Steve Carell's path to movie stardom was unexpected.  A veteran of underground comedy, Carell's first break was on the short-lived, but critically-acclaimed, Dana Carvey Show.  Though that series was quickly canceled, one of his cast mates and fellow writers on the series was Stephen Colbert.  Colbert subsequently became one of the first break out correspondents on the Jon Stewart version of The Daily Show and, serendipitously, suggested that The Daily Show bring on Carell as a correspondent.  Carell shined on The Daily Show for 6 years, and eventually left to ply his trade in Hollywood.  He landed the role of Michael Scott on the American version of The Office, which was originally a British sensation starring Ricky Gervais. From there, things got interesting.

The American version of The Office was universally derided as a terrible idea and, when the pilot was screened for critics, the response was almost overwhelmingly negative.  Part of this had to do with the relatively spineless decision on the part of Office show runner Greg Daniels to shoot a word for word adaptation of the UK Office's pilot.  The Office was generally ignored by the public and critics in its first season, and for good reason.  It premiered in March of 2005 and ran for only 6 episodes, though it must be said that the quality of the series drastically improved after the pilot.  NBC surprised everyone when they picked The Office up for a second season but, even then, the general belief was that The Office wouldn't be on the air for long. 

Then, something crazy happened.  In the summer of 2005, between the first and second seasons of The Office, Universal released The 40 Year-Old Virgin.  It turns out that one of the major reasons that NBC picked up The Office for a second season was because of the anticipated success of The 40 Year-Old Virgin at the box office.  They were right to do so, as Virgin was a surprise box office smash, launching Steve Carell, Seth Rogen and the whole Judd Apatow gang onto the A-List.  Without Steve Carell, The Office or NBC/Universal's foresight, we probably wouldn't have Knocked Up, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall or the upcoming Pineapple Express. 

The Office's second season gained popularity as Steve Carell's star rose, with viewers and critics alike realizing that The Office wasn't the travesty it was purported to be, and instead found what is often considered the best comedy on television.  Since then, Carell has become a budding film star, despite the fact that he's in his mid-forties, and doesn't possess the traits of your typical high-wattage leading man.  Hell, he doesn't even embody your typical comedy star.  He's subtle and awkward, rarely broad, and yet conveys a bizarre personal strength, a sort of unwarranted confidence in the characters he portrays. 

Perhaps the biggest movie star litmus test for Carell will come a week from tomorrow, on June 20, when his newest film, Get Smart, is released in theaters.  The highly anticipated action/comedy, a reinvention of the classic TV series, will be dropped into an already crowded summer movie landscape.  It will come one week after tomorrow's releases of The Incredible Hulk and M. Night Shymalan's The Happening.  In addition, it will be released on the very same day as Mike Myers' newest (and excessively hyped) comedy The Love Guru.  It's rare that two high-profile comedies, ostensibly geared toward the exact same audience (both are rated PG-13), are released concurrently.  

Who will win?  Mike Myers hasn't fronted a comedy of his own shepherding in six years, when he starred in the third Austin Powers film.  Steve Carell's last big summer comedy, Evan Almighty, was a box office disappointment.  Something's got to give here.  Both are expected to perform well, but the smart money's on Get Smart to reach number one on the box office charts.  Despite both being rated the same, Get Smart is more of a family comedy, appealing to a broader audience.  That being said, The Love Guru's cast has greater youth appeal, with Justin Timberlake and Jessica Alba starring alongside Mike Myers.  If Carell does indeed steal the box office thunder from an established comedy star like Myers, his stardom can no longer be questioned.  Regardless, it's been a crazy and unexpected journey for Mr. Carell.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.)