An entertaining couple

By Lady Liberty
web posted June 13, 2005

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

*** out of ****

Between too many lukewarm reviews and persistent rumors of
an affair between the two stars of the film, it was hard to know
for sure whether or not Mr. & Mrs. Smith would be worth the
price of a ticket. The previews, however, made the movie look
interesting (to be fair, plenty of previews turn out to be better
than the movie itself), and tabloid rumors amuse me. I've also
enjoyed Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in past roles. Besides, on a
hot and muggy night, an air-conditioned theatre sounded mighty
good to me. By the time the movie was over, I had just one
question: Why do we really go to see a movie?

The premise of Mr. & Mrs. Smith is both simple and completely
over the top: John Smith (Brad Pitt) is a highly trained and paid
assassin for hire. His wife, Jane (Angelina Jolie) is also an expert
professional hit, uh, "man." Being involved in such dicey careers,
however, means that the two must be very careful not to reveal
their real jobs or their identities to anyone, including each other.
He thinks she's a computer expert; she believes that he's some
kind of engineering consultant. It turns out the two are very good
at pretending to the mundane. In fact, they're so good at it that
they've become bored with both their suburban lifestyle and their
marriage.

Everything changes, however, when the two are independently
assigned by their respective employers to take out the same man.
Benjamin Danz (Adam Brody) is in the custody of law
enforcement. He's got information neither agency wants to be
made public, and so both institute a hit on Mr. Danz. In the
course of making the hit, John and Jane get in each other's way.
Still without any clear knowledge of who the other is, the pair are
both assigned to kill the other so as to tie up any loose ends and
get rid of possible witnesses in the Danz assignment. It's not long
before cover stories begin to unravel, and John and Jane become
aware of the identity of the next person they must kill. Being
professionals, they're not about to let a little think like their
marriage get in the way of a job!

John's co-worker, Eddie (Vince Vaughn), enjoys an "I told you
so!" moment when it's discovered that Jane is a threat that must
be removed, but quickly rallies to help John finish the job.
Meanwhile, Jane's co-worker, Jasmine (Kerry Washington),
works with Jane to take care of John once and for all. As the
two struggle to stay alive while making sure the other doesn't,
more and more truths come to light. And those truths provide
some revelations that prove more than a little surprising for both.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been rumored to be involved
with each other off the screen since meeting on the Mr. & Mrs.
Smith set. Once having seen the pair in the film, it's hard to blame
those who think that an affair is likely: their chemistry is
incendiary. I've seen bad chemistry onscreen of course, but have
usually attributed so-called good chemistry to good acting.
Although both Pitt and Jolie are just fine in their roles here (not to
mention fine to look at!), the heat between the two is far more
than mere dramatic ability. As I told one man on the way out of
the theatre, if the two aren't having an affair, they should be!
Meanwhile, Vince Vaughn is hysterical as a man whose reactions
are never less than much too much, regardless of the
circumstances.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith was directed by Doug Liman who, while not
the most experienced action movie director in Hollywood,
certainly has one blockbuster on his résumé in the form of The
Bourne Identity (he's also been tapped, by the way, to helm the
upcoming The Bourne Ultimatum). The droll delivery in some
instances and the melodramatic flavor of other moments could
have been a real mistake elsewhere, but in this film it only
contributes to the whole. The editing is also quite effective, and
certainly the special effects (including some beautifully rendered
explosions and some incredible gun fights) are just terrific.
Meanwhile, writer Simon Kinberg has redeemed himself with his
clever and often funny script (his previous effort was the
mediocre xXx: State of the Union).

Is Mr. & Mrs. Smith going to win any serious acting awards?
Probably not. Is the movie going to educate you or inspire you?
Unlikely. But let's go back to my initial question as to why we go
see movies in the first place: We go to be entertained! We go to
have fun. And Mr. & Mrs. Smith is quite entertaining, and a
whole lot of fun. Those critics who pan the film based on its
unreality or the shallow storyline (and it isn't particularly realistic
or deep) are missing the point. I had a great time at the movies
this week, and if you're able to let go of the restraints of reality
long enough to enjoy the ride, you will, too.

POLITICAL NOTES: Anybody who doesn't think that people
like Mr. & Mrs. Smith exist is naïve. In the real world, though, I
strongly suspect that Mr. & Mrs. Smith are government
employees. Sure, there are doubtless free agents out there who
will kill for the right amount of money. But the true professionals
are almost certainly backed by the resources only a government
agency could provide. When you see this movie, the important
thing to remember isn't whether or not such technology and
weaponry exists in private hands, but that it almost certainly does
in black budgets around the world. I don't know about you, but I
don't find that particularly comforting...

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Mr. & Mrs. Smith is rated PG-13 for
"scenes of violence, intense action, sexual content, [and] brief
strong language." I think it would take a 12 or 13 year-old brain
to really enjoy the movie anyway, so I'm inclined to consider the
rating to be just about right. Aside from the violence (none of
which involves graphic blood and guts, by the way), the various
plot twists will doubtless prove more than little ones could
follow. When you add that to the fact that much of the humor is
quite adult in nature, it's best that you sit the little ones down in
the venue showing Madagascar, and that you save Mr. & Mrs.
Smith for your teenagers — and, if you're not too grown up to
enjoy a movie just for the sake of a good time, you might save it
for yourself, too.

Lady Liberty is a graphic designer and pro-freedom activist
currently residing in the Midwest. More of her writings and other
political and educational information is available on her web site,
Lady Liberty's Constitution Clearing House, at
http://www.ladylibrty.com. E-mail Lady Liberty at
ladylibrty@ladylibrty.com.

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