‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ (2005): A Killer Comedy About a Killer Couple

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Seeing this is obvious a “better late than never” scenario. Many moviegoers will remember Mr. and Mrs. Smith as “the” film which cloaked its two major stars in Hollywood “scandal.” Since seeing two, more recent, films that mirror this one, I decided to finally see Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005) Film Review

They meet in a foreign land, amid the chaos of Columbia’s war-torn revolution. In a spur of the moment connection they become travelling companions. John Smith (Brad Pitt) is a successful contractor who met his wife Jane (Angelina Jolie) while on a job. It’s a clandestine meeting that starts when their eyes meet across the room. Five (or six – depending on who you ask) years later, they are married and in counseling. Successful in business, in all other respects their life is “boring.”

‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ (2005) - A Killer Comedy About a Killer Couple. Reviewing the Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt title. Text © Rissi JC
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Their quiet life takes a turn upside down when they learn that the other has concealed a secret identity. Turns out they aren’t he perfect suburban couple they seem to be.

This is one of those kinds of satire movies that starts as one thing before morphing into something else. This concept is now something I see more often, and really, some of them are funnier. First impressions of Mr. and Mrs. Smith peg this as more of a relationship-driven story. Questionable as this may sound, there is definitely something underneath the façade that is not comedic or amusing. The majority of the film is motivated by emotions with an edge of seriousness to it; and most of the scenes are “boring.”

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Believe it or not, at least the first forty-some minutes are sedate, simple and funny in subtle ways (like Jane and John eating dinner with an enormous void between them, both physically and mentally). Definitely, it’s the latter half that gets a bit crazy. It makes the first half seem all the funnier, but at the same time the two extremes appear a little preposterous. The climax is a HUGE shoot-out that should result in death but in a typical only-in-the-movies scenario, we get the happy ending. Flawed in many ways, Mr. and Mrs. Smith is still a blast, if you are willing to realize it’s sometime on two different wavelengths.

Certain of the themes and/or subjects are troublesome. This is why I’m of the opinion that by watching Hollywood movies, you must be prepared to “overlook” some faults. Despite this, if you like the premise, then this one is perfect and mindless fun.

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Content: bullets fly everywhere. As a means of distraction, Jane dresses in a leather-clad outfit complete with whip to gain access to her targets bedroom. Mild sexual jokes invade the script. Upon meeting, Jane and John get drunk and promptly spend a night together within a matter of hours. Post-marriage there is one sex scene that gets quite sensual.  Profanity: a**, sh*t, da*n, bi*ch. Two scenes feature a risqué dance sequence. Various other moments find Jane in suggestive dress [side slits, low-cut or form-fitting]. The film is PG-13.

About Rissi JC

amateur graphic designer. confirmed bookaholic. bubbl’r enthusiast. critical thinker. miswesterner. social media coordinator. writer.

5 comments

  1. I watched this movie awhile ago with my parents — we all loved it, but i remember the bad things you mentioned, too. I guess every movie comes with its "garbage" that we have to look past.
    By the way, I love the drop-down bars! Glad You got them up and working ;)

    xoxo,
    Jessica

  2. I think this one is "cute," Jessica but I like other movies that are similar to this one just as well if not better. You are so right: everything that comes out of Hollywood has its fair share of "trashy" material and it is sad. If we want to watch films, unfortunately, we do have to overlook the bad to get to the good. =)

    Awww! Thanks – I love the drop-down menus, too! They are just what I wanted – I had a bit of trouble at first getting them started but after that, everything was really simple. Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction. =)

  3. I LOVE THIS MOVIE.

    It is so my thing! So much so that when the first trailers for it came out, I had several different people point to me and say, "This has Charity's name written all over it."

    I love how the entire film is a metaphor for marriage. It's really quite clever.

  4. I think I've only ever seen this one once, so I really should watch it again. I like it better than Knight & Day (which isn't about marriage) but not as much as Killers – or that is my initial impression. =D

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