It’s only typical that “Get Smart” would be remade and remade the way it was. The original TV series has enough laughs and gadgets to be fondly remembered. Maxwell Smart might’ve been a bumbling goof in the show, but Steve Carell was born to play this part. He tackles the character head-on, with his deadpan oops!-style of comedy earning more chuckles that the scene or joke probably deserves. It’s nowhere as good as you might expect from the actors and team involved, but it’s a fun, breezy, fluff comedy, something worthwhile on these hot summer days.

KAOS is still at it, this time with a more nuclear-minded agenda. It’s up to Control to thwart their latest attempt. It’s a simple-minded premise and one that could’ve been developed a bit more. I’m not expecting any deep political minded plot but it is so fluffy and one-note you’ll likely forget why Maxwell Smart is even doing what he’s doing to stop KAOS.

By using this simple template, they infuse every element for comedic worth and with Steve Carell leading, well; you can bet it’ll be worth it. It almost is, as he is put in some awkward positions and finds that right note to make it all work. As Anne Hathaway’s character of Agent 99 dances with a Russian arms dealer, much to Max’s chagrin, he picks not the pretty girls to dance with but the obese one. You’ll be think they’ll go into typical fat jokes routine here, but while her weight is at the expense of some jokes, they still give her dignity and the scene helps move the (thin) plot forward, all the while being funny.

Much of the jokes are like that. In an era of dirty/potty humor, it’s a bit refreshing to be left with some still funny jokes about what others would take too far. Here, even a pee gag works to an appropriate for all age’s humor. But still as with all comedies, not all jokes work. Too obscure is the Agent 13 joke, that it feels just silly. Some of the banter with the other agents don’t work and feel too “Anchorman”.

The film does keep changing its mind about if it’s a spy spoof or an updated version of the original series. The action is far more Bond-level than anything in the original series. It’s not bad by any means but it does feel too ‘summer-action-blockbuster’ for the material, as the balancing act of action and humor feels too constructed for its own good. More troubling is the film’s romantic angle that feels as if we as the audience aren’t in on what should be happening, like they’ve deleted some scenes but didn’t edit it properly. Hathaway is a purely capable actress with the right material, but once the film regulates her as the love interest, she feels stale as does the angle.

Still, there are numerous winks and nods to the original series to make those fans at least enjoy seeing Maxwell Smart back in action. You’ll probably chuckle more than laughing out loud, but its constant, which is a plus, in enjoying the film as a whole. In a possible sequel, if they do one, I hope the balance is better constructed, but nonetheless, I’d spend time again with Maxwell Smart than a Dr. Jones this summer, anytime.