Jessica Alfieri
writes everything you see here.
Early Reviews
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Early Reviews: Get Smart
Early Reviews is a new series of movie reviews by guest poster, Eric. Reviews are based solely on seeing the trailer. Many facts are made up. All opinions are untrustworthy. Readers making any decisions based on this review do so at their peril. Look for coverage of all the summer blockbusters to come.
With such a talented cast and a rich comedic pedigree, high expectations are understandable for Get Smart. Although the cast is superb individually, some serious flaws prevent Get Smart from being a great comedy.
A legacy like the Don Adams’s 1960s tv series is a mixed blessing, with the obvious downside of setting expectations nostalgia-level high. Even without rose-colored memories, Don Adams was a unique comedic talent. Steve Carell has the unenviable task of choosing between imitating Adams or “not being true to the material”. It turns out to be too much of the latter.
The television show was earnestly silly, helmed by a man who never winked at the audience, paving the way for classics like Naked Gun. While Steve Carell may rival Leslie Neilsen for talent, Get Smart is no Naked Gun.