"That's a nice-a donut."

Monday, July 04, 2005

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)

You may have been sick of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie given that they were daily tabloid fodder prior to the theatrical release of their recent movie, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but rest assured that it is a fun, enjoyable (albeit mindless) motion picture. Director Doug Liman does an interesting thing and starts the movie with John and Jane Smith sitting and facing the camera, answering personal questions from an interviewer - obviously a marriage therapist. It is humorous, and seems rather tongue-in-cheek given the real life news, and this set-up is used several times during the film. The Smiths are in therapy to try to improve their marriage because, as we soon learn, they have a bit of difficulty being honest with each other. In fact, neither is aware that the other is a professional assassin.

Worlds collide when John and Jane each get the same assignment and they each end up botching the others work. They each soon learn the truth and their marriage of 5 (or 6) years is put to the test when they realize that they will have to kill the other one.

The movie has good chemistry between Brad and Angelina (or: Bragelina). In fact, perhaps in part due to this, the movie is at its best when it focuses on the subtle marital and other domestic issues between the Smiths (like bickering over the curtains in the living room). One brief, but great, shot shows Jane Smith holding a neighbor's baby; the bewildered look on her face is priceless and is even more comical when John sees this from across the room and does a double take. I actually prefer these scenes more than some of the full-blown action sequences.

Vince Vaughn is wonderful as the smart aleck sidekick, as usual. Though it is a shame that he is not used nearly enough in the second half of the film.

However, moments of phenomenal unbelievability stop the movie from taking the next step to being any better than a "pretty good" movie. It is incomprehensible and thoroughly dumbfounding how this couple could go so long without knowing the others secret, especially given how many secret stashes of weapons each has throughout their house and garage. The neighbors are even more clueless. The quick changes in mutual feelings between the two characters is also a little hard to accept. And thinking too hard about the industry of assassins in this film will make the head spin (like who are these mysterious people hiring them, and how are they able to operate without worrying about consequences of the law?).

There are a number of obvious movie references in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The film turns into a sort of War of the Roses at one point, though whether that is good or bad will certainly vary from person to person. And of course, much of the premise is evocative of True Lies. There is also a seeming nod to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid near the end. It is quite arrogant, actually, as that classic ended perfectly. Whereas this movie clearly has an eye on a sequel as, among many one-liners in the film, one character claims that "happy endings are just stories that haven't finished." Indubitably.

The Verdict: B-.

Michael Bentley 9:03 AM

"That's a nice-a donut."

Monday, July 04, 2005

Archives