Steve Carell carries the day in 'Get Smart'

"Get Smart" (two-disc special edition) - "Get Smart" is neither the best nor the worst of Hollywood's recent attempts to turn old television series into box office gold. The high-wattage charm of Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway makes this breezy action comedy work, despite a forgettable, middle-of-the-road script.

Carell plays Maxwell Smart, an endearingly bumbling secret agent with the covert government spy agency called Control. Hathaway plays Agent 99, his beautiful and much more competent partner. The two work together to thwart a nuclear threat masterminded by evil crime syndicate KAOS.

Based on an iconic 1960s television series created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, "Get Smart" makes a few references to the show, but otherwise does its best to maintain a contemporary vibe. Carell, stepping into (and occasionally talking into) the shoes of the late, great comic actor Don Adams, does a nice job in the title role, and Hathaway is good as his sexy foil. Some of the film's funniest moments come from a stellar collection of supporting players, including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, David Koechner and the great Alan Arkin, who plays the chief of Control.

"Get Smart" was a big summer hit, so I expect that we'll see at least one sequel before too long. But the film, as likable as it is, never really rises to franchise level. The action is standard summer-movie fare, and the laughs don't come often enough. Rent this one.

The extras on the two-disc DVD include a making-of featurette, some funny tongue-in-cheek interviews and a "Smart Takes" option that lets you select alternate versions of various jokes in the film. (PG-13; Warner Home Video, $34.99)

"Shrek the Halls" - This half-hour special won't make anyone forgot about animated classics like "A Charlie Brown Christmas" or "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," but it's an entertaining bit of holiday fun. The program, which aired on television last year, shows what happens when Shrek tries to create the perfect Christmas for his wife, Fiona, and their new children. All the voice actors from the wildly popular film series - Mike Meyers (Shrek), Cameron Diaz (Fiona), Eddie Murphy (Donkey) and Antonio Banderas (Puss In Boots) - reprise their roles here, and the computer animation in this television special looks just as good as it does on the big screen. The DVD comes with a variety of games geared toward the little ones. (NR; Paramount, $19.99)