“The summer’s Smart comedy!” I guess if you’re going to redo the 1960s television episode about a lovable-idiotic-secret-agent-named-Maxwell-Smart, who better in today’s Hollywood than Steve Carell to portray him, let alone really look like him! In this story we learn how Maxwell Smart came to be for a U S Agency called “Control” and run by his “Little Miss Sunshine” colleague Alan Arkin. Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson) is sexy and competent to Smart’s stupid and goofball ways. But after eight agency tests and an internal glitch that accidentally gives Smart his chance to be a real agent, he teams with the more competent Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) to fight the forces of KAOS. It’s clear that Hathaway was destined to be an A list star but whoever thought she’d grow up to be this sexy, not to mention a more independent and sophisticated version of the original Agent 99 role. Despite their constant bickering, there is a believable chemistry that smells ‘sequel’ and ‘franchise’ for the (sort of) “Moonlighting” team. Carell was made for this role – adorable, dopey, and a lovable nerd. Not to mention a far better actor than Don Adams. Carell is everything that would make original creators Mel Brooks and Buck Henry proud! This is a movie where the dialog is all about the screenplay and where the acting couldn’t be better. Add in some small roles: James Caan is hilarious as President George W. Bush. And with all the Republican digs, it’s clear this production helms from a Democratic team. The only strange thing is a thirty second appearance by Bill Murray as a long-lost secret Agent 13 hiding inside a tree stump. Three tiaras
