'Get Smart' Sequel on the Way, Along with More Steve Carell Goodness
Filed under: Comedy, Casting, Deals, Remakes and Sequels
This summer's Get Smart reboot, with Steve Carell as Maxwell, was far from brilliant, but sweet Jebus, Carell is funny. His improvised dance with a bewildered-but-willing overweight partygoer is one of this year's comic highlights -- a perfect blend of good-natured mockery and non sequitur. So the official announcement of the inevitable sequel strikes me as a good thing. I doubt they'll ever come up with any sort of finely tuned masterwork, but I figure it's guaranteed to have a bunch of great moments. Big budget comedies are often so dire that "uneven with flashes of inspiration" is music to my ears.Even better, the success of Get Smart has earned Carell a three-year deal with Warner Bros., giving him a chance to develop both starring vehicles and projects for others. It's good to see the right people take off like this, y'know? On the other hand, it's kind of unfair: why do today's teenagers get to inhabit a comedic landscape dominated by the likes of Carell, Judd Apatow, Michael Cera, Seth Rogen, etc., while I got Adam Sandler and Mike Myers? Kids these days, they don't know how good they got it.
I guess I liked Mike Myers back when; I was 13 when the first Austin Powers came out. I still kind of like him. But he's certainly overshadowed by the crop of comics in today's mainstream.
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(Page 1)2. In all fairness, I was around the age where Myers and Sandler appealed to my demographic when they were at their peaks, which much like Orson Welles, was at the beginning of their film careers. Both Wayne's World and Billy Madison & Happy Gilmore were undeniable successes of the early to mid-nineties when the box office was riddled with family oriented comedy like Mrs. Doubtfire, Sleepless in Seattle, Groundhog Day (which are all great films in their own right,) as well as poor attempts at comedy with a string of awful comedies like Encino Man, Coneheads, Stay Tuned, Wagon's East, etc. I agree that the Apatow Brand is much more quality than those early films, but there's no denying their success, and having Sandler and Myers as my childhood comics of choice as well, I certainly don't feel cheated.
Posted at 12:32PM on Oct 7th 2008 by Landen
3. We had a great summer, and Get Smart was just one of the reasons. (On the paper thin comment, it's not like the original was rocket science :-) ).
It was dead obvious that they'd contract for sequels. As long as they're just as good -- I fear Ace Ventura When Nature Calls treatment. But it just seemed like they had *plans* for a series, so I'm getting good vibes.
Regardless, wonderful movie!
-Pie
4. Mike Myers in his day was absolutely brilliant. That man popularized more slang than anyone else in the 90s, and he still does awkward humor better than most (even the Apatow clan). The problem is the days of poop-drinking jokes has past. I'm hoping for a Bill Murray-like transformation, and I certainly think he has it in him.
Posted at 12:45AM on Oct 8th 2008 by Ethan Stanislawski
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1. I have to agree that this is a good thing. While the plot was paper thin, the jokes just kept coming, and the casting was very well done. Plus I thought they did a great job paying homage to the original series. I can't wait to see more of Warburton as Hymie.
Posted at 12:25PM on Oct 7th 2008 by Herff