“Get Smart” falls into a familiar category of movies – kitschy and fun enough to look entertaining, but from a genre (the old TV series made into a movie trick) that has probably had more misses than hits. We didn’t get to see it when it came to the theater, and I didn’t really mind much.

Through the magic of what the kids call DVD, we got a chance to see what we missed last night. I was pleasantly surprised.

My biggest problem with movies which emanate from TV shows is that the effort to stay true to the nature of the series really can’t hold a 100-minute plot. So you end up with too many sight gags or an unnecessary tangent.

“Get Smart” didn’t suffer too much from the transition, mainly because the show spoofed a genre of movies. The spy thriller can easily fill close to two hours, especially when you add the bumbling of Maxwell Smart, something they let Steve Carrell embrace without going overboard. In fact, I think they didn’t make him bumbling enough – the scene with the rat and the laser security system was a good start, but not enough.

The movie also benefited from a really strong supporting cast. You expect Alan Arkin and Anne hathaway to excel and Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson got a lot of hype, but the performances of the underrated David Koechner (Todd Packer from “The Office), the deadpan Masi Oka, and the frenetic Nate Torrence tied the movie together.

Not only did I laugh throughout the movie, but I breathed a sigh of relief at the end. Too many Tv heroes have suffered the fate of bad movies. I’m glad Maxwell Smart missed it by that much.