More like Mr. and Mrs. Sexy
Travis Lowry
Issue date: 6/14/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Many forests and tropical jungles have been criminally felled in order to give maximum coverage to the 'Bradgelina' phenomenon - a reason in and of itself for avoiding current summer blockbuster Mr. and Mrs. Smith. However, something funny happened on the way to Gigli-esque infamy ... the movie turned out to be a rather well done piece of satire that is also a silly, fun romp of an action movie.
John and Jane Smith are an 'average' American suburban couple, average here being a word that means 'rich and Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie sexy, but still discontented with their lives.'
However, aside from the real emotions that the couple keeps from each other, they also both happen to be two of world's top assassins, unbeknownst to the other. John and Jane Smith soon discover each other's true identities and try to take each other out, which of course only arouses the passion and sparks that initially drew them to each other in the first place. They then join forces to survive when they both become the target of their respective companies when they refuse to snuff each other out.
Though comparisons to his previous venture into the action blockbuster genre will more likely be made, director Doug Liman infuses the script by Simon Kinberg (who also wrote this Spring's XXX: State of the Union) with an ironic flair that is more in tune with his psychotropic club-kid joyride Go than the comparatively more somber The Bourne Identity. And that's not a bad thing. The film is essentially one big sitcom, though at least it is a funny one with sexy stars.
Pitt and Jolie work phenomenally well together. Each masterfully blends comic timing with simmering listlessness and dissatisfaction with suburban life. The movie would be nothing without a believable and involving relationship between the leads, and though occasionally contrived, Pitt and Jolie deliver. Vince Vaughn has also perfected his Vince Vaughn-ishness as Pitt's associate, though he has freshened up his schtick with a pretty funny loser angle this time. The O.C.'s Adam Brody also shows up to act all Seth-y and ironic in a Fight Club T-shirt as a target that both John and Jane are hired to kill, though even his character gets a fun development by the end of the movie.
John and Jane Smith are an 'average' American suburban couple, average here being a word that means 'rich and Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie sexy, but still discontented with their lives.'
However, aside from the real emotions that the couple keeps from each other, they also both happen to be two of world's top assassins, unbeknownst to the other. John and Jane Smith soon discover each other's true identities and try to take each other out, which of course only arouses the passion and sparks that initially drew them to each other in the first place. They then join forces to survive when they both become the target of their respective companies when they refuse to snuff each other out.
Though comparisons to his previous venture into the action blockbuster genre will more likely be made, director Doug Liman infuses the script by Simon Kinberg (who also wrote this Spring's XXX: State of the Union) with an ironic flair that is more in tune with his psychotropic club-kid joyride Go than the comparatively more somber The Bourne Identity. And that's not a bad thing. The film is essentially one big sitcom, though at least it is a funny one with sexy stars.
Pitt and Jolie work phenomenally well together. Each masterfully blends comic timing with simmering listlessness and dissatisfaction with suburban life. The movie would be nothing without a believable and involving relationship between the leads, and though occasionally contrived, Pitt and Jolie deliver. Vince Vaughn has also perfected his Vince Vaughn-ishness as Pitt's associate, though he has freshened up his schtick with a pretty funny loser angle this time. The O.C.'s Adam Brody also shows up to act all Seth-y and ironic in a Fight Club T-shirt as a target that both John and Jane are hired to kill, though even his character gets a fun development by the end of the movie.
