Jolie and Pitt sizzle, but Liman rules

Rating: 10/10 (12 June 2005)

Mr. And Mrs. Smith might be the textbook definition of Hollywood entertainment: two beautiful movie stars, whose on-screen chemistry can only be overshadowed by their possible off-screen romance, starring in a spyesque action flick from a director whose definite sense of style underscores the film nicely, without ever making it about him. It may not be Macbeth, but this steak has sizzle.
However, it's not this steak's obvious sizzle, but the unexpected meat on its bones that turns the film into a real delight. The seemingly simple premise about two assassins that get married without ever revealing their real day jobs to each other is just the vehicle that writer Simon Kinberg and director Doug Liman use to delve into a more complex subject, a stale marriage.
John Smith (Brad Pitt) and Jane Smith (Angelina Jolie) meet, while on separate assignments in Bogota, Columbia. There's an immediate spark between these beautiful strangers, and it's not long before marriage bells ring. Five or six years later, depending on which Smith you ask, the spark is gone, and while each on enjoys his/her own success in the exciting world of contract killing, the marriage is failing and they resort to counseling in an attempt to save their boring, suburban union.
Failed marriages is a topic so many Americans are familiar with, and one of the film's strengths is that it spends plenty of time chronicling there lifestyle. We watch the Smiths go through their daily routine; they argue over new curtains, attend a neighborhood party, and definitely do not have sex Fate steps in when Jane and John are assigned to off the same person. Out in the field they each interfere with their spouse's plan of action and end up trying to kill each other. Using evidence taken from the scene of the attempted crimes, the two identify each other as competing agents before rushing home and expressing how they missed each other over dinner.
This is where the real fun begins as all the frustration built up over six years of marriage is let out in a barrage of humor and violence. Jolie and Pitt trade barbs and gunfire before realizing they cannot kill each other. Instead they team up to fight off their respective agencies, who now want them both dead, all the while revealing the secrets that have been swept under the carpet all these years.
Doug Liman, whose impressive resume includes Swingers and The Bourne Identity, keeps the story grounded in the characters, who deliver more wit and humor then can be found in most mainstream comedies. The action sequences are directed with a John Wu like grace and do not invigorate so much as provide moments for the characters to entertain. Anyone who has ever had a long term relationship can empathize with the Smiths as they duke out their frustrations.
It's hard to imagine a hotter couple, either on or off-screen, than Pitt and Jolie. Luckily this film is not satisfied with simply presenting us with this eye candy. Instead a clever script, deft direction, and two fine performances create two hours of classic entertainment.