Fun with John and Jane

Rating: 8/10 (30 December 2006)

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," a 2005 film also starring Vince Vaughn and Adam Brodie. The story concerns an unhappily married couple, each not knowing that the other is a special government agent. When they both go after the same target, they realize the truth. Each is then assigned to kill the other; when they find out that they are both supposed to be eliminated, they decide two are better than one.
The film combines elements of "War of the Roses," "F/X," and "True Lies." It's interesting to see the comments so divided here. That possibly has to do with two elements: the more positive comments are from people who saw "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" as a rental or on television and the more negative are from people who saw it in the theater and paid $10; and/or: the more positive comments are from people who just like to be entertained, and the more negative are from people who like films to make sense. This is one of those films where you can't have it both ways.
"Mr. and Mrs. Smith" is a fun rental with two beautiful stars who have great chemistry. The beginning is a little slow, but it picks up and then the pace is very fast. But in order to enjoy it, you have to let go of things like wanting the film to make sense. It can't - first of all, the premise is ridiculous. Secondly, in order to keep the stars alive throughout the film, the writer had to make the way the plot unfolds even more ridiculous. If you can make up your mind to just be entertained, this can be a delightful experience. There are some funny bits and some impressive action sequences. One of the funniest is when Jolie takes off in her car and Pitt tries to go after her. I found both the actors very enjoyable with great presence, and they really both light up and fire up the screen.
You can always find plot holes and in this case, you'll fall into the first one and never get out. But it's a comedy. Comedies are sometimes absurd but still funny, and special effects films are sometimes absurd but still exciting. Just take "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" on its own silly merits and enjoy yourself.