By Vince Palomarez | Image property of 20th Century Fox
Mr and Mrs Smith
Can a film live up to the hype it has when it stars
two of the biggest actors who are rumored to have formed a relationship
during the filming of it? The answer may surprise you because it sure as
hell surprised me when I went to see Mr.
and Mrs. Smith, which I have to say is actually very entertaining.
Mr and Mrs Smith Review
Sure we've all heard the rumors about Brad and
Angelina (are they or are they not hooking up?) and because of those rumors
the studio has capitalized on it and rammed it down or throats with constant
advertising (every film I've seen since writing for this site had a Mr.
and Mrs. Smith trailer attached) hoping this possible "real life romance"
will grab peoples interest and generate some box office gold. What the studio
doesn't realize is that in the end a really witty story and some great performances
by Brad and Angelina make this film worth checking out.
Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past 6 months you know the
basic idea of what the story to Mr and Mrs Smith is about. John
(Brad Pitt) and Jane (Angelina Jolie) Smith have been married for 5 or 6
years (neither of them can agree on which year) and the marriage has hit
a rough spot. Both of them want to make the marriage work, but their second
lives as assassins and the need to keep their identities secret prevents
them from making their marriage work. Things start to unfold when they are
both contracted to kill the same person and eventually each other.
Right off the bat Mr and Mrs Smith hits on all cylinders. Both
actors are having a great time and it really shows in their performance
and chemistry. If the rumor is true and they are dating you can see why
they would make a great couple. Both actors feed off of each other and seem
very comfortable working together. This may be helped along by director
Doug Liman (Swingers, Go, The Bourne Identity)
who has a knack for bringing out a characters personality and making them
shine on screen. The story itself moves at a very quick pace, but not quickly
enough for you to get lost. The film never settles on being one specific
kind of film (action, comedy, drama), but that was something I really enjoyed.
This film is equal parts comedy, action and drama and provides enough of
everything to keep most audiences happy. Basically it's your traditional
Hollywood blockbuster and they never shy away from accepting that moniker.
Brad Pitt is unknowingly made for comedy films
If it was up to me Brad Pitt should do nothing
but comedy for the rest of his career, because he is so damn good at it.
I look at the guy who did Meet Joe Black and then the guy who did
Mr and Mrs Smith and they are worlds apart. Sure in a way he's
playing the same Brad Pitt role he played in Oceans 11 & 12
and The Mexican mixed in with a little Tyler Durden from Fight
Club, but that's what makes him so cool. He is one of those actors
who you don't care that he's playing himself; he's just fun to watch. Angelina
Jolie on the other hand takes her role a little more seriously and does
a great job of playing the straight man to Brad Pitt's goofy persona.
One big knock on Mr and Mrs Smith was the lack of involvement by
the supporting cast. Aside from Vince Vaughn's (Swingers) great
performance as Brad's friend the rest of the cast (in particular Adam Brody)
just kind of becomes an after thought. This film is all about Brad and Angelina
and they don't try to hide that fact. I really would've liked to have seen
some more interaction with the supporting characters, but that would've
just increased the running time (120 minutes) which was already about 30
minutes longer than it should be. Perhaps the ending would've been a good
starting point to cut time off. While the story is really good, the last
30 minutes of the film get a little far fetched and detract from what makes
this movie so great, the interaction and battle between Pitt and Jolie.
Like I said earlier, Mr and Mrs Smith is not a perfect film
by far, but it has enough positives to erase its few negatives. Mr.
and Mrs. Smith should be renamed to the Brand and Angelina show because
despite the fact that they are playing characters you still see them as
Brad and Angelina. It may be a distraction to some, but for the most part
with a great story and some fun action you won't even care. Congrats go
out to the underrated Doug Liman who continues to produce good film after
good film despite taking many risks in his short career. Many people will
walk in looking for signs to a possible Pitt/Jolie relationship, but will
leave with a smile on their face after watching this fun thrill ride.
Score:
Mr and Mrs Smith
Brad Pitt is unknowingly made for comedy films
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