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Back Shelf Beauties
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Mr. and Mrs. Smith Who hasn't heard about Mr. and Mrs. Smith? When it originally starred Nicole Kidman and Brad Pitt, the movie sounded like a fun idea and a potential summer blockbuster with two of the biggest stars in the business. Then, Kidman's Stepford Wives shooting ran long, Angelina Jolie (the greatest consolation prize in the history of the world) showed up on the set to take over the female lead, rumors of canoodling between her and Pitt started to fly, and Pitt's marriage to Jennifer Aniston came to a tabloid screaming end. Now, everyone associated with the movie is wary to discuss the possibility of a relationship between the two mega-stars (they even stayed in different hotels during the New York press junket and asked reporters to sign contracts forbidding them from asking about the alleged relationship) because this sort of thing can overwhelm a movie and have the audience looking for hints of a spark between the leads instead of watching the movie, but isn't that half the fun? Pitt stars as John Smith, and Jolie as Jane Smith - a married couple suffering through some rough patches. While the passion is gone after several years of marriage, it's about to resurface in a surprising and unpredictable way. After lying to each other from the beginning about their secret lives as competing assassins, they unknowingly are assigned to the same case by their competing companies. Of course, they identify each other, and are quickly assigned to kill each other. Will they go through with their assignments? Who will win this battle? Mr. and Mrs. Smith is a comedy thriller that shines when Jolie and Pitt get to trade delicious barbs, but doesn't quite live up to its potential. Director Doug Liman and writer Simon Kinberg focus the movie squarely on the idea that Jane and John are going through the most violent divorce you have ever seen, but give the two plenty of room to have fun with it. Kinberg provides plenty of sharp dialogue giving each star wicked insults and one-liners to pop off at each other, while Liman blows up lots of stuff and gives the movie a nice pace. Kinberg and Liman show us plenty of little funny jokes like Pitt singing to an unlikely song on the radio, quirky shirts and jackets worn by characters, and a series of interviews with a marriage counselor (William Fichtner). All of this lets us see the tension between the two Smiths and it helps to establish the idea that we are watching a violent divorce, but it's funny, so it's OK. Unfortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Smith runs out of story about 1 hour and 15 minutes into the film. By that point, Liman and Kinberg realize it's time to resolve the film and the story's major dilemma, but haven't provided enough background to establish the ending, which feels tacked on due to the failure of setting it up. Pitt and Jolie are featured in just about every scene in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, so we don't get a good feel for the forces acting on them from the outside, and this part of the movie feels too insignificant to be the catalyst for the climax. Once the movie reaches this point, and you feel like it has hit a brickwall, Liman should be thankful he has Pitt and Jolie. While other supporting actors like Vince Vaughn and Adam Brody have a few scenes to strut their comedic ability, it's Pitt and Jolie who carry the film with bravado. Pitt is a sneaky comedy star who slyly delivers putdowns and one-liners that are hilarious due to his vocal patterns and tones, while Jolie is the sexy babe with a tart tongue every man dreams about (and knows he can't handle). Pitt is smooth, while Jolie has the sexiest, in-your-face screen presence in decades (she's a walking, talking special effect all on her own, and she's a great actress. WOW!). Together (on screen), they're a great pair, and save the movie from having the feel of a bloated, overly explosive summer dud. Mr. and Mrs. Smith is worth seeing, but it's not an awesome movie. 2 ½ Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2005 - WaffleMovies.com
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