Review:

*** (out of ****)

Starring:

Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Vince Vaughn, Adam Brody, Kerry Washington, Keith David, Chris Weitz, Rachael Huntley, Michelle Monaghan

Director:

Doug Liman

Screenplay:

Simon Kinberg

Length:

120 min.

MPAA Rating:

PG-13 (For sequences of violence, intense action, sexual content and brief strong language)

Mr. and Mrs. Smith attend couples therapy after their marriage begins to deteriorate. As they examine their first meeting and the ensuing consequences, they discover they have far more in common than at first met the eye.

Brad Pitt (John Smith) and Angelina Jolie (Jane Smith) star as the disillusioned couple. Each bears a secret of which the other has no knowledge. Both are spies working for different organizations but they live life like many other couples. Each believes the other is having an affair while the affair is not with other men and women but with their jobs which often put them into dangerous situations.

John and Jane Smith are each assigned a similar task, to take out a Mexico-bound convoy taking a turncoat spy south. John bungles Jane's plans and Jane tries to kill John allowing the convoy to escape. Mrs. Smith soon learns that she has been assigned a new target, her husband and only after some research does she discover his identity. Mr. Smith eventually discovers the same and the couple devolve into a War of the Roses style house-rending conflict.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith is an entertaining diversion, one you would expect from director Doug Liman who helmed both The Bourne Identity and Go , two decently successful genre pics. At his side is Simon Kinberg (XXX ) who crafts an entertaining story that rides the edge of banality and brilliance. The film does have a lot of fun and interesting ideas but a lot of the action sequences seem forced and disingenuous.

The film is helped along by the capable talents of its leads. Pitt and Jolie have a fantastic chemistry that give the audience the necessary tools to believe their characters as romantically involved. They remind the audience of the relationship between Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas in Roses.

Vince Vaughn plays the Roses ' Danny DeVito character. Eddie is friends with John Smith and frequently encourages him to do things he shouldn't. His character is neurotic and irritating as the script constantly mocks his relationship with his mother with whom he still lives.

There's something entertaining about watching two adults shooting at each other and destroying their belongings all in the name of therapy. It seems to help John and Jane in their quest to mend their crumbling relationship.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith is made up of two parts: the part that's a spy film and the part that's a romantic comedy. The filmmakers don't make the film out to be more than it is and that contributes significantly to its success. The film doesn't feel like it's trying to cram an agenda down the audience's throats. It simply extols the virtues of open communication between couples in a sensational and engaging way.

It may not be the ideal form of counseling but a trip to the movies rarely ever hurts any relationship. This film has plenty for both men and women to enjoy, so couples should find a great deal to share in the satisfying Mr. and Mrs. Smith

-Wesley Lovell (August 1, 2005)