Oh I do love that genuine innocence and quirky underdog charm that is Steve Carell as he dimwittedly stumbles his way through adventures. It was this very quality that made him a prime choice for Maxwell Smart in Get Smart. And now he will play the same character with a French accent in Brigadier Gerard!
Carell will play the title character, the bravest soldier in Napoleon’s army and also the dumbest. Gerard follows Napoleon from his rise to power to his permanent exile. The comedy is based on stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
For those of you who think that name sounds familiar but can’t place it, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was responsible for the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. His lesser known Exploits of Brigadier Gerard, Napoleon describes the character “if he has the thickest head he also has the stoutest heart in my army.” In other words this impeccably dressed young Etienne Gerard is both a figure of fun and a soldier of great courage.
The webpage of the Estate of Sir Arther Conan Doyle says:
The Brigadier’s time has not yet come, probably because the perfect actor who could do justice to this dashing young man, was never found. However, his fans should not despair, for there might soon be good news to report on that subject.
And it appears Carell is that news! They have a lot of confidence in him in this, and so do I. We have already seen him do this type of character before.
Comedic actors are the highest risk to wear out their welcome. Steve Carell hasn’t done that for me yet. I have already tired of Jack Black and Jim Carrey. Could Carell be next? I hope not.
The character he plays sounds dangerously close to the Maxwell Smart archetype and I know Carell will pull this off perfectly. I just hope the repeated performance doesn’t start to wear out his schtick.
