Movie Review: Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Monday, July 4, 2005)

Title: Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: June 10, 2005
When seen: July 3, 2005
Venue: Fairfax Corner 14
Fairfax, VA
Review: Action Fun!

Mr. and Mrs. Smith is an unlikely story about a couple who are each professional killers who each think the other is just a regular person. It has all the usual shoot 'em up, car chasing, body count action sequences you would expect from a film with that premise, but at the same time it manages to poke a little fun at itself and stay witty and upbeat through most of the film. As outlandish as the story is, it is easy to suspend disbelief for most of it. An interesting aspect is that John and Jane both seem to be heavy drinkers — she drinks Johnny Walker Red Label Whiskey among other things, and John (a man after my own heart) seems to be exclusively attached to Bombay Sapphire martinis. One of the few issues I had with the film is that Jane Smith's agency smacks just a bit too much of Charlie's Angels, which is silly in the context of the rest of the movie. I heard a review on the radio the other week criticizing the film for having a violent physical exchange between Jane and John turn into a passionate love scene, as though that somehow shows some tacit approval of domestic violence. That's nonsense. The scene makes perfect sense within the context of the film, and is perfectly understandable to anyone who is at least aware of the existence of sadomasochism as a reasonable form of pleasure (even if it isn't perhaps for everyone). The only other criticism that I have is the final gun battle: first, it went on way too long (though that might have been the 32 ounce soda); and second, why is it that only John and Jane have decent bulletproof vests, but everyone else may as well be dressed in pink lace? Nevertheless, the movie is a lot of fun, and a worthy escape to two hours of killer fantasy.

—Brian (07/04/2005 1:08 AM)