Best Action Comedy In Ten Years

Rating: 10/10 (12 June 2005)

Usually your reviewer puts a lot of thought into the movie choice of the week, but this week he went with gut instinct (or perhaps lower), had low to middling expectations but was very pleasantly surprised with the result.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie star as John and Jane Smith, married for five, perhaps six years. John is a gut instinct kind of guy, who makes plans up on the spot, works out of a dockside warehouse (albeit with a Manhattan view), and is basically a bit of a slob. Jane, on the other hand, is a meticulous planner, is over-fussy about the way her household runs, and works in an all female office with décor similar to the X-Men headquarters.
We could go into the plot, but suffice to say the marriage has hit a calm spot - going to a marriage counselor with an upper middle class setting, reminded me somewhat of particular characters out of Desperate Housewives. Oh, and they still don't know each other is a top international assassin. Don't ask how they haven't found that out yet, it is not important to the enjoyment of the moment. As would probably happen with any further discussion of the plot.
Vince Vaughn does his usual quick talking sidekick role as well as ever (in this case, as Pitt's boss), and Adam Brody from TV's 'The OC' has more than a few lines as well. Apart from those two, the other characters all fit into one of two categories, either cannon fodder or cute girl in black. Yes, let's not think too deeply about character development either, put it in the same box as the plot shall we? The strengths of this movie are the action set pieces and the sly sense of humour throughout, sometimes combined in the same scene, such as the extended car chase, beginning and ending with 'Making Love, Out Of Nothing At All'.
Or, after doing a mark each early in the movie, heading to the Coleman's for a neighbourly 'thing' to the strains of Amy Grant's 'Baby Baby'  the look on Jolie's face when she holds a baby as if it is an alien is priceless. Continuing the music theme, stopping in the middle of a huge gun battle to take refuge in a lift, with 'The Girl From Ipanema' as background muzak, is another delicious moment.
There are just too many of these moments to put together a full list  do I include the dinner where they realize each other's secret life, every bite analyzed for ulterior motives? Or do I leave out Pitt's reaction to his toys taken away in a moment of Jolie spite (every man in the cinema sympathizing completely, I am sure). And on it goes, what to mention what to omit.
The comedy highpoint, however, has to be Brody wearing a Fight Club t-shirt. Took me straight back to Pitt discussing the rules in that earlier movie ('rule one, there is no fight club, rule two, there is no fight club'), and again, he plays the role of Mr Smith with a grin on his face and an ease everyone can see. Actually, everyone looks like they are enjoying themselves in this movie.
Come for the sex appeal, stay for the laughs and action. Not since Bad Boys has there been such a laugh out loud, fun, entertaining time at the movies  best action comedy of the decade thus far.