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:

I blew a mission, I was involved with someone at work. I lost focus; the mission blew up. I broke it off with that person, but my identity had been revealed, so I had two choices: I could spend the rest of my life working behind a desk, which would be like eight hours of scraping a cheese grater against my forehead, or I could change my face. So that's what I did, which was painful, but needed to be done.

She then reflects, sadly, 'I used to look like my mom,' to which Max replies, 'I used to look like two of my moms put together.'

It is clear that she feels at least some part of her identity is tied to the way she looks, and that a portion of that physical identity connects her to her family, yet another part of her identity. In losing her original looks, she has lost more than a small part of her identity. Her identity is in such question that her true name is never revealed in the film. She allows herself to be defined as 'Agent 99', a number, as well as the title of her profession. She has become defined by what she does and what she has done, not who she is. Her experience chokes, masks and rules her identity. This leads us to understand that her physical change is actually a symbol of something bigger. The change was not entirely superficial, as her reasons for changing have left her unable to trust. Her new face is actually the face of someone who loved and lost, and who now cannot trust. She attempts to discourage Max from trusting people, but it is his determination to trust in himself, in his instincts and in others, that saves the day. This determination is a theme throughout the movie, and the ultimate reason for his change. While Max undergoes a change in appearance, it is purely that: a change in appearance, and not in character. His physical transformation did not compromise his character.

In this story, a change in character is the most significant change anyone can make, even more drastic than plastic surgery. In a culture where people praise re-invention, and image is used a commodity or a means of communicating who we are, appearance has become severely overvalued. The possibility is there for people to significantly change their appearance, and the suggestion seems to be that in doing so, they can also change their identity. However, as Get Smart highlights, our character is central to our identity and remains unchanged by a revision in image.

In the Bible, there are numerous examples of drastic character changes. A man named Saul is a case in point. He hunted down followers of Jesus for a living, but within one day, his character was changed so drastically that he eventually became a leader of the believers whom he was previously persecuting. The explanation of this, and similar examples of drastic character transformation in today's church, is called 'spiritual regeneration.' Sometimes, the change is so drastic that people refer to it as being 'reborn'. The Bible says that the identity of a Christian is in Christ, which means that the thing that defines them most of all is Jesus Christ, and their relationship with him. By his death on the cross, his Holy Spirit can begin to wash, renew and regenerate us from the inside out (Titus 3:5), freeing us from our imperfect characters and allowing us to become more like him (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). Like Max, God looks past our appearance. His way of loving us begins at our roots and cleans us from the inside out, starting with our spirit. This is when people truly change, and that transformation is more than just skin deep.




This article was first published on Damaris' Culturewatch website (www.culturewatch.org) - used with permission.
© Copyright George Critchley (2008)