Description: Get smart with the most bumbling - yet undeniably cool - spy ever! Join Don Adams as Maxwell Smart (aka Agent 86) of the original Get Smart TV series in The Nude Bomb! Agent 86 is assigned to battle an evil villain who is threatening to drop a "nude bomb" capable of destroying all the fabric in the world. With only 48 hours, some voluptuous assistants, and his questionable spy skills to help him, Maxwell Smart certainly has his hands full trying to save the world from severe nakedness! The Nude Bomb is a hilarious spoof that is sure to leave you in stitches.
Amazon.com: Yes, it's true; Don Adams's Maxwell Smart act is little more than shtick, but marvelous shtick it is, and on Get Smart! with its half-hour doses of high-tech hooliganism, straight Bond parody, and uproarious slapstick, he made his mark as one of the more memorable comic figures of 1960s television. You wouldn't necessarily bet that Adams's trademark moves--deadpan mock-seriousness, smart-alecky catchphrases, and elastic faces--would translate well to the big screen; truth is, though, he's no more irritating than Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, or any of the other comic leads of the early 1980s. In The Nude Bomb, the first (and only) Maxwell Smart movie, our secret agent 86 battles a mad KAOS scientist who possesses a fiendish weapon: one which will destroy the world's supply of clothing. Joined by several attractive compatriots (not, alas, Barbara Feldon, whose ultra-hip Agent 99--the crucial foil for the hyperactive Smart--is sorely missed), the hapless spy has 48 hours to confound the evil plot. Several hilarious premises, including a plan to render the weapon ineffective by wearing food, are adeptly exploited through winning and well-timed sight gags. Recommended not only to fans of Get Smart! but to those who appreciate high-spirited '80s comedy as well. --Miles Bethany
Not So Smart Would you believe this no-frills DVD carries a $19.98 list price? Would you believe you can get a collection of 8 much-funnier Abbott & Costello features for less? Would you believe I would have given this DVD a three-star rating if only it were less than ten bucks?
I first saw THE NUDE BOMB on its initial theatrical release in 1980, in a crowded theater. While the audience guffawed appreciatively all the way through the picture, I only found myself chuckling and laughing intermittently. Maybe this audience wasn't as familiar with the TV series as I was, because I came away thinking this was a misfire. Don Adams was a gifted comedic actor and a pitch-perfect Maxwell Smart, but without crucial characters such as Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon), The Chief (Edward Platt, who died in 1974), and Siegfried (Bernie Kopell) for Adams to play off of, THE NUDE BOMB couldn't possibly achieve the TV series' level of comic brilliance.
As Don Adams lamented in later interviews, THE NUDE BOMB was made by a studio that didn't comprehend the appeal or intent of the original series -- and it shows. Even the title reveals this lack of understanding. In Europe the film was released as THE RETURN OF MAXWELL SMART -- a much better title, in my opinion -- yet in the U.S. it was distributed as THE NUDE BOMB, which makes it sound like a cheap softcore grindhouse flick.
Nevertheless, I don't believe THE NUDE BOMB is a terrible film. Don Adams tries hard to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation, and he manages to inject some laughs into this diluted affair. There are some clever and amusing moments, and a casual viewer may find it an agreeable spy-movie satire. But for those of us who love the original series, this is an awfully disappointing venture...and, ultimately, a pointless one.
Imagine Agent 86 in an alternate universe I think the main reason this movie gets so many poor reviews is because it does not stay true to the original series. If you take this movie as a stand-alone film -- not expecting Agent 99 or the same Maxwell Smart as the old TV series -- then you may be able to enjoy it more.
There's a lot of good humor in this movie that just gets overshadowed by the "this isn't the same Get Smart I used to know" sentiment.
NOT The Return of Maxwell Smart I don't know who Don Adams was playing in this movie. It sure wasn't Maxwell Smart..more like Austin Powers. Would Max ever say stuff like, "I thought our female agents were young and willing to fool around a lot." None of the original writers or production stuff that created the brilliant original series were involved. Don Adams said that the funniest bits were stuff that was cut from the film. Very painful to watch...doesn't capture the feel of the original show at all. There was no humor whatsoever from the extremely dull KOAS actors. See Get Smart Again another time instead of this. That movie is much better and doesn't mention this movie, even in passing.
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