John and Jane Smith have been married for 6 years and have seen something less of a spark each night when they get home from their respective positions. John, a construction contractor working from a port warehouse and Jane, a computer consultant downtown get along well enough during dinner each night and when visiting neighbours during various community functions. Intimately though they find that their relationship is fading and a trip to a marriage counseler seems ot be the obvious next step. In the end, it's really their jobs that keep them apart. Something of a typical story, until it is revealed that both John and Jane, unbeknownst to each other, are top assasins working for competing agencies. The fondue really hits the fan when through a botched, double-booked hit, they are pitted against each other and given 48 hours to eliminate their significant other. Dinner at 7 will never be the same!
The key to this film's entertainment value is its balance. Pitt and Jolie, despite being at odds as husband and wife, work as an on screen duo better than Batman and Robin. Okay, the most recent incarnation of that duo sucked. We'll say better than C-3P0 and R2-D2 (and that's a lot saying coming from me). A fight in which they completely trash their own house ends in a mini-van car chase that is both intense and hilarious. As explosive as the action can be, it often takes a back seat to the banter between husband and wife. Scenes are intercut with glimpses of their progression in couples therapy that are often met with bursts of laughter from the audience.
Admittedly, I went into this with low expectations, especially with the celebrity relationship gossip so rampant recently about Pitt and Jolie, so I was pleasently surprised to find such a well rounded comedy folded into an action flick. Add a hottie bonus, shirtless Pitt for the ladies and Jolie in various states of undress for the guys, and you get something for everyone. Hey, c'mon, we're not the LA Times. Guys... Angelina is smokin hot here. From housewife, to vinyl clad dominatrix to the classic button-down-men's-shirt (and nothing else), you can't go wrong on the hottie-meter. I can't say much for the ladies, but judging by the reaction of my wife-to-be I'd say Pitt induces equal tingling in the female of the species.
Mr. And Mrs. Smith is easily worth a couple of viewings this summer and a no brainer DVD buy in the fall. It might make you think twice about your betrothed's past, but with so much sex, violence and laughs, how can you resist?
