Carell gets smart
So how do you go about making a movie derived from an iconic Emmy Award-winning series and not fall flat on your face like a Maxwell Smart tumble on the floor?
For the generation that grew up on the 1965-70 comedy series Get Smart, it�s hallowed ground, but co-screenwriter Tom Astle and company felt totally comfortable indulging in an opportunity to score some points with the old generation of Get Smart fans � and make a film that stands on its own merit as a comedic action film that has romance, too.
�I think the reason the movie works in this time period is that the original series was done at a time during the Cold War, so there was paranoia in the air. I don�t know if anybody has noticed, but there is a little paranoia in society in general now,� Astle, who considers himself a disciple of the series, told Metro. �I think that�s what makes it an appropriate time to do this movie now.�
While the movie�s brain trust knew it was obliged to pay homage to the original series, there was a conscious decision not to simply produce a direct steal from the series.
Steve Carell (The Office) had no intention of trying to emulate the legendary Don Adams, who starred as Maxwell Smart, Agent 86. So, to prepare, there was no revisiting the old shows.
�I steered away from it because I didn�t want to do an impression of Don Adams,� Carell said at a press conference in L.A. �I figured there was no way to improve upon what he had done. And I thought the more I watched him, the more I would be inclined to do an impersonation because he was so good and so definitive in the role.�
Get Smart, which opens in theatres today, has an abundance of stars to make it sellable: Carell, Anne Hathaway (Agent 99), Alan Arkin (the Chief), Terence Stamp (Siegfried), Dwayne Johnson (Agent 23), not to mention some other famous face cameos. In the film, Agent 86 and 99 must somehow thwart the plans of world domination by KAOS.
One major difference between the series and movie is that it is Agent 86 who must prove himself to 99, the senior agent, who isn�t thrilled at first to be partnering with the newbie Smart, who serendipitously achieves his career goal to be an agent. And � loving it.
>> Read Metro's review on Get Smart.
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posted by adamargitwagner @ 22:04
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