Get Smart is a comedy action film that follows in the footsteps of the Naked Gun series of films, as it mixes the spy genre with slapstick humour, witty one liners and an unlikely central hero. Instead of Leslie Nielsen, the central character is Steve Carell, whose rubber face and ability to deliver deadpan comedy dialogue as well as heartfelt sentiments has made him an international success.
He plays the part of Max Smart, an analyst working for the American spy agency, CONTROL. He is the sharpest desk jockey in the agency, but his obesity has so far thwarted his dreams of becoming an agent in the field. After an attack on CONTROL Headquarters, however, he is promoted to agent status and sent to combat the terrorists who carried out the attack. He is partnered with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), an efficient and experienced agent, made cynical by her years in the field.
A lot of the comedy in the film is derived from their differences - in outlook, experience, and method - but the one thing that they have in common is that they have both undergone drastic physical transformation. Max has lost an enormous amount of weight (150 lbs) to become an agent, while Agent 99 underwent complete reconstructive surgery to protect her identity after a botched mission.
During one scene, Max and 99 discuss their changes in appearance. He produces a photo from his wallet, showing him at over three times his current weight, with dark rings around his eyes and a thoroughly miserable expression on his face. The camera cuts back to Max, who is now a lot more handsome and satisfied. 99 pulls out an old Polaroid picture showing a beautiful, slender blonde woman with blue eyes, smiling at the camera. Again, we cut back to 99 to see the current reality, which is a similarly beautiful and slender smiling woman, only now a brunette with brown eyes. Max looks at the photo and jokes, 'Oh, you were hideous!' 99 reveals that she is in truth over a decade older than her youthful looks suggest and as the film continues, it is clear that she carries with her concerns and emotional baggage that belie her youthful appearance.
Get Smart is refuting the popular superficiality that places looks and appearance at the top of the list of how we judge whether something is good or bad. The fact that 99 hasn't really been changed in any meaningful way confirms the old saying that beauty is only skin deep. The film seems to be saying that we can change as much of our appearance as we want, but we will never change our identity, which is linked to more than just physicality. The hero of this film wins our hearts not because he is attractive, but because he is not preoccupied by appearance. Max's ability to see beyond the outer layer of a person is portrayed early in the film as a positive outlook, as he correctly identifies that understanding identity is a complex process: 'Until we understand that our enemies are human beings we will never be able to defeat them. They are bad guys, but that is what they do, not who they are.'
The difference between the two characters who have both experienced drastic physical changes is explored as Max asks 99 why she underwent her complete cosmetic surgery. She answers:
