Attack of the summer movies, part 4

This time, it's "Get Smart." Got mixed reviews from critics, ranging from mediocre to decent. I put it somewhere closer to mediocre. It was perfectly watchable, and a decent way to pass the time for 90 minutes, but had no originality or anything to set it apart from the heaps of special-effects laden summer blockbusters.

This movie tries to be both a comedy and a high-octane action movie, and does neither particularly well. The film has a few chuckles, and even a couple of laugh-out-loud moments (The crowd in the theater was laughing a lot more than my wife and I), but most of the jokes were predictable, and many were juvenile. I have never seen the television show personally, but I am told the humor in the show is very dry and witty, and is quite the opposite of the hit-you-in-the-face gags seen throughout the movie. 

The action was by-the-numbers stuff, and there wasn't really any originality or sense of urgency to the action sequences. Steve Carell did what he could with this mediocre script, but I think Alan Arkin, as the head honcho, delivered the most laughs.

If you want to see a much more seamless and entertaining combination of comedy and big-time action sequences, check out "Men in Black" (the first one, not the second one), and James Cameron's "True Lies."

I have seen many worse films, and this might be worth it if you really want to go to the movies and there is nothing else worth seeing. Just don't expect anything special.

As far as the box office returns, "Get Smart" was just shy of $40 million, and performed pretty much according to expectations. "The Love Guru" is the second flop of the summer after "Speed Racer," netting only $14 million. The reviews were dismal, and the previews as well as Mike Myers' shameless and unbearably lengthy plug on the "American Idol" finale made this movie look even less appealing than the ridiculous premise suggests.

Unfortunately, "The Incredible Hulk" was off 60 percent from its opening weekend, possibly jeopardizing the chances for a sequel, so go check it out, people, and tell your friends to see it, and that it's actually a good movie!