The movie begins with Maxwell Smart, played by The Office’s Steve Carell, applying for the highly coveted Agent position at CONTROL. Like any shadow government organization, CONTROL exists in secret with one specific purpose: track the villainous activity of their rivals, KAOS. Despite practically running the show in the intelligence branch of CONTROL, Smart yearns to join the ranks of the glamorous and globetrotting Agents. While he’s failed the agent test every year for the last seven years, he does his homework and passes with flying colors this time around.
There’s just one problem, CONTROL’s Chief, played with deadpan brilliance by Alan Arkin, thinks Smart is so good at his Intel job that he can’t afford to be sent out on Agent missions. Denied once again, Smart is left dejected and defeated. Seemingly right away, CONTROL is comprised by an unknown double agent and is nearly destroyed. KAOS has struck, and it’s up to Smart, with his nearly infinite knowledge of Russian intelligence, to finally assume the role of an Agent and figure out what happened.
Smart’s not alone in this endeavor, as he’s paired up with a recently reactivated and highly adept Agent 99, played by Anne Hathaway. Fresh off some CONTROL-required plastic surgery, she isn’t exactly pleased about being paired with Smart. She feels his lack of field experience will slow her down, which is a legitimate claim, given he’s never actually been in the field. Their banter back and forth over his alleged skill and her practical application of said skill makes for delightful chemistry. It’s hard to keep up with Carell’s seemingly infinite quips, but Hathaway can definitely hold her own on the screen.
Those two don’t get all the jokes, though – as there’s a surprisingly plentiful supporting cast back at control. Terry Crews (the president in Idiocracy) and David Koechner (Champ in Anchorman) play Agent 91 and Larabee, respectively, who seem to serve no purpose other than to crack jokes and piss each other off. The stapler-to-the-forehead bit seen in the trailer is still hilarious, even if you know it’s coming. They’re helped out by Heroes’ Masi Oka and Nate Torrence, as Smart’s former cronies in the Intel department. They don’t get too much screen time, but their dealings in a hostage situation toward the end of the film redeem their previous exclusion. Finally, the rest of the supporting cast is rounded out with a subdued appearance from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Personally, I feel The Rock is a talented comedic actor; his turn Be Cool is one of my favorite performances, and his cameo in the recent Reno 911 film proved his comedic chops weren’t a fluke. While he does get some good lines in the first act, his character all but fades away into blandness over the remaining two.
While most of the jokes hit the mark, the plot containing them seems unable to get out of its own way. CONTROL is destroyed and rebuilt in a matter of days, the contextual purpose of Agent 91 and Larabee is completely unknown, and the villains seem to have no identifiable motive, other than to cause destruction. I guess that sort of goes with the original theme; all KAOS wants to do is create chaos, by any means necessary. How characters know each other, or why they’re in league with one another seems to be completely irrelevant. And you know what? That’s fine with me; I was delighted to see the new adventures of Maxwell Smart, regardless of a general lack of purpose. Seeing Carell repeatedly nail the character was a worthy investment of my time, and watching Anne Heathway, no matter the situation, is always enjoyable.
But let’s be clear about one thing, Carell’s Maxwell Smart is a creation all his own. He doesn’t try and mimic Don Adam’s version, instead using his tried and true talents, hilarious mannerisms and perfect comedic timing, and syncs perfectly with the highly intelligent but practically inept character. While Smart is prone to flubbing things up in a heartbeat, he also manages to instantly redeem himself with little outside assistance. Sure, he’ll repeatedly shoot himself in the face with darts or try and use a corded phone as a projectile, but he’s also an almanac of facts and surprisingly skilled in conflict negotiation. A lesser script would have turned Smart into a hapless goof who always falls prey to his shortcomings, but, sometimes with help from 99, he always manages to come out on top.
The majority of the movie is consumed by the interaction between Agent 99 and Agent Smart. While the script never actually explains why they’re paired together, their rapid fire banter and constant 1upmanship is so well done it nearly makes the plot irrelevant. I don’t remember and, frankly, didn’t care, why they were at a cake factory or what the hell 99 was going in the conductor vents, but I can recall with striking precision the previous events at an impromptu dance-off. Earlier, to provide cover for Smart, 99 lures a mark onto the dance floor. Smart, inexplicably jealous of the man he’s supposed to be investigating, grabs an obese woman out of the crowd and puts on a wildly entertaining dance sequence. It may be viewed silly and entirely pointless, but it’s charming at the same time. Smart doesn’t make a fool of himself (or the fat lady); he actually puts on a pretty good show.
This is typically the norm for his character, more or less. Carell defines Smart’s presence through random blasts of absurdity. For whatever reason Smart reveals that he used to have a significant weight problem, which, in the context of the situation, seems like a one note throwaway joke. However, it’s recycled and reused a handful of times throughout the rest of the film, carving an irrational fear into an otherwise focused character. Random acts of genius, as seen in the brilliant (albeit brief) F/A-18 scene or with a kiss that’s sure to pick up an award next year from MTV, help Carell wear Smart’s shoes as his own, even when he’s talking on it.
