J and K, the great comic duo

Rating: 7/10 (17 April 2011)

Tommy Lee Jones is Agent K, a man who takes his work very seriously. He's all business, possessing no sense of humor that he is aware of. Will Smith is K's new partner Agent J. J is the flashy, showy type. Young, cool and hip, everything K is not. They are the Men in Black, part of a top-secret organization which monitors alien activity on Earth. Turns out aliens have been living among us, peacefully for the most part, for years. The Men in Black keep the alien presence under wraps. Everything is going along just fine until a Bug shows up. Now the Earth is set up for imminent destruction. Only J and K can save us. And if while saving us they can make us laugh all the better.
J and K, Smith and Jones, are a terrific comic duo. They play off one another beautifully with absolutely wonderful chemistry. The obvious contrast between the buttoned-down K and the exuberant J provides plenty of comic gold. Both actors suit their parts perfectly, Smith the showman and Jones the straight man. With his wry, dry wit the supposedly unfunny K is actually one of the funniest characters you'll see. And J, new as he is to the whole aliens among us thing, provides plenty of laughs as he tries to come to grips with what the heck is actually going on. Smith and Jones are obviously the stars of the show. But they are ably supported by the likes of Rip Torn and Linda Fiorentino as well as Vincent D'Onofrio who does very well with a clearly challenging role, that of the villainous Bug who certainly doesn't blend in as seamlessly as all the other aliens populating Manhattan. It's a movie which has a great look to it, the whole menagerie of aliens look terrific, the visual effects are seamless. The story moves along well with plenty of laughs throughout. It's a movie which knows better than to take itself seriously. It's an unabashed parody and a very good one, with the great comic duo of Smith and Jones working ever so well together to put the whole thing over the top. Popcorn flick that it is Men in Black may not make many lists of the greatest movies ever. But it's hard to imagine you can watch this movie and not come away with a smile on your face.