I'll have a martini, please

Rating: 7/10 (10 June 2005)

"Mr. & Mrs. Smith" expresses a degree of "realism" that's been lacking in most Hollywood movies in the last 10, 15 years or so. When I mean that what's taking place on the screen is real, I mean we get a feeling that the chemistry between stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie is genuine. Well, if the rumors are true, then the chemistry is indeed, "real."
Much has been made in the tabloids in recent months over Brad Pitt's failed marriage to his wife, actress Jennifer Aniston. The rumor mill has centered on the possibility that Pitt's on-screen antics with co-star Jolie were a lot more than just skillful acting. As the rumor mill would have it, things do seem to look the way the media is portraying the stars of this film.
Does this hype it up? Sure. Will it work? Definitely. Will it be a box office smash this weekend? Well, let's just see on Monday. While those who read the gossip pages in US Weekly or The National Inquirer will certainly get their just desserts, others who haven't been bombarded by those star-studded tabloid rags may find a surprising level of ingenuity in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."
Pitt and Jolie star as John and Jane Smith, a happy suburban couple who literally save each other's necks in Bogota, when the military there is on a manhunt for lone tourists over an apparent assassination attempt on an important political figure. They introduce themselves to each other, go dancing, and spend the night in one another's arms before they realize that they're going to be a lot more than just friends.
Much to the dismay of John's friend Eddie (Vince Vaughn), who has more than a slight distrust of women and is living with his mother (the only woman he feels he can trust), they get married. Eddie is another one of those faithful movie buddies, who works with John and Vaughn's role here is a little more than a retread of the character he played in "Swingers" (1996).
Five or six years later, they're living in suburbia, where John has taken up a job as a construction worker, while Jane is a happy-go-lucky housewife, always fixing a beautiful dinner for her husband - who has perfect timing - just as he walks in the door from a hard day's work; they eat dinner, right on the money, at 7:00 p.m.
What neither individual is aware of, however, is that they are both highly trained assassins. When they are simultaneously dispatched by their respective handlers to take out a target, this poses a serious problem for the two lovebirds, as they both scramble to find the identity of the rival would-be assailant.
The action is paralleled by John and Jane's attendance of marriage counseling and therapy; an off-screen personality provides them with questions to which they answer, either jokingly or honestly. Well, if you found out that your lover is living a secret life as a hired killer, would you attempt to save your marriage? I honestly can't say.
The way that this is played out eventually culminates to what is arguably the funniest and most amusing scene in the movie, where Jane cooks John a wonderful dinner. John already has a hunch of Jane's intentions, and it's exciting to see them pick up knives, check food for poisons, test each other, and otherwise try to outdo the rival spouse who may or may not be aware that the other is a hired assassin out for their blood.
"Mr. & Mrs. Smith" is helmed by Doug Liman, the hip director behind the already mentioned "Swingers," which also co-starred Vince Vaughn, "Go" (1999), and attempted mainstream capability with "The Bourne Identity" (2002). Here, Liman exercises the comic timing and hip directorial flamboyance he perfected in both of his hit indie flicks.
The stars, Mr. Smith and Mrs. Smith, have a chemistry that easily surpasses an otherwise ludicrous plot, which is also the film's biggest weakness. Like any average film, it only serves the purpose of providing big set-pieces, that are somehow or another balanced by the stars' attempts at sorting out the complicated details of a crap marriage. Also, how often do we have films where real-life couples come together on the screen, and the film either flops or is a magnificent triumph at the box office? The release of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" couldn't have come at a better time for either star, as the rumor mill is simply going bonkers over both of their personal lives.
"Mr. and Mrs. Smith" works best as a screwball satire of idyllic suburban life, not an action flick. Both Pitt and Jolie aren't strangers to action (Pitt's been in "True Romance" and "Spy Game" - both directed by Tony Scott; Jolie starred as Lara Croft in both "Tomb Raider" films). They fill out their action scenes all right, but aren't terrible or full of themselves in their skills.
Well, the tabloids are sure to have a ball with this one, if you haven't already seen the front page stories of their rags. It's a decent effort, if not entirely memorable one. But the tabloids will definitely be this one's biggest ally in helping to rake in the cash over the weekend.
7/10