Mr.
And Mrs. Smith is a big, silly hybrid of War of the Roses and True Lies. One of
those mega-star vehicle-pictures that cruises along without the need for particularly
great writing, or particularly great anything for that matter. What matters is
that the star power generated by “on and off-screen” lovers, Brad Pitt
and Angelina Jolie be a sufficient spectacle to lure the movie going public away
from their “home-theater comforts” while competing against the summer
tent-poles popping up all around.
Pitt
and Jolie as the title characters, play a bored married couple (a running joke
in the film suggests they’ve been married from five to six years) who are
hoping to make a re-connect through therapy. What both Smtihs are unaware of is
that each of them are in the same line of work - they’re both trained assassins.
Wouldn’t you know it. They’ve managed to hide their true identities
from one another, but when two different agencies assign both Smiths to the same
mark, their respective covers are in the cross-hairs.
Mr.
And Mrs. Smith is sort of structured like the recent Monster-in-Law (although
overall, this is a much better movie) in that the premise has a sitcom feel to
it. And whereas, most people went to see that film to watch J. Lo and J. Fo square
of against one another, most people will likewise go to see this picture in hopes
of seeing Pitt and Jolie exchange bullets and barbs. Well, either that or have
sex. For those looking for a little "Womb Raider" or "Fight Rub"
action, you’ll be happy to know that you get both, granted Mr. And Mrs. Smith
is PG-13, so the proceedings are a little more audience friendly.
Pitt
and Jolie deliver to an extent. They do look good, and both appear to be having
loads of fun, particularly when they’re beating each other to a bloody pulp.
As far as actual performances, I never entirely bought into Jolie’s suburban
housewife. She does, however, play the action sequences with a kind of ferocity
that seems to come quite naturally. Pitt is . . .well, Pitt. His smug Mr. Smith
is comparable to the part he played in Ocean’s 11 and 12. Pitt does add some
fun comical touches to the proceedings, and he too looks to be having the best
time when there’s action involved.
Unfortunately,
there are very few surprises to be found in Mr. And Mrs. Smith. When I say surprises,
I’m not referring to double crosses or plot twists. I’m simply referring
to anything that would have lent the film a little zip - beyond the norm. Most
of the movie features the two leads either bickering (which becomes tiresome)
or trying to outwit each other.
The
War of the Roses influence is completely obvious, as a huge chunk of the film
features the Smiths turning their home (which bares an uncanny resemblance to
the house in the mean spirited but hilarious Michael Douglas/Kathleen Turner movie)
into a war zone. Unlike War of the Roses however, it’s clear that the Smtihs
do have a fondness for each other (bringing to mind another Douglas/Turner collaboration
- the entertaining Romancing the Stone), even more so after they become aware
of their common bond. It sort of adds that spice that was missing in their relationship.
Mr.
And Mrs. Smith was directed by Doug Liman. Here, he attempts to fuse the hipness
of his Swingers with the blistering action of his The Bourne Identity to mixed
results. To punch up the funny factor, he even brings Vince Vaughn along for the
ride, and while there are a few humorous moments to be found in Mr. And Mrs. Smith,
it never entirely gels. The movie is well paced I suppose (capped off by an impressive
car chase) but I never really found myself caring whether or not the Smiths got
back together.
Mr.
And Smith is pretty much what I expected it to be. It’s eye candy. It’s
the kind of movie I probably won’t remember a couple of months from now,
but I suppose it was entertaining enough while I watched it.
On
an interesting little side note, the marriage therapist is voiced by an un-credited
William Fichtner who turned in a terrific supporting performance in Doug Liman’s
Go.
