Smiths nothing special, watchable flick
Summer Preview
By: Sumeet Patel
Issue date: 6/3/05 Section: Entertainment
Originally published: 6/18/05 at 8:02 PM EST
Last update: 6/19/05 at 8:16 AM EST
Originally published: 6/18/05 at 8:02 PM EST
Last update: 6/19/05 at 8:16 AM EST
No film is complete without a good director and The Bourne Identity's Doug Liman packs in as much punch as he did with his 2002 CIA thriller. Mr. and Mrs. Smith deals in spies, lies and firepower and Liman is probably one of the few people who can highlight the parallels between marriage and contract killing. And he leaves no stone unturned; one minute Mr. and Mrs. are having a simple shoot-out in the privacy of their bedroom, the next John is launching a rocket at his wife from across the desert. Even the setting and atmosphere highlight the differences between our dynamic duo. Mrs. Smith office at I-Temp Technology Staffing is a scene right out of Charlie's Angels while Mr. Smith's competing firm has the ambiance a salvage yard shop.
Clocking in at 115 minutes, there are some obvious flaws to the film and an hour or so into the movie, Mr. and Mrs. Smith reaches a dead end. Liman overdoes it by throwing Pitt and Jolie in just about every scene and in the process the audience misses out on the context of the movie. At one point the movie got so repetitive that I imagined other movies with the same lame plotline. I mean could you imagine if the righteous, Republic-defending Padmé made some slapstick comedy with her twisted, delusional husband Darth Vader? Both would have had to hide their secret lives from each other, acting nice-nice while secretly planning each other's annihilation. Darth would hurry to stuff his lightsaber inside the living room couch while Padmé would scramble to sneak secret rebel blueprints underneath the tablecloth. It could be called "Mr. and Mrs. Sith" - you get the jist of what I mean.
All in all, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, despite is apparent drawbacks, adds a comic relief to this summer's heavyweight blockbusters. The Smiths may rack up a few Oscar nominations for cinematography or something related to visual appeal, but Best Motion Picture of the Year is definitely out of it's league. My suggestion? If you're in the mood for some loud booms and witty humor, go ahead and see it. It's the kind of movie you'll probably appreciate if you're married.
Clocking in at 115 minutes, there are some obvious flaws to the film and an hour or so into the movie, Mr. and Mrs. Smith reaches a dead end. Liman overdoes it by throwing Pitt and Jolie in just about every scene and in the process the audience misses out on the context of the movie. At one point the movie got so repetitive that I imagined other movies with the same lame plotline. I mean could you imagine if the righteous, Republic-defending Padmé made some slapstick comedy with her twisted, delusional husband Darth Vader? Both would have had to hide their secret lives from each other, acting nice-nice while secretly planning each other's annihilation. Darth would hurry to stuff his lightsaber inside the living room couch while Padmé would scramble to sneak secret rebel blueprints underneath the tablecloth. It could be called "Mr. and Mrs. Sith" - you get the jist of what I mean.
All in all, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, despite is apparent drawbacks, adds a comic relief to this summer's heavyweight blockbusters. The Smiths may rack up a few Oscar nominations for cinematography or something related to visual appeal, but Best Motion Picture of the Year is definitely out of it's league. My suggestion? If you're in the mood for some loud booms and witty humor, go ahead and see it. It's the kind of movie you'll probably appreciate if you're married.
