Downright Fun - a great night out! Will see this one again!

Rating: 8/10 (13 June 2005)

What an extremely pleasant surprise this was! I went to see this film mainly because, like most males in the 18-25 age bracket, I am quite partial to the wiles of Angelina Jolie. I had also seen the trailers a number of times and thought there was potential in it. However, I didn't have extremely high hopes because most of the stuff coughed up by Hollywood lately has been far from inspirational! The deciding factor to see it was a cousin on the opposite side of the spectrum who, as with most females in the afore mentioned 18-25 age bracket, is rather obsessed with Mr. Pitt. I hadn't been out in a while so why not, right!? The style of the film was perfect. How could it not be with such a director! The scenes wafted smoothly, gliding from scene to scene effortlessly. The pace gradually picked up until reaching its peak and the ending was actually quite ingenious - The final shootout was most enjoyable to watch as it didn't opt for the usual - and highly unoriginal - "Bang Bang, you're Dead"! The acting was something that I thought would be a concern. The film had seemed to me to be mainly a vehicle for adolescents to purve of the perfectly sculpted bodies of Jolie and Pitt. But they were actually really good. Brad Pitt is very adept at this style of comedy (as he displays in the "Ocean's" films) and Jolie is perfect in her role - it didn't require too much from her as she is a natural seductress but I didn't question her character once which means she did the job well! Another testament to their acting abilities is during the dinner scene after the big "revelation". With hardly any dialog they both manage to convey the tense situation to the audience who have no doubt in their minds about what is going on - not only was it a highly comedic scene, but it was pulled off so well that one can only take one's hat off to not only Pitt and Jolie, but also the director and writer alike! The music was downright funky, but without becoming overpowering. It was subtle yet poignant and therefore perfect. While the storyline itself was a tad weak and far-fetched, it doesn't really bother you as it is such an enjoyable film to watch that you just don't care. And at least it isn't inane. It is a very original film with quite a nice little message about marriage and "sticking together" and all that jazz. And that final scene is exactly what was needed. It brought the audience back to planet earth, settled them down and gave them one final laugh - leaving them with a very pleasant taste in their mouths and a desire for more. It achieved exactly what a film should achieve - a great deal of fun and a sense that the huge amount of money spent on the tickets was worth it for this one!