Shayna, where/when did you guys catch it? Did we miss a potential Arclight meetup? :smack:
I’m a huge fan of the original series, and although this was different in many ways, I thoroughly enjoyed it. As others have said, I’m glad this wasn’t a parody of the original. I will happily buy the DVD when it comes out.
Oh, and I went to see it with my wife and a male and female friend. As we were leaving, I proudly proclaimed that Anne Hathaway was my new girlfriend (I don’t think I’d seen her in anything before), and while our male friend just sort of panted, the two ladies agreed that I’d made a fine choice.
We saw it locally, but I would NOT mind seeing it again at the Arclight if you want to get together! I said when we left that I’d love to see it again, to maybe catch some things I might’ve missed the first time. PM me, and this time I promise not to flake!
I kind of looked at it as, CONTROL recycles the agent numbers and their associated names, whenever an agent leaves, so as to confound the enemies at KAOS. This Agent 86 and Agent 99 were just the most current agents with those monikers. This theory was supported by the fact that the original Maxwell Smart’s work toys were on display in a museum in his memory. Therefore, it makes complete sense that these particular agents would have different backstories and personalities than the former ones, while still trying to maintain some of the characteristics so that KAOS wouldn’t figure it out.
Well at least you and my husband won’t be in competition. His girlfriend is Brooke Shields.
I liked that. I liked the old Chief, how he used to get exasperated with Max from behind the desk, but I liked Arkin as the Chief and how he eventually stood behind Max and got out in the field again and was right in the middle of the action.
We caught it at the Arclight in Sherman Oaks, but I don’t think we’re going to see this one again in the theater. However, Batman and Wall-E are coming up – just sayin’…
Brooke Shields? Really? Well…more for me, then, since I’m sure I’m the only man out there who has noticed how gorgeous Hathaway is.
Also, I agree with Sigmagirl. Not the same Maxwell Smart, and not the same Chief. There’s no reason for this Chief to have the exact same reaction to Smart. In fact
despite the cliches involved, the scene where the Chief goes after the vice-president was among my favorite moments in the movie.
I saw it last night and thought it was great, not perfect, but I did laugh. I liked the mix of action and comedy, the entertainer formerly known as an inanimate object did well, and Hathaway was smoking, ‘are you staring at my butt?’ My biggest gripes would be a missed line from the original that I always loved, and the lack of any redeeming zaniness on Sigfreids part. But there was some inspired brilliance as well, all 3 cars in as many minutes, the essay on existentialism, the briefing in the war room, James W Cann, pure gold
Did the audience you saw it with react to the first shot of “the President” reading in a classroom? My audience kinda sighed or moaned as if to say, “Wow, we get the joke but that was a little… daring.” Less like “Oh, that was naughty” and more like “Bush will forever be associated with that moment and we’re not quite sure how we feel about you immortalizing it in your comedy.”
Most people laughed out loud. I was a little disappointed that they went there just because I think the joke is old and tired, especially since they’d kind of lead up to it with several other jokes related to the current administration. For a movie I really enjoyed otherwise, I thought that was completely unnecessary and out of place.
It got a good laugh in the theater I was in, as did the scene where the chief corrects the president’s pronunciation of “nuclear.” But then, I saw the movie in Marin County, California, which is not exactly “Bush Country.”
Just got back from it. Agreed on Hathaway, ye gods was she hot. The trailers all made it look like a Naked Gun slapstick the whole way through, which it was not. I halfway bought Carell as an action star. Just a fun little movie.
It got a laugh in Little Rock, too, which seems to vote Republican President-Wise, if He Ain’t From Around Here.
Mrs. Plant and I enjoyed the TV program as children, although she didn’t know who Hymie was, and I enjoy it still. We liked the movie and she wants to see it again on DVD to get more in jokes. There were twelve people in the theater on a Sunday afternoon.
I liked it a lot. I’m a huge fan of the TV series, and I wasn’t disappointed. I actually liked the characterization of Max as less of an incompetent and more of a “nerd”. I appreciated the fact that he actually (most of the time, anyway) knew what he was doing.
The only scene that I really didn’t care for was the one in the airplane restroom with the crossbow. It went on too long and really didn’t fit the character the way the script portrayed him.
Loved Bernie Kopell’s cameo (he was the original Siegfried in the series). And when they chose to use the old catchphrases, it didn’t seem forced–each time it fit the scene quite well.
I’m not a big fan of Carell’s films, but he was very good in this.
We saw it on Saturday. The wife says they actually aired the old series here way back when, so she was already familiar with the characters. We enjoyed the film very much. For those of you who generally have the same opinion as Ebert (like we do), he loved it.
I saw it with my girlfriend, who’s a fan of the show. I had seen a couple of the shows when I was a little tadpole.
It’s cute. I wouldn’t see it again and she liked it more than I did, but it’s fine. It had a few moments, but the super-spy spoof was already done with Austin Powers (and this is going to cause me to get beaten around here) and done better.
Well the original Get Smart was much better than any of the Austin Powers and I really liked the first two. Also the original Get Smart was when there was only one Bond and few other Super-Spies to spoof yet.
I really enjoyed it. It was fun, didn’t take itself too seriously, and Anne Hathaway is all kinds of hot.
I’m quite a big fan of Steve Carrell (The US version of The Office notwithstanding) and thought he was perfectly cast as Smart. Everyone was obviously enjoying themselves in the film, and it was a pretty good spoof in its own right (I liked the “Essay on Existentialism” bit ;))
The only thing that really bothered me about the film was that I thought Smart came across as being too competent. It’s been a few years since I saw the TV series, but I used to love watching it as a kid; my recollection was that 99 did most of the work and anything Smart acheived was more through a combination of fluke, luck, and/or being in the right place at the right time than any actual Super Spy Abilities of his.
Still, well worth seeing, definitely one to get on DVD when it comes out, and if they make a sequel I’ll be heading along to see that as well.
I saw it a few days ago with my family and we all liked it quite a lot, even my kids who’ve never seen the old series.
I have never cared for Steve Carrell’s movies, but he did a great job in this one.
However, Batman and Wall-E are coming up – just sayin’…