By far, the best thing about the new "Get Smart" redo is Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart.

Most actors would simply ape Don Adams' work from the TV show, and you can't blame them; his Maxwell Smart is one of the small screen's most iconic characters. You can't top it, and what's refreshing is that Carell doesn't try to. 

Much like how he approached the Ricky Gervais part on "The Office," Carell's Smart is his own man, dry yet daft, bumbling yet surprisingly competent, and on top of all that, genuinely compassionate. It's an original creation in a situation that doesn't call for it, and while Maxwell Smart isn't near as memorable a Carell creation as Michael Scott or "The Forty-Year Old Virgin's" Andy Stitzer, it still reinforces his title as the best comic actor working today.

Now, "Get Smart," the movie?  Not as inspired. I enjoyed it a good deal -- I was never bored, and it's a far better way to spend a night at the movies than paying to see Mike Myers' execrable "The Love Guru," but it's rarely as original as Carell's performance.  Still, it's (mostly) fun, and a solid matinee or video rental. You could do a lot worse.

The biggest problem with the flick is one of tone. The TV show is very silly -- James Bond by way of Mel Brooks. The movie goes for something different. Carell recently described the flick as watching "Maxwell Smart in Jason Bourne's shoes." That latter influence is clear, from the surprisingly intense hand-to-hand combat to the intentionally over-shaky handheld camerawork that DP Dean Semler uses sporadically.

It's an interesting approach, yet it doesn't quite work. The template for a movie like this should be "Ghostbusters" -- set up a dramatic backdrop and then have your actors wreak comic hell in front of the mayhem.

The movie, however, doesn't push those two aspects as far as they should go.  The plot rarely rises to Bourne-level intensity -- at best it's a good, pre-"Casino Royale" Bond movie, so expect lots of splashy, overblown stunts and plot contrivances you could fly a biplane through.

And the actors, though all good, play a surprising amount of the flick totally straight.  They're taking saving the world seriously and while they do a credible job of it, when your cast includes Second City founder Alan Arkin, "Office" and "Anchorman" vets Carell and David Koechner, and former NFL defensive end-turned-comic-genius Terry Crews (I'm not joking. Rent "Idiocracy" and see how hysterical this guy is), you expect all parties concerned to bring the funny. They bring some, but it isn't quite enough.

I take issue with this because what comedy exists is really funny: the way Dwayne Johnson lovingly dotes on Smart; the bizarre cameo from Agent 13 that reinforces this movie's "Ghostbusters" aspirations; a tango scene showcasing Carell's gift for physical comedy as well as his character's innate decency; Alan Arkin delivering the funniest line in the flick to a plastic swordfish; and Carell's endless stream of quippy non sequitors.

The best gags in the flick feel like great improvisational bits, and that's what the flick needed more of. Judd Apatow, were he running the show, would've upped the humor and downplayed the formulaic plot. I don't know why director Peter Segal didn't choose to, because I can guarantee there are miles of great improv footage in the outtakes box.  That's what DVD is for, I guess. 

I really liked the characters, and a more free-form, improvisational approach would've put more emphasis on them than the formulaic plot. I could've watched hours more of the inter-office rivalry between Johnson, Koechner and Crews, or Smart's newly sleek physique compromised by embarrassing memories of himself 150 pounds heavier.

Anne Hathaway is the only cast member uncompromised by the tonal inconsistencies.  She's funny and sharp AND I also believe she could kick my butt seven ways from Sunday. I never thought I'd be impressed by anyone who starred in "The Princess Diaries," but there you go. Even a jaded moviegoer such as myself can be surprised.

So "Get Smart" is more "Goldeneye" than "The President's Analyst."  I'm a little disappointed, but I had enough fun with "Get Smart" that I can't complain too much. It's a very likable, diverting way to spend a few hours, and until "The Dark Knight" comes out, that's good enough for me.

Josh Katz is a freelance movie reviewer. He's been a movie fan since birth (much to the chagrin of his friends and family), and his top three favorite flicks are "Goodfellas," "Do the Right Thing," and "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre."