Fairly basic, but entertaining

Rating: 5/10 (25 June 2005)

If there ever were a couple who needed some marriage counseling, it's Mr. & Mrs. Smith (played by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie). Outwardly, they are successful entrepreneurs who have a perfect life, if not a mundane one. What they don't realize about the other is that they are actually highly-trained assassins who, after a botched attempt, are hired to kill each other. When they discover this, they use just about every tactic possible to exterminate the other, while struggling with the fact that despite their commitment to their jobs, they are, after all, married.
The plot of this film is really very basic, but the synergy between Pitt and Jolie is enough to make the film entertaining. It certainly doesn't hurt that these are two of the most photogenic actors working today, and if you're looking for something that is not thought-provoking or attempting depth, it's a good movie to see. Unfortunately, there's a lot of beating up on each other, so if you're not crazy about seeing a husband wail on each other full force for a good half an hour, this movie is probably not for you. Realizing that Vince Vaughn is a big favorite in the supporting actor field, I have to say that he was completely obnoxious in this film, and even though there was nothing profound about the movie, he seemed to make it even more vapid.
While watching "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" I couldn't help but compare it to the great 1989 cult classic "The War of the Roses", starring Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas. While the circumstances were different, (the Roses fought because they hated each other, while the Smiths just had to kill one another because it was their job) "The War of the Roses" had a very dark cleverness to it that could have been somewhat imitated in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", particularly in its ending. Sometimes it doesn't pay to try to add depth or improvement to what is essentially an action-laden popcorn flick, but unfortunately the end result will be just that: It is simply an action-laden popcorn flick. 5/10 --Shelly