Get Smart - Still not sure about this one

I’m writing this review after my second viewing of ‘Get Smart.’ When I first saw it, I wasn’t exactly blown away.  My overall opinion was that it was a film that couldn’t make up its mind whether it wanted to be an action film or a comedy.

Since then, I have got into the U.S. version of ‘The Office’ and really enjoyed Steve Carell’s performance in that.  Therefore, I thought I’d give the film another go to see if it’s grown on me at all.  Carell plays one of the ‘backroom boys’ who aids the American Secret Service.  The film moves pretty swiftly the circumstances which elevate him to ‘full field agent,’ but, before long, he’s on a mission to save the world with his sexy partner, played by Anne Hathaway.

If you’re thinking, ‘This sounds a bit like Johnny English,’ then you’d be right.  Sort of.  Johnny English was also a comedy based around a – slightly incompetent – secret agent.  Only it was a total comedy.  If you like that sort of humour you’d find it funny and pretty much laugh all the way through.  However, ‘Get Smart’ seems to want to try and tell a ‘spy story,’ complete with world domination threat, car chases, fight scenes and double-crosses.

Unfortunately, after sitting through it a second time, I can see why I forgot it.  It’s not bad.  It’s just not that good, either.  Granted, there are some funny moments, but they never seem to come as often as I felt they should.  Now I’ve watched The Office, I can basically see Steve Carrell is basically playing his small screen character ‘Michael Scott,’ only with a new job and slightly more capable at fighting.  Only The Office is a comedy and there are more jokes in an average twenty minute episode than there are here.

I didn’t hate it.  I just thought that it should have played to one strength or another.  I don’t regret watching it a second time, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be my last time.  Carell is and can be much funnier than he is here.  I hear that Get Smart is based on a TV series and, having not seen that, I can’t really compare the two.  But, I think I’ll stick to The Office instead.

6/10 Should probably keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights