Review of Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) by Spangle — 06 Jan 2017

One of my favorite sub-genres has to be the high budget adult action comedy. Unfortunately, it is mostly dead nowadays aside from the release of films such as The Nice Guys this year. They do not resort to low brow humor, put the characters in adult situations, and are perfect examples of the fact that even adults can appreciate some well executed explosions. Plus, there is just something right about Angelina Jolie in a dominatrix outfit snapping a guy's neck. In Mr. & Mrs. Smith, director Doug Liman takes a married couple and makes them both assassins who have been contracted to kill one another. With well executed action set pieces and great comedy, the film's appeal largely rides on it being about a married couple assigned to kill one another. As such, they try to outwit and outsmart another while doing doing so as a married couple living in the suburbs, thus they fight about curtains, comment about homegoods stores, eat bad dinners together, and the man breaks stuff in the house accidentally. For many, this humor may become tiresome, but it always felt fresh and acted as a larger comment on marriage, rather than just a source of comedy.

Pairing together Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the film that brought them together, Mr. & Mrs. Smith depicts a married couple that is going through a rough patch. With a lack of sex and chemistry at the time, the duo are having troubles. What better way to fix a marriage than by blowing up your home and trying to kill one another in the process? Honestly, it seemed pretty cathartic and makes you wonder why more couples do not try this strategy out. While a bit absurd, Liman laces the action and silly plot with witty and quick jabs and banter between the couple. As a result, their antics become incredibly endearing and deeply funny. Of course, this would not be possible without top-notch performances from Pitt and Jolie who not only have great chemistry with one another, but have tremendous charisma.

Of course, it is hard to defend this film. Inherently stupid and over-the-top, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is hardly a classic. That said, it is a terrific blend of action and comedy. For somebody that has been accused of hating fun, this review should defeat those accusations. At the end of the day, I like good action and good comedy. If an action scene thrills me and jokes make me laugh, then I am satisfied. While its gags are silly and it has far too many explosions, its tongue-in-cheek action scenes that parody marriage, relationship warfare, and other action films, it was hard to not fall into the film's charm. Its jokes are well-written, smart, and incredibly witty. They may be a bit silly, but they are never trying too hard, being raunchy for the sake of being raunchy, or giving into lowest common denominator type humor (Deadpool or Kingsman as negative examples here). Instead, it takes an adult approach and finds a balance in appealing to both adults and action junkies along the way. Hardly the pinnacle of cinema, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a fun, well plotted, funny, and action-packed summer action flick. With top-notch performances from the always charismatic Brangelina, the film has a lot of fun with its over-the-top action, well-timed comedy, and smart/witty jokes. Gleefully boisterous and absurd throughout, the film's pacing is excellent and keeps the speed at cruise control. It is never distractingly fast, nor is it ever too slow. Instead, it flies by at the right speed to allow full enjoyment of its infectious energy and joy. While many do not like Mr. & Mrs. Smith, count me as one of its supporters, though its flaws are certainly readily apparent and the film is hardly as well manicured as its stars.