From today’s b, the paper

Stand-up comedian Miles Needer remembers dragging his high school friends to see the first “Austin Powers” in theaters. At the time, he worked at a video store and the movie he rented the most there was another Mike Myers flick — “So I Married an Axe Murderer.” And Needer admires Myers’ Peter Sellers-esque ability to play multiple characters in one film.

Yet, he probably won’t go to see Myers’ latest, “The Love Guru.” Instead, the 26-year-old will go with his wife to see its comedic competition this weekend — “Get Smart” with Steve Carell.

“Honestly, it looks like Myers is playing a Hindu ‘Austin Powers,’ said Needer. “I mean, it’s even got Mini-Me.”

Needer, a member of Baltimore Improv Group’s Plan B troupe, used to watch the TV version of “Get Smart” on Nick at Nite. He sees Carell as the more versatile comedian.

“[Carell’s] diversity appeals to me a bit more,” said Needer, who lives in Hampden. “He’s all over the place. He can do broad comedy and do a ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ independent film.”

It’ll be interesting to see what film comes out on top. Myers hasn’t been in a live-action film since 2003’s disastrous “The Cat in the Hat.” During the same period, Carell, with films such as “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and TV’s “The Office” has established himself as a mainstream comedy superstar. And Carell’s and Myers’ comedic styles are different. Christopher Malone, a 23-year-old stand-up comedian and Towson Graduate student, called Myers more “shticky.”

“Myers plays on specific things, like a chastity belt or certain words,” Malone said. “Steve Carell plays on the tension built up in an awkward situations.”

Carell’s “Get Smart” is getting better buzz. Harry Medved, publicity head of movie ticket site Fandango, said the site’s “Get Smart” page has received twice as many views as the one for “The Love Guru.” Various blog postings suggest people are also more interested in “Get Smart,” — and turned off by “The Love Guru.” On a Chicago Tribune movie blog, one user posted, “I have to go with Get Smart. Mike Myers was hysterical 10-15 years ago. But his movies keep getting less and less funny.”

But Myers does have fans. Comedian Marc Unger, who hosts a sports comedy radio show with his brother on Baltimore’s WNST, said Myers is one of the funniest sketch comedians there’s ever been and that Carell plays “one note over and over again.”

“[Myers’] characters are so specific and genius — like the guy from Sprockets,” said Unger, 42. “But personally, I was never a big fan of the ‘Austin Powers’ movies. For me, it comes down to whether you’re a fan of the Three Stooges or the Marx Brothers — and I’ve always been a fan of the Marx Brothers.”

But Unger, who was trained at famed improv mecca Second City in Chicago, just like Myers, said Myers is more adept at broad comedy. Baltimore-based comedian Mike Storck agrees, and predicts “The Love Guru” will attract higher box office returns initially. A fan of the original TV series, Storck, 31, said he’ll definitely see “Get Smart” this weekend. After all, when he was in high school his family’s pet dog was named “Maxwell Smart.”

“The ‘Get Smart’ movie could be starring a retarded organatan and I would probably go see it,” Storck said.

Jordan Bartel is assistant editor for b. Contact him at jordan@bthesite.com

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