Welcome back to another edition of Insert Caption -- the game where you don't have to be a guru in order to win fabulous movie-related prizes. Last week, we asked you to point, laugh and get your caption on with a photo of two heads (belonging to Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway) from the film Get Smart. And that you did! Congrats go out to David R. for turning us on and off in the same sentence.


1. "That better be your shoe-phone, Max." -- David R.

2. "Um, I think we are just about in over our heads." -- Cherlyn

3. "I told you the Marie Antoinette spa treatment was a bad idea!!" -- Tim

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This week, we're searching for a little love (and advice) from Guru Pitka (Mike Myers) in The Love Guru. Our old friend returns to live-action comedy with this flick about a self-help guru who travels from India to the states to help a star hockey player whose wife left him for a rival athlete. Sound familiar? Have you found yourself in a similar romantic squabble as of late? And are you seeking advice from all the wrong people (like that guy with the wooden leg who keeps asking to square off against you in a game of naked Twister)? Well, look no further my fellow caption-ers, because the three winners from this week will prance away with one The Love Guru Guru Pitka magic 8- ball action figure (pictured right, click to enlarge). This way, next time trouble comes knocking at your heart, you'll have your own personal guru to help steer you in the right direction. Sound off below ...



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Bringing TV properties to the big screen is a dicey proposition; for every success, there's a fistful of failures that didn't make the cut. (Hands up if you remember I Spy. ...) But gathered in Hollywood for a press conference, the stars and creative staff of Get Smart were relaxed and calm, fielding questions about everything from the tricky business of mocking intelligence in a post-9/11 world, what it takes to play a bad guy, and what it's like to make out with Steve Carell.

The cast was asked if they actually went back to the '60s TV show to get a sense of playing their parts; each of them had a different answer. Steve Carell explained "I didn't want to do an impersonation of Don Adams; I figured there was no way to improve upon what he had done, and I thought the more I watched of him, the more inclined I would be to do an impersonation, because he was so good, so definitive in the role; so no, I sort of backed off."

During the opening of Get Smart, the new big-screen re-visitation of the '60s spy spoof TV show created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, we're shown a montage detailing the mighty workings of the modern intelligence apparatus; covert microphones, satellite communications intercepts, frantic translation, secretive meetings. As top analyst Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) walks the streets of Washington to the hidden headquarters of the secret agency where he works, listening to intercepted conversations to better understand the plans and thoughts of America's enemies, his iPod switches over ... to Abba's "Take a Chance on Me." Spies, it seems, are people too.

And pause here to think about the challenges facing any director who wants to make a spy comedy in our modern times. If you depict spies as too competent, the audience unconsciously fears for their civil liberties; depict spies as too incompetent, the audience unconsciously fears for their lives. Make the film's threat to the free world too credible, and the film's more scary than silly; make the threat to the free world too fantastic and foolish (as in the earlier Get Smart big-screen project, 1980's The Nude Bomb) and the film's more goofy than gripping. The makers of the new Get Smart seem to have thought about this, and have transformed the character somewhat from Don Adams's nasal know-nothing in the '60s TV show; as played by Carell, Smart is a bright, dedicated, insightful analyst for the secret agency CONTROL who dreams of being a field agent. And Max learns he's passed the field agent's exam with flying colors; still, his boss The Chief (Alan Arkin) rejects Max's request for transfer to field work because he needs Max behind a desk.

I caught a screening of Hancock last night. We still have a couple weeks to go before we get to that film, but I am very curious to hear what you folks think of this flick. It's certainly ballsy (especially for a Fourth of July weekend), and I loved that about it -- so we'll see. My mouth shall remain shut for now. That said, this weekend is a peculiar one because we have two comedies competing against one another. Sure, one (Get Smart) could probably pass itself off as an action-comedy, but it will be fascinating to watch the old school (Mike Myers) go up against the new school (Steve Carell).

On paper (and from what I've been hearing), Get Smart seems like the better all-around choice if you only have cash for one film and want a taste of typical, popcorn summer entertainment. Then again, Mike Myers hasn't starred in a live-action film since 2003's The Cat and the Hat, and so fans might be itching for that familiar Myers absurdity (with a twist of Mini Me thrown in for extra punch). If you choose your films based on the female factor, well, Get Smart gives us the beautiful Anne Hathaway, while The Love Guru features the equally-as-beautiful Jessica Alba. My opinion: Hathaway's the better actress, but Alba's the fan favorite. As far as directors go, Love Guru gives us a first-timer, and Get Smart is brought to us by the guy behind films like Tommy Boy, Anger Management and 50 First Dates.

So, based on my shoddy analysis, which film will you be seeing this weekend?

The slick new version of the dusty 1960s television comedy Get Smart is one of the better TV adaptations to come along in recent years. It's faithful to the original without being overly reverential, it modernizes the premise without mocking it, and you can fully enjoy it even if you've never seen the TV series. Oh, and best of all -- it's funny.

Steve Carell deserves much of the credit for that, easily rebounding from the dubious Evan Almighty (which I thought was OK, thanks to him) and reminding us of the 40-year-old virgin we fell in love with. Carell is a master with awkward, inept characters (as he demonstrates week after week on The Office), and Maxwell Smart proves to be a perfect fit for his skills. Or maybe he's just so good that he can make ANY character seem like it was tailor-made for him.

Maxwell Smart, as you may know from the shticky old show created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, is an agent for CONTROL, a secret government organization that's even more under-the-radar than the CIA. The public was told that CONTROL was disbanded when the Cold War ended, but it continues to operate secretly in the customary underground facilities. (Washington D.C. would have to be completely hollow to house all the various fictional government groups whose headquarters are under its streets.)

Welcome to another edition of Insert Caption -- the game we've heard actually gets you smarter-er! Last week, we asked you to whip up a little somethin' somethin' for a photo from the new flick Kung Fu Panda. And that you did! Congrats to Tommy L. for reminding us that the game Duck Duck Goose amongst a group of animated Kung Fu fanatics might not be the best idea.

1. "I don't think we should play Duck Duck Goose. It just ... doesn't feel right." -- Tommy L.

2. "So ... these pants do make me look fat, then." -- Mike Z.

3. "Panda, this is an intervention. You're killing yourself with food!" -- Brian

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This week, we're calling in all our best agents for a very special Insert Caption for the movie Get Smart (in theaters June 20). Dun dun dun! Starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway, we're looking at a big-screen remake of the popular '60s television series about two agents (one clumsy, one competent) who must battle the evil forces of KAOS in order to save the world. And for your part, three winners will take home one fingerprint kit, one globe beach ball, one Get Smart mug, one pair of binoculars, one spinner key ring, one Get Smart baseball cap, one Get Smart journal and one push button. Think you have what it takes make us laugh? Well then, Agent Caption-er, sound off below ...


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"Agent 23 is the greatest agent on the planet." -- Dwayne "The Rock' Johnson

Moviefone has debuted an exclusive behind-the-scenes clip from this summer's Get Smart, starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway (is it me, or does she look GOOD in this flick?), Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Alan Arkin. Above, watch as Dwayne (Johnson? Rock?) takes us through the trials and tribulations of his character, Agent 23. As Carrell points out in the video above, "Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a formidable force. It's very emasculating to even be in a room with him because he sweats testosterone, whereas I sweat estrogen." Nice.

Watch the video above (or over on Moviefone), then head out to the theater to see Get Smart when it arrives on June 20 (trailers available here, here and here).

Why We Can't Wait to See It: Because in pretty much every film he's made -- big, boring, insipid not-quite-sequels excepted -- Steve Carell brings the funny. The trailers look surprisingly solid, and the cast -- including Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin and Terence Stamp -- is top-notch.

Why It Might Do Well: Because people just plain like Carell -- and the film's plot pitch where a secret agency's having their top people exposed forces them to shove unknown agents out into the field is, in fact, a solid story-driven reason for an incompetent like Max to placed in harm's way. ...

Why It Might Not Do Well: We may be a little tired of Baby Boomer-era nostalgia TV getting splashed up on the big screen; anyone else remember how well I Spy turned out?

Fun Fact: Get Smart was created by Buck Henry and Mel Brooks -- yes, the men behind The Graduate and Young Frankenstein.

Trivia:


Answer Key

Cinematical has just received these exclusive wallpapers for Get Smart, starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Alan Arkin. Get Smart, of course, is based on the popular '60s television series created by Mel Brooks -- and it features Carell and Hathaway as Agent 86 and Agent 99, respectively; both of whom are placed in charge of stopping those evil geniuses at KAOS from succeeding in their plan to dominate every man, woman and child on Earth. The wallpapers (there are five in total) can be found after the jump, and the dimensions below each denote the size of the wallpaper. To save as your computer's background, you want to click the appropriate size, right-click on the image that appears and click "Set as background." When it's all said and done, you'll be able to stare at Hathaway's beautiful face for as long as you please. And Carell, well, he's pretty hot too (but I didn't just say that). Get Smart arrives in theaters on June 20. Enjoy!

Head after the jump for all five exclusive Get Smart wallpapers, and check out images from the film in our gallery below.

Two new trailers for two films I was kinda looking forward to have arrived online, and I'm feeling a sense of discomfort. It's not terribly strong, because it's early, but there's definitely an uneasy vibe there. The first trailer, for Step Brothers, makes it look like the film has potential, but ultimately suffers because it's way too long. Directed by the reliable Adam McKay, and starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, this one tells of two unemployed, spoiled grown men who eventually become best friends after their single parents marry. It's Ferrell, so it's silly, but for a first trailer it's just so damn long. I know we sometimes gripe about teasers, and we itch for a longer look at something, but there's something to be said for leaving us itching for more. This first trailer for Step Brothers leaves me interested in seeing more (because I love all three of these guys), but I'm not scratching at anticipation hives. Watch it now at Yahoo and let us know.

Next up, we have Get Smart. Hmmm. Loved the TV show. I dig the idea. I dig this cast. I get it. But do I want to see it? I know the original was silly, but does this new film take it too far? I'm still on the fence -- though Anne Hathaway looks pretty damn good -- so I'll leave it up to you to decide what you think of this. And is it just me, or do you half expect Steve Martin to show up at some point wearing that ridiculous mustache. Watch the trailer over at Apple and let us know.