Would you believe?
Jun. 26th, 2008 01:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
khaosworksWatched the Get Smart movie last night. I actually found it quite entertaining – and I'm not a big Steve Carrell fan, myself. He was pretty good in The Daily Show, but I found The Office too close to reality to be really comfortable watching or laughing at it, and I hated Evan Almighty from the trailer alone. Now, I do like Anne Hathaway, but that aside, I wanted to watch Get Smart because I have fond memories of the series, which were recently refreshed by getting the complete series on DVD from Time-Life.
I've come to the conclusion that a number of the negative reviews about the film are down to movie critics just dying to use "Missed It By That Much" as a tagline. I've read complaints about how the television show was so much better, how Max should have been more like Don Adams played him, and I'm wondering whether these critics watched the same movie I did.
I approached the movie cautiously, I admit. Watching several episodes of Get Smart in a row shows up both the genius and the flaws of the television show: its reliance on catch-phrase humour, the repeated gags, the slapstick (all of which are present, in moderation, in the movie). Max is certainly capable in the show when he gets going, but he's also a repeated bungler that gets a lot of bystanders killed in the process, and occasionally his cluenessness about his own shortcomings comes off as callousness. The movie version is a lot less buffoonish and a lot cleverer and more competent. While some have derided the movie Max's self-awareness of his shortcomings, this lends Max a depth that you never got to see in the sitcom.
The truth of the matter is, the movie isn't the television series. The historical and cultural context is different, and even the expectations of modern comedy are different. A straight import of the television show to the big screen would have been a disaster, catering only to a small segment of those who remember the original and would probably be happier watching the DVDs anyway. As it was, the little sight gags, allusions to and repeats of the catch phrases, all already pander to those who can recognise them... and perhaps a bit too much, like the appearance of a beloved recurring character in the last few minutes of the movie that, while welcome, seems a little superfluous. Catch phrase humour doesn't really fly anymore, with a post-modern audience. And for Steve Carrell to ape Don Adams, or Anne Hathaway to channel Barbara Feldon would have invited even more comparison and criticism. They take the characters and make it their own, which is probably for the best.
I think of this way: this is Get Smart in sorta kinda the same way that Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica was when compared to the original Battlestar Galactica. It takes the general spirit of the series, keeps the names, some of the trappings, and changes everything else. It's a reboot, an homage more than a "movie version". As with Max, these rebooted characters certainly have more depth than they ever did in the show (which isn't saying much to be sure, as they were pretty two-dimensional in the original), with the possible exception of Terence Stamp's Siegfried, which was a wasted opportunity and too generic and flat a villain.
Which is not to say it's without its flaws. The pacing kind of sags in the middle, the traitor's motivations are never made clear, and while Alan Arkin as the Chief has the best line in the entire movie, you never really feel the same connection between him and Max as was present between Ed Platt and Don Adams. The action sequences are perfunctory, and in the end, it's a good popcorn movie. It's not deep and it's not meant to be. It may be formulaic, but then consider the source material. If you want travesties, look at what Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson did with I Spy. Get Smart actually has affection for its sire and hews much closer to the feel of the original show, and that alone brings it up in my estimation.
The people who have criticised the movie for not being the television show are right: but in this case, it might actually be a good thing. Get Smart the movie divests itself of a lot of the outmoded comedy baggage and it has a degree of heart, which is more than you can say for most remakes these days. It won't win any awards, but it's worth a watch.
I've come to the conclusion that a number of the negative reviews about the film are down to movie critics just dying to use "Missed It By That Much" as a tagline. I've read complaints about how the television show was so much better, how Max should have been more like Don Adams played him, and I'm wondering whether these critics watched the same movie I did.
I approached the movie cautiously, I admit. Watching several episodes of Get Smart in a row shows up both the genius and the flaws of the television show: its reliance on catch-phrase humour, the repeated gags, the slapstick (all of which are present, in moderation, in the movie). Max is certainly capable in the show when he gets going, but he's also a repeated bungler that gets a lot of bystanders killed in the process, and occasionally his cluenessness about his own shortcomings comes off as callousness. The movie version is a lot less buffoonish and a lot cleverer and more competent. While some have derided the movie Max's self-awareness of his shortcomings, this lends Max a depth that you never got to see in the sitcom.
The truth of the matter is, the movie isn't the television series. The historical and cultural context is different, and even the expectations of modern comedy are different. A straight import of the television show to the big screen would have been a disaster, catering only to a small segment of those who remember the original and would probably be happier watching the DVDs anyway. As it was, the little sight gags, allusions to and repeats of the catch phrases, all already pander to those who can recognise them... and perhaps a bit too much, like the appearance of a beloved recurring character in the last few minutes of the movie that, while welcome, seems a little superfluous. Catch phrase humour doesn't really fly anymore, with a post-modern audience. And for Steve Carrell to ape Don Adams, or Anne Hathaway to channel Barbara Feldon would have invited even more comparison and criticism. They take the characters and make it their own, which is probably for the best.
I think of this way: this is Get Smart in sorta kinda the same way that Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica was when compared to the original Battlestar Galactica. It takes the general spirit of the series, keeps the names, some of the trappings, and changes everything else. It's a reboot, an homage more than a "movie version". As with Max, these rebooted characters certainly have more depth than they ever did in the show (which isn't saying much to be sure, as they were pretty two-dimensional in the original), with the possible exception of Terence Stamp's Siegfried, which was a wasted opportunity and too generic and flat a villain.
Which is not to say it's without its flaws. The pacing kind of sags in the middle, the traitor's motivations are never made clear, and while Alan Arkin as the Chief has the best line in the entire movie, you never really feel the same connection between him and Max as was present between Ed Platt and Don Adams. The action sequences are perfunctory, and in the end, it's a good popcorn movie. It's not deep and it's not meant to be. It may be formulaic, but then consider the source material. If you want travesties, look at what Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson did with I Spy. Get Smart actually has affection for its sire and hews much closer to the feel of the original show, and that alone brings it up in my estimation.
The people who have criticised the movie for not being the television show are right: but in this case, it might actually be a good thing. Get Smart the movie divests itself of a lot of the outmoded comedy baggage and it has a degree of heart, which is more than you can say for most remakes these days. It won't win any awards, but it's worth a watch.
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no subject
Date: 2008-06-26 06:21 am (UTC)I had an advantage-- I never saw the television show. I've heard it referenced, of course, but I've never watched it. We took my mother to see it because she loves movies and there aren't that many out that she'll watch. If it hadn't been for needing to take Mom somewhere, I'd probably never have gone to see it.
And I loved it. I was just absolutely *charmed*. Yeah, it was a popcorn movie, but it was just adorable. It didn't take itself too seriously, but it also didn't rely heavily on the sort of humor that makes me run screaming (a la There's Something About Bruce Bigelow Cable Pie). Not huge on the stupidity gags or the gross-outs. Just... a movie that wanted me to have some fun. (I actually cheered when the chief flew the plane sideways.)
And yeah... it had heart. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-06-26 07:51 am (UTC)But thou dost diss General Zod!?
no subject
Date: 2008-06-26 09:21 am (UTC)My Dad & I used to watch GS together all the time when I was lil... we saw the movie together and were hugely entertained.
Back when the series originally aired, my father told me as we had pie after, it was just a given that Max was incompetent. They didn't need a reason why, like he was really an analyst who was promoted to Agent because all the other agents were compromised. Mel Brooks & Buck Henry said "He's a top agent, and he's incompetent" and that was good enough. That just doesn't cut it with a modern audience, though... and that, to me, was where the new GS really got it right. He wasn't incompetent... just inexperienced. And Steve's performance was brilliant, we both thought. Just the right mix of himself & Don Adams.
Nice nods to the original all through the movie... like Agent 13!!!!!!!! And "The Claw (Craw?) in Max's notes during the opening sequence gave us both a case of the giggles. And when Bernie Koppell showed up, we punched each other in the arm... "The REAL Siegfried!!!!" Very nice moment. Having Arkin play the Chief realy added some of that old school flavor to the whole affair, as he is he definition of old school comedy.
Anne looked amazing. I know people like Jessica Alba alot these days, but to me, she always looks like she's still a little girl... Anne? No way. To quote The Bunny... whatta WOMAN! And even The Rock was great!
It's not a classic... but I guess the best barometer for me was whether or not my Dad & I had fun. And we did. BIGTIME.
Mission accomplished!
no subject
Date: 2008-06-26 09:49 am (UTC)Good grief, I only ever saw about three of those...
The trailer for the film certainly looked promising, and that they kept the music is another plus. (Let's be honest: as a kid I could have watched half an hour of that music and Max walking through doors and been quite happy. It was a moment of perfect beauty for me, and like all such things always ended too soon.)
I agree that catchphrase comedy is no longer as popular as it used to be. What we seem to have now, at least in the UK, is catchphrase comedy without the catchphrases. Just another stage in the quest to see how much of the funny you can leave out before anyone notices.
I shall look forward to seeing it whenever that becomes feasible. And I promise not to call it nuSmart.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-26 03:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-26 03:23 pm (UTC)SLAPPY: Wait, Skippy, let's start over. Is there a band on stage?
SKIPPY: Yes.
SLAPPY: Does the band have a name?
SKIPPY: Yes.
SLAPPY: Do you know the name of the band?
SKIPPY: Yes.
SLAPPY: Then tell me the name of the band on stage.
SKIPPY: Who.
SLAPPY: The name of the band!
SKIPPY: Who.
SLAPPY: The band, playing on stage!
SKIPPY: Who.
SLAPPY: That's what I want to know!
SKIPPY: I'm telling you!
SLAPPY: Who is on stage.
SKIPPY: Yes.
SLAPPY: Who is?
SKIPPY: Yes.
SLAPPY: Oh. So the name of the band is Yes.
SKIPPY: No, Aunt Slappy, Yes is not even at this concert.
SLAPPY: Then who is on stage?
SKIPPY: Yes.
SLAPPY: Who is?
SKIPPY: Yes.
SLAPPY: That's just what I said, Yes is on stage.
SKIPPY: No, Yes is not here. Who is on stage.
SLAPPY: Whaddya askin' me for?!
no subject
Date: 2008-06-26 03:35 pm (UTC)She was enjoying that very much, as I recall.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-26 10:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-27 05:22 am (UTC)