Get Smart Review

Hey I haven't confessed anything in quite a while (save crying like a bitch at Wall-E, twisted thoughts on donkey punches and my teenage fantasies of Gillian Anderson) and considering thats the name of the show I best start getting some embarrasing information off my chest. Here it is. I like I-Spy. For those that haven't seen it, its a modern era Eddie Murphy (already a bad sign) and crooky nosed Owen Wilson playing at spys in a movie based on television show. Universally panned most people saw it as just another nail in Murphys comedy coffin and a sign of what depths Wilson might sink to. But I liked it. Enough to own it. Why I'm telling you all this will become clear after the plot details.

Steve Carrell is Maxwell Smart, an office body in the secret world of CONTROL, a spy organisation helping keep the world safe. Max dreams of being a real field agent like Agent 23 (The Rock) and Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) but seems destined to file papers instead of kick terrorist butt. Luckily for Max, KOAS, a bad guy organisation led by Terry Stamp wipes out all but a handful of the agents giving the hapless Max his big break. Teamed up with Agent 99, Max sets off to save the world in his own shoe talking style.

Welcome back, (Does anyone just skip the plot bit?). So I Spy. Well I reckon the makers of Get Smart liked it too, for while its definitely not a rip off and is superior in many, many ways Get Smart reminded me how much fun can be had by playing it straighter than 70's era Elton John. Spies, FBI's and CIA's are always good mines for comedy gold and while the knobs on Newsnight Review will fall over themsleves to talk about the relevance of this post 9/11 comedy the real truth is its just a simple good guy-bad guy romp with plenty of double leggers to keep my friend Juzzy happy.

In fact despite some poo and wee jokes falling a little flat its by far the funniest film of the summer (thats not too high praise considering the competition is Sex and the City and Mamma Mia). The cast from Steve to Alan Arkin are spot on, but my biggest congratualtions go to Anne Hathaway as she's made it into my lamenated top 5 with a bullet. (She'll be so pleased). She is sexy, has great comedy timing and made me well up on a couple of occasions by doing a thing called acting (Jessie Alba take notes). I may even start a petition for Anne as Catwoman. Hathaway with a whip, purring. I gotta go confess...