Based on the cult TV comedy hit of the '60s, "Get Smart " is slick and smooth and ticks along primarily on the excellent chemistry between Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway in the famed Don Adams-Barbara Feldon roles as Agent 86 and his far-more-capable female partner, 99, in the employ of spy agency CONTROL.

It must be said for viewers who've seen the original that the chemistry between the two agents has been slightly adjusted. There was never much sexual tension between the original characters because Adams's performance was so stylized he didn't quite seem real. It was a parody that knew, wisely, that it was a parody. Carell is somehow more human than Adams, and Carell's more neurotic and ironic Max works out well, as does his love of and attempt to woo the beautiful 99.

As for Hathaway, she's a revelation. Those eyes are still as big as Beamer hubcaps, but she's able to show more edge than her previous goody-goody roles have allowed. Dwayne Johnson has a nice turn as a good-natured uber-agent 23, who casually beats the stuffing out of everyone, then smiles broadly and says, "Let's go to lunch." Masi Oka (Hiro from TV's "Heroes") and Nate Torrence are hysterical as Bruce and Lloyd, two nerd-boy technicians oppressed by the more macho CONTROL agents.

Was there a plot? I can hardly remember. Oh, yes, now it's coming back, something stolen from Bond, in which the nefarious KAOS organization is stockpiling nuclear weapons to extort billions from the West.

As I say: darned funny! Weightless as froth, forgettable as dew, but pretty darned funny.

-- Stephen Hunter (June 20, 2008) Contains rude humor, action violence and crude language.