Didn't really like it but Pitt and Jolie were great!

Rating: 7/10 (23 June 2005)

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie) are unhappily married to each other. They think the other has a quiet respectable job...but they are actually hired assassins for opposing companies. Then they each get a job...to kill the other one. Did I mention this is supposed to be a comedy?
The premise is a good one and it's played (relatively) straight...but this doesn't work completely. As an action movies it does succeed--there are tons of gunfights, some really incredible stunts and multiple explosions--typical turn off your mind summer movie fun. But as a comedy it doesn't work at all. For starters the lines just aren't that funny. It's also hard to laugh in a movie where at least a hundred people are shot to death or knifed (but there's no blood so I guess that makes it OK). The casual violence in this is STRONG and there's a fight between Pitt and Jolie that I found way too violent to be amusing. There is one funny bit--when a prisoner is being questioned he's wearing a "Fight Club" T shirt.
On the plus side Pitt and Jolie are just great. Who knew they could do comedy so well? The lines are lousy but they give them their all. Also they work VERY well together and there's a great chemistry between them. Also they're both very physically attractive. They make to movie bearable. Vince Vaughn and Adam Brody are in supporting roles but given nothing to do.
So I'd love to see Pitt and Jolie together again--in a better movie. I give this a 7--mostly for them.