Movie Haiku - Mr. & Mrs. Smith

www.mrandmrssmithmovie.com

Dir: Doug Liman

Cast: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Vince Vaughan, Adam Brody

High concept garbage
mission to kill each other
needs marriage guidance

It must have seemed like a no-brainer for the studio; take an action-comedy script about two spies on opposite sides who just happen to be married and cast Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the leading roles. Unfortunately Mr. & Mrs. Smith is just that - a no-brainer; it's all high concept but lacking in any real depth. After an awkward opening credits sequence in which the couple are questioned by a marriage guidance counsellor, the film settles down to reveal the important plot details; John (Pitt) and Jane (Jolie) have been married for six years unaware that the other person is a spy. After being given the same target by their respective agencies their covers are rumbled and the couple are pitched in a deadly battle against one another. With Doug Liman (Swingers, Go, The Bourne Identity) directing I was expecting a healthy balance of visual thrills and sharp dialogue, yet the film fails to deliver on both counts. Both John and Julie are likeable characters so having them play a cat and mouse game with each other should be fun, but here it feels too forced and clumsily dealt with. Thankfully when the plot twists to force the pair to team up against a common enemy the film moves onto safer ground and gives us the best scene in the film - a hugely enjoyable car chase which blends some spectacular action with plenty of witty banter. If only the rest of the film could have been this good. Sadly the remainder of the movie is pretty dire with a large amount of mindless shoot-outs (would they really be so trigger happy towards their former colleagues?) trying to mask the fact that the scriptwriters obviously had no idea how to finish off the story in a satisfying manner. There's just no context, no real background given to the secret agencies, and no supporting characters to help identify with (even Vince Vaughan as John's colleague is sketchy at best)... so in the end we finish with yet another meaningless round of gunfire - shot more like a sunglasses commercial - and that's it. Liman fails to get a grip on the action by using far too many close-ups and some frankly OTT explosions, and also relies too much on genre cliches - the hidden bullet-proof vests; the sudden break in the action when the characters dive into a lift - which have all been done before. The only saving grace here is the casting of Pitt and Jolie; they dominate the screen together and there's a real chemistry between them, and it's a real pleasure to finally see Jolie given a role that makes the most of her sexy /action credentials. It's just such a shame that they're let down by such a hackneyed, ill-conceived plot. I was expecting a great popcorn flick but instead found the whole affair bitterly disappointing. Mr. & Mrs. Smith then - not a happy couple.

soulmining rating: **