V. entertaining  great chemistry between the leads; funny one-liners; best when it tends more toward comedy than action

Rating: 9/10 (11 June 2005)

I went into this movie expecting to be entertained, and I was  very much so. "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" works very well because of the amazing chemistry between the two leads, the ridiculously good-looking Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The film opens with John (Pitt) and Jane (Jolie) Smith in marriage counseling, and apparently, the magic has gone out of their marriage, probably because they can't speak truthfully about their jobs. They don't know that they are both skilled assassins, but when they are hired to do a hit on each other, the truth unravels. The plot is rather brainless, but I realized about ten minutes into the movie that I really didn't care.
The first part of the film is more enjoyable and successful than the second part, mainly because it's fun to watch the Smiths not realize the truth about each other and then dance on eggshells around each other when they think they know the truth. The dialogue is witty, and filled with great one-liners and double entendres. Take, for example, when John and Jane return home for dinner after trying to kill each other, and John says, in response to Jane's question of why he has returned early from his so-called business trip, "I missed you." She replies, matter-of-factly, "I missed you, too." The movie is often very funny, although most laughs come from when they're doing generic couple stuff (like seeing a counselor, eating dinner at home, brushing their teeth, etc.).
"Mr. and Mrs. Smith" relies mostly on the chemistry between Pitt and Jolie, and they have that in spades. The sex appeal literally explodes off the screen, and I wish the film spent more time laboring over the couple-stuff they do and not so much the explosions and action. Jolie has never looked better or more hypnotically beautiful than in this movie, and it's pretty obvious why Pitt's character falls for her almost instantly. I also thought that Jolie was great at making her Jane Smith character a real person; she brings a quiet poignancy to the role. As John Smith, Pitt is wickedly funny and excellent. He gets all the best lines. In the hands of a lesser actor, his lines would sometimes seem corny, but Pitt makes his character believable and extremely likable. The supporting characters (played by Adam Brody, Kerry Washington, and Vince Vaughn) seem a bit wasted, but this is, after all, the Brad and Angelina show.
My main problem with the film is the excessive (and often plodding) action scenes. While it is fun to watch Pitt and Jolie look sexy while doing cool stunts, it gets tiring pretty quickly. This is the primary reason that the last thirty minutes or so of the film aren't as witty or entertaining as the earlier moments in the film. I think the movie could have been improved if there were less physical explosions and mindless action and more of the explosive chemistry in the quieter scenes between Pitt and Jolie.
Despite its flaws, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" is a wonderful way to spend two hours at the theatre. I plan on seeing in again at the theatres. Not a movie for anyone demanding a real plot or serious depth, but a must-see for everyone else! 8.5/10.