The Nude Bomb (The Return of Maxwell Smart) (1980)

19% of critics liked it
(16 reviews)
38% of users liked it
(1,448 ratings)

Maxwell Smart, the infamous Agent 86 from the '60s television sitcom Get Smart makes his feature-film debut in this goofy espionage spoof. This time, Smart and his cohorts must stop enemy spies from detonating a bomb that would destroy all the world's clothing. On television, the film was renamed… More Maxwell Smart, the infamous Agent 86 from the '60s television sitcom Get Smart makes his feature-film debut in this goofy espionage spoof. This time, Smart and his cohorts must stop enemy spies from detonating a bomb that would destroy all the world's clothing. On television, the film was renamed The Return of Maxwell Smart. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: Clive Donner
Genres: Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

In Theaters: Mar 1, 1980 Wide
On DVD: Jun 17, 2008
Studio: MCA Universal Home Video

Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
I sort of enjoyed it, but it's thoroughly bankrupt filmmaking.
Clint Morris, Moviehole
It ain't get "Get Smart", but it's great to see Adams back with the shoephone!
Chuck O'Leary, FulvueDrive-in.com
Mildly amusing early on when it sticks to puns and one-liners, but falls apart quickly as it degenerates into a series of dumb comic action sequences. Easier to sit through when I was 8.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
This feeble attempt to revive the characters from the popular TV series Get Smart copies the show, but without the sharp humor that made it so popular.
, Time Out
'From a character conceived by Mel Brooks', reads the blurb, and there are various nods to his style of humour throughout this bitty spoof. But the rest relies more on technology than style, and on mediocre effects that can't carry the plot.
, Film4
An uneven and poorly plotted film which even fans of the original TV show could well have done without.
Kevin A. Ranson, MovieCrypt.com
Does the title refer to the plot device or the final cut?

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Byron B

The original series ran from '65-'70 and this movie was made in 1980. It's not very good, but better than the remake with Steve Carell in my opinion because it maintains the humor and style of the original. The characters and concepts were created by Mel Brooks and… More
The original series ran from '65-'70 and this movie was made in 1980. It's not very good, but better than the remake with Steve Carell in my opinion because it maintains the humor and style of the original. The characters and concepts were created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry so that should give you an idea of the type of humor. Evidently the producers wanted The Nude Bomb title and plot line, but some of the writers from the series had other ideas. The writers weren't allowed on set to prevent them from suggesting changes, but I think if the writers had been trusted more the movie could have been better. It's a PG movie, the nude bomb was hardly worth it. James Bond obviously became popular in the 60's, but there was a lot of spy fiction to spoof. The Pink Panther movies did the same thing with the same sort of pratfalls, non-sequitors, and bad puns. Then there were the Naked Gun movies and Austin Powers continuing to spoof spy adventures. But I was most surprised to realize that the 80's cartoon Inspector Gadget, which I grew up with, is basically a carbon copy of Get Smart from a couple decades before. Don Adams plays the same bumbling detective/agent character with often defective gadgets built into everyday items or on his person. The evil organization, how he completes his missions, a running gag about an agent that can hide in any object, it's all the same. Just do a couple minor cosmetic changes to a few supporting characters and the Get Smart formula got a second life for a few years in the 80's. If you liked the original Get Smart series or the cartoon Inspector Gadget, this probably won't blow you away, but you'll enjoy yourself for an hour and a half.

Cast

            Don Adams as Maxwell Smart

            Sylvia Kristel as Agent 34

            Rhonda Fleming as Edith Von Secondberg

            Dana Elcar as Chief

            Pamela Hensley as Agent 36

            Andrea Howard as Agent 22

            Norman Lloyd as Carruthers

            Bill Dana as Jonathon Levinson Seigle

            Gary Imhoff as Jerry Krovney

            Sarah Rush as Pam Krovney

            Walter Brooke as American Ambassador

            Thomas Hill as President

            Ceil Cabot as Landlady

            Joey Forman as Agent 13

            Ashley Cox as Model #1

            Nick Dimitri as KAOS #1

            Dick Durock as Jumpmaster

            Vittorio Gassman as Sauvage/Sieeve

            James W. Gavin
            
            Bond Gideon as KAOS Guard

            Hap Lawrence as Sergeant Major

            Earl Maynard as Jamaican Delegate

            James Noble as Secretary of Defense

            Alex Rodine as Russian Delegate

            Richard Sanders as German Delegate

            Vito Scotti as Italian Delegate

            Byron Webster as English Delegate

            Robert Ball as Harrington

            Fred Lerner as KAOS #2

            Anthony Herrera
            
            Chere Bryson as Tourist

            Patrick Gorman as French Delegate

            Glynn Rubin as Tourist

            Richard Washington as Blue Limo Driver

            Gary Young as Pilot

            Greg Wayne Elam as Tourist
See full cast