Get Smart : Not the worst movie I've ever seen

So, Turnbull and I ventured to Blockbuster. Early in the alphabet nothing really jumped out at us. However, when we got to "Get Smart" I asked Bull if he wanted to rent it. He said he had already seen it, but he would be willing to watch it again. In the effort of being democratic I told him that I would opt in favor of something that we had both not seen, but against my efforts he persisted. He said "it was pretty good, I wanna watch it again." So the choice was made.

On the way to the register Bull stopped and considered purchasing the Patrick Swayze film "Roadhouse" which he referred to as a "deal" for $15. Ultimately he decided against the purchase commenting that "TBS is probably playing this movie right now anyways."So, we boot up "Get Smart." The film unsuccessfully straddled many genres; action, comedy, and even dabbled in romance. It only took me about 15 minutes to seriously wonder why someone would want to watch this film once, let alone insist on watching it a second time.

A highlight of the film for me was a discussion Turnbull and I had about grappling hooks (which are utilized heavily in the feature). I told Bull that I didn't think that grappling hooks worked as well as movies portray. He confidently responded "Well, it depends on the hook." I disagreed, stating that I felt it would depend more of the surface you were trying to grapple from. Once again he retorted, "Not as much as you'd think." Neither the Bull nor I have any substantive experience with grappling hooks, however, discussing their potential merits and limitations was much more entertaining than the film we had rented.

So, what here were the pros of "Get Smart"

- its short 

- Bill Murray makes a cameo as a man who lives inside a tree

- this guy is in it

And, in terms of cons

- the movie takes place between Washington DC, Russia, and LA, at times they change cities with little to no explanation leaving the ultimate viewer very confused which leads to my next point

- the plot is a rough assembly of recycled ideas from far superior espionage and comedy films

So, the film's main draw is how incredibly average and predictable it is. I evaluate movies under what I like to call the "HBO standard" - IE would I watch the film if it was being played on HBO. In this case, I have to say "yes", but I wouldn't be very happy about it.