends as Max and 99 exit CONTROL headquarters through a walkway. While the doors of the walkway close, the two notice that one of the doors didn't close. Max attempts to fix it, but it unexpectedly closes on him. His Swiss Army Knife falls to the floor out of his pocket, and the crossbow fires a harpoon at Max's face. In the final scene, he yells "You've gotta be kidding me!".
(featuring Oka, Torrence, Miller, Warburton, Terry Crews and a cameo by Hathaway), was released on DVD
on July 1, 2008, eleven days after the feature film's theatrical release. The film tells a standalone story that takes place concurrently with the events of the film (including a scene in which Agent 99 calls Lloyd to berate him for the poor quality of her gadgets compared to that of Max; that scene takes place immediately after Max accidentally renders himself unconscious with a blowgun in this film).
In addition to traditional television advertisement
and movie trailers, Warner Bros.
commissioned Pepsi
to produce a flavor of Sierra Mist
soft drink dubbed "Undercover Orange" to help promote the film. Warner Bros has also funded an online community called "CONTROL Vs. KAOS" where visitors can participate in contests and "missions".
A 7:45 minute promotional clip, featuring an action sequence of Max and 99 parachuting from an airplane, was released on iTunes
as a free download.
The Subway
restaurant chain held a contest where the winner would receive a 1965 Sunbeam Tiger
.
reported that 51% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 208 reviews — with the consensus that the film "Rides Steve Carell's considerable charm for a few laughs, but in the end is a rather ordinary summer comedy."
Metacritic
gave the film an average score of 54%, based on 34 reviews.
The film received positive reviews from Roger Ebert
and Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly
. Richard Roeper
of the Chicago Sun-Times
also gave the film a thumbs up, saying that it was "one of the year's more pleasant surprises". Famed online critic James Berardinelli also gave it a positive review.
Negative responses came from Glenn Whipp of LA Daily News calling it "staggeringly bad" and Mick LaSalle
of the San Francisco Chronicle
stating that "it couldn't buy a laugh in a nitrous oxide
factory with a fistful of clown noses." Kenneth Turan
of the Los Angeles Times
said "It neglects the laughs and amps up the action, resulting in a not very funny comedy joined at the hip to a not very exciting spy movie." It also received negative reviews from Richard Schickel
from Time and David Ansen
from Newsweek
, with the latter stating, "it's not Maxwell who's clueless, but the filmmakers. Director (Pete) Segal is a comedy specialist lacking any apparent sense of humor."
and Canada
, ranking #1 at the box office
and averaging $9,891 per venue.
As of November 26, 2011, Get Smart has grossed $130,319,208 domestically and $100,336,000 internationally, bringing its worldwide total to $230,685,208.
In the United States it is the highest grossing live-action movie for both Carell and Hathaway as lead actors. The successful box office performance of the film adaptation of the Get Smart
series was absolutely the opposite of its previous film adaptation, The Nude Bomb
, which was a box office failure.
and Blu-ray
on November 4, 2008. Two versions of the film were released: the theatrical version and an enhanced version that allows viewers to view alternate takes and deleted scenes placed within the context of the film. The film was released on DVD in the UK on February 23, 2009.
Approximately 2,088,163 DVD units were sold, translating to revenue of $34,652,714 (Blu-ray sales/rentals not included).
and Village Roadshow Pictures
are producing a sequel. Carell, Hathaway, and Arkin are set to return, but the status of other cast members have not yet been announced.
In late July 2010, Steve Carell stated that he had recently been given a potential script for the sequel to Get Smart, but had passed on it. He said that he is still very interested in eventually making a Get Smart sequel, but is willing to wait until a decent script is developed.
Also, on July 8, 2010, Carell said this during an online interview. "I took a pass at Get Smart 2, write a completely new story and we’ll see what happens with that somewhere down the line perhaps… Anne Hathaway is definitely in and Alan Arkin, so at some point… we don’t have any projected date and the script still needs some tweaking and some rewriting."
Spy-fi
-Definition and characteristics:It often uses a secret agent or superspy whose mission is a showcase of science fiction elements such as technology and ideas used for extortion, plots for world domination or world destruction, futuristic weapons, gadgets and fast vehicles that can travel on land,...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
based on Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
and Buck Henry
Buck Henry
Henry Zuckerman, better known as Buck Henry , is an American actor, writer, film director, and television director.-Early life:...
's 1960s spy parody television series of the same name
Get Smart
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
. The film stars Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
as Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway (actress)
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. After several stage roles, she appeared in the 1999 television series Get Real. She played Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries...
as Agent 99. Alan Arkin
Alan Arkin
Alan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director, musician and singer. He is known for starring in such films as Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marley & Me, and...
, who also worked with Carell in Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American comedy-drama film. The road movie's plot follows a family's trip to a children's beauty pageant.Little Miss Sunshine was the directorial film debut of the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time writer...
, plays the Chief.
The film co-stars Dwayne Johnson, Terence Stamp
Terence Stamp
Terence Henry Stamp is an English actor. Since starting his career in 1962 he has appeared in over 60 films. His title role as Billy Budd in his film debut earned Stamp an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer.His other major roles include...
, Terry Crews
Terry Crews
Terrence Alan "Terry" Crews is an American actor, comedian, voice artist and a former player in the National Football League....
, David Koechner
David Koechner
David Michael Koechner is an American comedian, musician, and character actor. Koechner began studying improvisational comedy in Chicago at the ImprovOlympic, under the teachings of Del Close, before joining the Second City Northwest...
, Masi Oka
Masi Oka
Masayori "Masi" Oka is a Japanese-American actor and digital effects artist.He has performed in numerous feature films and TV series, most prominently as Hiro Nakamura in the NBC TV series Heroes from 2006 until its cancellation in May 2010. He resides in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:Oka...
, David S. Lee, Ken Davitian
Ken Davitian
Kenneth "Ken" Davitian is an American actor who is best known for his role as Borat's producer in the 2006 comedy film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, in which he speaks the Eastern dialect of Armenian throughout the film.-Life and...
, Larry Miller
Larry Miller (actor)
Lawrence J. "Larry" Miller is an American actor, voice artist, comedian, podcaster, and columnist.-Early life:Miller was born in Valley Stream, New York, attended Valley Stream South High School graduating in 1971. He attended Amherst College...
, James Caan, Kevin Nealon
Kevin Nealon
Kevin Nealon is an American actor and comedian, best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995, acting in several of the Happy Madison films, for playing Doug Wilson on the Showtime series Weeds, and providing the voice of the title character, Glenn Martin on Glenn Martin,...
, Patrick Warburton
Patrick Warburton
Patrick John Warburton is an American actor of television, film, and voice. He is best known for his several TV roles, including the title role of The Tick, David Puddy on Seinfeld, the evil Johnny Johnson on NewsRadio, and anchorman Jeb Denton on Less Than Perfect...
and Dalip Singh. Bernie Kopell
Bernie Kopell
Bernard Morton "Bernie" Kopell is an American television character actor who is probably best known for his roles as Dr. Adam Bricker in The Love Boat and KAOS agent Siegfried in Get Smart...
, who played Siegfried in the original series, Leonard Stern
Leonard B. Stern
Leonard Bernard Stern was an American screenwriter, film and television producer, director, and one of the creators, with Roger Price, of the classic word game Mad Libs.-Life and career:...
, the original series' producer, and Bill Murray
Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
make cameo appearances.
Plot
Max (Steve CarellSteve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
), an analyst for the top secret American intelligence agency CONTROL, yearns to become a field agent
Field agent
In espionage, a field agent is an agent who works in the field as opposed to one who works at the office or headquarters. A field agent can work alone or in a group but usually has a case officer who is in charge....
like his friend Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson) whom he idolizes. Despite scoring extremely well in the acceptance tests, Max is denied the promotion as the Chief (Alan Arkin
Alan Arkin
Alan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director, musician and singer. He is known for starring in such films as Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marley & Me, and...
) of CONTROL feels that Max’s analytical skills are best used for his present assignment. When CONTROL headquarters is attacked by its arch-enemy, the terrorist organization KAOS, (led by Siegfried (Terence Stamp
Terence Stamp
Terence Henry Stamp is an English actor. Since starting his career in 1962 he has appeared in over 60 films. His title role as Billy Budd in his film debut earned Stamp an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer.His other major roles include...
) in retaliation for CONTROL's infiltration of KAOS.) almost all of CONTROL's agents' identities are exposed, leaving only Max and Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway (actress)
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. After several stage roles, she appeared in the 1999 television series Get Real. She played Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries...
), whose recent plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
has protected her identity, to pursue the culprits whilst former field operatives such as 23 are demoted to desk jobs. Max is promoted to field agent status with the codename Agent 86, but the experienced 99, who views the naive and bumbling, but overwhelmingly enthusiastic Max as an irritating encumbrance, is reluctant to partner with him. Before he leaves HQ, two of Max's friends and lab men give him an unusual Swiss Army Knife which not only has the standard equipment, it also comes with a flamethrower and a crossbow that fires harpoons.
After a series of mishaps while traveling on a commercial airliner, Max and 99 enter Russia by parachute (albeit with a slice of difficulty), hoping to trace KAOS’ recent acquisition of nuclear materials through its chief bomb maker, Krstic. Along the way, they are attacked by Dalip (The Great Khali), a formidable henchman of Siegfried’s. By infiltrating a luxurious party hosted by Krstic, they trace the nuclear material (specifically Yellowcake
Yellowcake
Yellowcake is a kind of uranium concentrate powder obtained from leach solutions, in an intermediate step in the processing of uranium ores. Yellowcake concentrates are prepared by various extraction and refining methods, depending on the types of ores...
uranium) to a KAOS nuclear weapons factory disguised as a Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
bakery, but Max is forced to shoot Krstic when he and his men corner them. In the bakery, Max meets with Siegfried and his second-in-command, Shtarker, only to learn that Siegfried was expecting him; a double agent has compromised his and 99's identities. Max manages to escape capture and bombs the weapons factory. During their escape, Max and 99 are confronted by Dalip; realizing that he knows Dalip through hours of listening to him on spy ‘chatter’, Max manages to persuade Dalip to spare their lives by giving him advice on how to repair his failing marriage. The Chief sends 23 to observe the clean-up of the factory, but KAOS manages to sneak the weapons out through the Moskva River, leaving 23 to report that only a bakery has been destroyed. Realizing that Max was alone during his key discoveries, CONTROL believe Max to be the double-agent; 99, who has been gradually falling in love with Max through their shared experiences, is heartbroken but takes Max into custody.
CONTROL becomes a laughing stock in the intelligence community. Their warning is disregarded when Siegfried threatens to release nuclear weapon detonator codes to rogue states unless the United States government pays him $200 billion. While Max is in a CONTROL holding cell, Dalip sends him a coded message via the radio show American Top 40
American Top 40
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
revealing Siegfried’s plan; as a ‘demonstration’ he intends to detonate a nuclear device during the President’s visit to a concert performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Max escapes from CONTROL, takes items from the original 1960s television series (such as the Shoe Phone, cars, suit and Colt Detective Special) and flies to Los Angeles to unite with the Chief, 99, and 23, who have flown out to persuade the President to take the KAOS threat seriously. Although 23 is skeptical, Max manages to convince 99 and the Chief that he is not the double agent. As KAOS plants the nuclear bomb in the concert hall, Max's watch beeps when he's near 23, picking up trace elements of radiation. Max questions him as to why he'd have radiation on him if he said the bakery was clean. 23 tries to cover up by saying that half of Russia is radioactive. Max also points out that 23's knife wound is seeping blood which 23 had previously said happens when his blood pressure rises, concluding that 23 is the double agent and is nervous about having been found out. 23 then pulls out a gun and takes 99 hostage. He tells Max and Chief that if he's followed, she'll die. He flees, forcing Max and the Chief to give pursuit, despite 23's threat to kill 99. They give chase in a limo, but soon hop onto a plane. Max reaches 23's car by jumping out of a plane and rescues 99, but in the struggle the car is set on fire (due to Max's Swiss Army Knife) and forced onto railroad tracks. 23 is distracted when Max follows 99's example during the skydive and kissed 23 to distract him.
After the kiss, the car collides with a freight train and 23 is killed. After analyzing 23's nuclear football
Nuclear football
The nuclear football is a briefcase, the contents of which are to be used by the President of the United States of America to authorize a nuclear attack while away from fixed command centers, such as the White House Situation Room...
, Max realizes that the bomb will be triggered by the final note of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy
Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)
The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire, and has been adapted for use as the European Anthem...
". Max, 99, and the Chief manage to reach the concert hall, and Max tackles the conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
just before the final note. Max is applauded for rescuing the president by every one inside the concert hall. Meanwhile, Siegfried finds that his plan has failed. Siegfried tells Dalip that he will not kill his wife for his failure, though he comments that he would be doing "the sighted world a favor" if he did. In response, Dalip throws him out the car window. Max is given honors and gets his dream of becoming a real spy with agent 99 as his girlfriend. The movie ends as Max and 99 exit CONTROL headquarters through a walkway. While the doors of the walkway close, the two notice that one of the doors didn't close. Max attempts to fix it, but it unexpectedly closes on him. His Swiss Army Knife falls to the floor out of his pocket, and the crossbow fires a harpoon at Max's face. In the final scene, he yells "You've gotta be kidding me!".
Cast
- Steve CarellSteve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
as Maxwell "Max" Smart / Agent 86 - Anne HathawayAnne Hathaway (actress)Anne Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. After several stage roles, she appeared in the 1999 television series Get Real. She played Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries...
as Agent 99 - Dwayne Johnson as Agent 23
- Alan ArkinAlan ArkinAlan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director, musician and singer. He is known for starring in such films as Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marley & Me, and...
as The Chief - Terence StampTerence StampTerence Henry Stamp is an English actor. Since starting his career in 1962 he has appeared in over 60 films. His title role as Billy Budd in his film debut earned Stamp an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer.His other major roles include...
as Siegfried - Masi OkaMasi OkaMasayori "Masi" Oka is a Japanese-American actor and digital effects artist.He has performed in numerous feature films and TV series, most prominently as Hiro Nakamura in the NBC TV series Heroes from 2006 until its cancellation in May 2010. He resides in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:Oka...
as Bruce - Nate TorrenceNate TorrenceNathan Andrew "Nate" Torrence is an American comedic actor known for his numerous roles in television advertisements.- Childhood and education:...
as Lloyd - Ken DavitianKen DavitianKenneth "Ken" Davitian is an American actor who is best known for his role as Borat's producer in the 2006 comedy film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, in which he speaks the Eastern dialect of Armenian throughout the film.-Life and...
as Shtarker - Terry CrewsTerry CrewsTerrence Alan "Terry" Crews is an American actor, comedian, voice artist and a former player in the National Football League....
as Agent 91 - David KoechnerDavid KoechnerDavid Michael Koechner is an American comedian, musician, and character actor. Koechner began studying improvisational comedy in Chicago at the ImprovOlympic, under the teachings of Del Close, before joining the Second City Northwest...
as Larabee - James CaanJames CaanJames Caan is an American actor. He is best known for his starring roles in The Godfather, Thief, Misery, A Bridge Too Far, Brian's Song, Rollerball, Kiss Me Goodbye, Elf, and El Dorado...
as the President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.... - David S. Lee as Ladislas Krstic
- Dalip Singh as Dalip
- Lindsay HollisterLindsay HollisterLindsay Hollister is an American actress.-Biography:Hollister was born in Columbus, Ohio. She graduated from Pickerington High School and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Theatre Performance from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio....
as Max's dance partner - Bill MurrayBill MurrayWilliam James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
as Agent 13 - Patrick WarburtonPatrick WarburtonPatrick John Warburton is an American actor of television, film, and voice. He is best known for his several TV roles, including the title role of The Tick, David Puddy on Seinfeld, the evil Johnny Johnson on NewsRadio, and anchorman Jeb Denton on Less Than Perfect...
as Hymie - Kevin NealonKevin NealonKevin Nealon is an American actor and comedian, best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995, acting in several of the Happy Madison films, for playing Doug Wilson on the Showtime series Weeds, and providing the voice of the title character, Glenn Martin on Glenn Martin,...
as CIA Agent - Blake ClarkBlake ClarkBlake Clark is an American actor, voice artist, comedian, and veteran of the Vietnam War, having served as a Captain with the 101st Airborne Division....
as General - Geoff PiersonGeoff PiersonGeoff Pierson is an American actor known for his role on The WB series Unhappily Ever After as Jack Malloy, the father of a dysfunctional family whose best friend is a stuffed animal rabbit named Mr. Floppy...
as Vice President - Kelly KarbaczKelly KarbaczKelly Ann Karbacz is an American actress born in Queens, New York, New York. She graduated from the prestigious Stuyvesant High School in New York City and later attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, part of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.-Career:Karbacz played the part...
as Judy - Bill RomanowskiBill RomanowskiWilliam Thomas "Bill" Romanowski is a former American football player. He was born in Vernon, Connecticut. A linebacker, he graduated from Rockville High School in 1984, Boston College in 1988 , and then went on to a 16-year career in the NFL, playing for the San Francisco 49ers , Philadelphia...
as Air Marshall - John FarleyJohn FarleyJohn Farley is the name of:* John Murphy Farley Irish-American cardinal, the seventh bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of New York* John H. Farley , Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio...
as Agent 50 - Bonnie HellmanBonnie HellmanBonnie Hellman is an American television and film actress. She has had roles in series such as Sunset Beach and Desperate Housewives, and has appeared in films including Get Smart and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter .-References:...
as Karen - Jonathan LoughranJonathan LoughranJonathan Loughran is an American actor who is in most Happy Madison films with his friend Adam Sandler.-Filmography:* Sexbomb* Bulletproof* The Waterboy* Big Daddy* Little Nicky...
as Orange Team Guy - Cedric YarbroughCedric YarbroughCedric Yarbrough is an American comedian and actor.Yarbrough was born in Burnsville, Minnesota. Yarbrough attended Burnsville Senior High School and later Minnesota State University, Mankato. He is also an alumnus of Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis.Yarbrough starred on the Comedy...
as Tate - Tim DeKayTim DeKayTimothy Robert DeKay is an American character actor. His first on screen acting job was as corporate giant Larry Deon on seaQuest 2032. He was a cast member of the series Party of Five from 1997–1999, Carnivàle from 2003–2005 and Tell Me You Love Me in 2007...
as Secret Service Agent - Todd Sherry as KAOS Office Worker
- Stephen DunhamStephen DunhamStephen Dunham is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Edward Pillows in DAG. He is married to actress Alexondra Lee.- Career :...
as Secret Service Commander - William CharltonWilliam CharltonWilliam Andrew Charlton, PC was a lumber merchant, businessman and Canadian politician.Born in Cattaraugus County, New York, the son of Adam Charlton, he immigrated to Canada in 1849 with his family. In 1869, he married Nellie Rockwell...
as German Spy (uncredited) - Doby Daenger as Airplane Passenger (uncredited)
- Joshua Harrison as Agent 74 (uncredited)
- Vinicius MachadoVinicius MachadoVinicius Machado is best known for playing Faymen Phorchin on the teen sitcom Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide as Moze's boyfriend. In the episode "Tests & When You Like Someone Who Is Going Out With Someone Else" he moves back to Brazil to compete in a soccer competition...
as Valet (uncredited) - Chris Reid as Musician (uncredited)
- Julian Scott UrenaJulian Scott UrenaJulian Scott Urena is a Latin American actor. Born in Santiago, Dominican Republic, and immigrated with his family to New York City while in grade school....
as Drug Lord (uncredited) - Ryan SeacrestRyan SeacrestRyan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
as Host (Host of American Top 40American Top 40American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
) - Bernie KopellBernie KopellBernard Morton "Bernie" Kopell is an American television character actor who is probably best known for his roles as Dr. Adam Bricker in The Love Boat and KAOS agent Siegfried in Get Smart...
as Opel driver. In the Latin America Version, when Bernie was hit with the car, Max says "Creo que esa cara la he visto antes" (I think I've seen that face before)" making reference to the actor being in the original TV series. - Leonard SternLeonard B. SternLeonard Bernard Stern was an American screenwriter, film and television producer, director, and one of the creators, with Roger Price, of the classic word game Mad Libs.-Life and career:...
as Cessna pilot
Marketing
A corresponding film, Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of ControlGet Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control
Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control is a direct-to-video motion picture released in 2008. It is a spin-off of the 2008 film Get Smart and was released in North America on July 1, 2008, 10 days after the parent film began its theatrical run. The film is written by Tom J...
(featuring Oka, Torrence, Miller, Warburton, Terry Crews and a cameo by Hathaway), was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on July 1, 2008, eleven days after the feature film's theatrical release. The film tells a standalone story that takes place concurrently with the events of the film (including a scene in which Agent 99 calls Lloyd to berate him for the poor quality of her gadgets compared to that of Max; that scene takes place immediately after Max accidentally renders himself unconscious with a blowgun in this film).
In addition to traditional television advertisement
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
and movie trailers, Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
commissioned Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
to produce a flavor of Sierra Mist
Sierra Mist
Sierra Mist is a lemon-lime flavored caffeine-free soft drink, introduced by PepsiCo in 2000 and rolled out nationally in the United States in 2003. PepsiCo owns the rights to the similar 7 Up brand outside the U.S...
soft drink dubbed "Undercover Orange" to help promote the film. Warner Bros has also funded an online community called "CONTROL Vs. KAOS" where visitors can participate in contests and "missions".
A 7:45 minute promotional clip, featuring an action sequence of Max and 99 parachuting from an airplane, was released on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
as a free download.
The Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
restaurant chain held a contest where the winner would receive a 1965 Sunbeam Tiger
Sunbeam Tiger
The Sunbeam Tiger was a muscle car version of the British Rootes Group's Sunbeam Alpine roadster.-Development:The West Coast Sales Manager of Rootes American Motors Inc., Ian Garrad, realized that the Alpine's image was that of a touring car rather than a sports car, and he set about changing its...
.
Critical response
The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics. As of November 26, 2011, the review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 51% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 208 reviews — with the consensus that the film "Rides Steve Carell's considerable charm for a few laughs, but in the end is a rather ordinary summer comedy."
Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gave the film an average score of 54%, based on 34 reviews.
The film received positive reviews from Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
and Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
. Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper is an American columnist and film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times and now a co-host on The Roe Conn Show on WLS-AM...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
also gave the film a thumbs up, saying that it was "one of the year's more pleasant surprises". Famed online critic James Berardinelli also gave it a positive review.
Negative responses came from Glenn Whipp of LA Daily News calling it "staggeringly bad" and Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle is an American Mick LaSalle is an [[United States|American]] Mick LaSalle is an [[United States|American]] [[film reviewer] and the author of two books on pre-[[Motion Picture Production Code|Hays Code]] Hollywood...
of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
stating that "it couldn't buy a laugh in a nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic...
factory with a fistful of clown noses." Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan is an American film critic and Lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California.-Background:...
of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
said "It neglects the laughs and amps up the action, resulting in a not very funny comedy joined at the hip to a not very exciting spy movie." It also received negative reviews from Richard Schickel
Richard Schickel
Richard Warren Schickel is an American author, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. He is a film critic for Time magazine, having also written for Life magazine and the Los Angeles Times Book Review....
from Time and David Ansen
David Ansen
David Ansen is a reviewer and senior editor for Newsweek, where he has been reviewing movies since 1977. He came to Newsweek after several years as the chief film critic at Boston's The Real Paper...
from Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, with the latter stating, "it's not Maxwell who's clueless, but the filmmakers. Director (Pete) Segal is a comedy specialist lacking any apparent sense of humor."
Box office
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $38,683,480 in 3,911 theaters in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, ranking #1 at the box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
and averaging $9,891 per venue.
As of November 26, 2011, Get Smart has grossed $130,319,208 domestically and $100,336,000 internationally, bringing its worldwide total to $230,685,208.
In the United States it is the highest grossing live-action movie for both Carell and Hathaway as lead actors. The successful box office performance of the film adaptation of the Get Smart
Get Smart
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
series was absolutely the opposite of its previous film adaptation, The Nude Bomb
The Nude Bomb
The Nude Bomb is a 1980 comedy film based on the television series Get Smart. It starred Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, Agent 86, and was directed by Clive Donner...
, which was a box office failure.
Home media
Get Smart was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
on November 4, 2008. Two versions of the film were released: the theatrical version and an enhanced version that allows viewers to view alternate takes and deleted scenes placed within the context of the film. The film was released on DVD in the UK on February 23, 2009.
Approximately 2,088,163 DVD units were sold, translating to revenue of $34,652,714 (Blu-ray sales/rentals not included).
Sequel
On October 7, 2008, it was reported that Warner Bros.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
and Village Roadshow Pictures
Village Roadshow Pictures
Village Roadshow Pictures is an Australian motion picture production company. It is a subsidiary of Village Roadshow Entertainment Group, an Australian entertainment company. Most of its films are co-produced in partnership with Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema...
are producing a sequel. Carell, Hathaway, and Arkin are set to return, but the status of other cast members have not yet been announced.
In late July 2010, Steve Carell stated that he had recently been given a potential script for the sequel to Get Smart, but had passed on it. He said that he is still very interested in eventually making a Get Smart sequel, but is willing to wait until a decent script is developed.
Also, on July 8, 2010, Carell said this during an online interview. "I took a pass at Get Smart 2, write a completely new story and we’ll see what happens with that somewhere down the line perhaps… Anne Hathaway is definitely in and Alan Arkin, so at some point… we don’t have any projected date and the script still needs some tweaking and some rewriting."