Mr. & Mrs. Smith (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'Mr. & Mrs. Smith', an action comedy directed by Doug Liman, goes to show that just because 2 gorgeous people wed, it doesn't mean they'll be happily wed. The Smiths are skilled assassins who find that they are on mission to eliminate one another. Will they follow through on instruction? Can they overcome the faults in their marriage to reconcile & stay alive? This isn't a brilliant film. But I'd be lying if I say I didn't enjoy some of it. The plot is shoddy & implausible at times, but it didn’t have to be perfect. To me, Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie's onscreen chemistry carry the film, & the plot is of weaker support.
John & Jane Smith (Pitt, Jolie) met in Bogota, Colombia some 5-6 yrs. ago (as noted in their 1st marriage counseling session at the beginning of the film). They fell in love, married, settled in suburbia, & led secret lives from each other. They are assassins working for separate agencies. Neither one of them know this. They lead a cold marriage that, apparently, is void of sexual relation. Things get rolling when they are both sent to the Southwest (separately) to extinguish Benjamin Diaz (Adam Brody). After plans go astray, John finds himself a target of Jane, and she a target of John.
It is only after much scrutiny that both of them realize they were in the same place at the same time, trying to save their own behinds from each other. After this ultimate deception, they come home to dinner and, in a great scene, try to outsmart/kill one another. There was a smirk on my face throughout the whole scene. Things get out of control, but there is such tongue-in-cheek intensity in the scene that it works! After beating each other senselessly, they decide to have sex. There has been much speculation that these two have an off-screen relationship, but this scene neither substantiates nor quells the rumors.
Obviously, they fail to kill one another & action continues in the film. It is well-known in the media that they decide to team up near the end & fend off their foes (however plenty). It seems that both agencies used Benjamin Diaz as a fake target to kill off one another. So, it is clear that they were unwanted assets in their respective agencies. There is a great chase scene where Jane skillfully drives a mini-van and John is left with much ammunition to fend off enemies from several cars. Director Doug Liman has given us spectacular chase scenes from other films in the past; this was no surprise.
I won't divulge what happens in the end, but I will say that it is slightly underwhelming. In other words, the climax comes 20 min. before the end. This, coupled with the fact that the plot has some holes prevents me from loving the film. Then again, any storyline to make this kind of film make literal sense was going to fail. i.e, why didn't the two agencies act sooner when they found out that Jane & John had reconciled & were not going to kill each other?
In any case, this film is tailor made to show 2 sexy actors on screen together having a great time. There's chemistry btwn. Pitt & Jolie, decent dialogue, good supporting roles, funny moments, cool artillery, & standard action scenes. If you entered the theater with the notion that 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' would be a masterpiece, you were ill-informed. Angelina Jolie is successful as the sexy action heroine (Lara Croft series), & Brad Pitt is successful at being Brad Pitt. They don't quite live up to their billing with this particular film. But I am sure there will be a sequel.
John & Jane Smith (Pitt, Jolie) met in Bogota, Colombia some 5-6 yrs. ago (as noted in their 1st marriage counseling session at the beginning of the film). They fell in love, married, settled in suburbia, & led secret lives from each other. They are assassins working for separate agencies. Neither one of them know this. They lead a cold marriage that, apparently, is void of sexual relation. Things get rolling when they are both sent to the Southwest (separately) to extinguish Benjamin Diaz (Adam Brody). After plans go astray, John finds himself a target of Jane, and she a target of John.
It is only after much scrutiny that both of them realize they were in the same place at the same time, trying to save their own behinds from each other. After this ultimate deception, they come home to dinner and, in a great scene, try to outsmart/kill one another. There was a smirk on my face throughout the whole scene. Things get out of control, but there is such tongue-in-cheek intensity in the scene that it works! After beating each other senselessly, they decide to have sex. There has been much speculation that these two have an off-screen relationship, but this scene neither substantiates nor quells the rumors.
Obviously, they fail to kill one another & action continues in the film. It is well-known in the media that they decide to team up near the end & fend off their foes (however plenty). It seems that both agencies used Benjamin Diaz as a fake target to kill off one another. So, it is clear that they were unwanted assets in their respective agencies. There is a great chase scene where Jane skillfully drives a mini-van and John is left with much ammunition to fend off enemies from several cars. Director Doug Liman has given us spectacular chase scenes from other films in the past; this was no surprise.
I won't divulge what happens in the end, but I will say that it is slightly underwhelming. In other words, the climax comes 20 min. before the end. This, coupled with the fact that the plot has some holes prevents me from loving the film. Then again, any storyline to make this kind of film make literal sense was going to fail. i.e, why didn't the two agencies act sooner when they found out that Jane & John had reconciled & were not going to kill each other?
In any case, this film is tailor made to show 2 sexy actors on screen together having a great time. There's chemistry btwn. Pitt & Jolie, decent dialogue, good supporting roles, funny moments, cool artillery, & standard action scenes. If you entered the theater with the notion that 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' would be a masterpiece, you were ill-informed. Angelina Jolie is successful as the sexy action heroine (Lara Croft series), & Brad Pitt is successful at being Brad Pitt. They don't quite live up to their billing with this particular film. But I am sure there will be a sequel.