Don’t let Jennifer Aniston see “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”
Sure, Aniston has probably seen many of her husband’s films, but none are likely to have generated the kind of chemistry that Brad Pitt and alleged home-wrecker Angelina Jolie share in their latest film. “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” provides more than enough grounds for a divorce.
Pitt plays John Smith, an “engineer” too ignorant to notice his wife’s secret identity as a seductive assassin. Jolie plays Jane Smith, a “Wall Street somebody” too committed to her own work to notice her husband’s all-too-familiar occupation.
With their marriage in shambles, the couple has unsuccessfully sought the aid of a marriage counselor, but things don’t start to heat up — in more ways than one — until they are assigned to off each other.
So, what to do? Is killing your spouse such a big deal when your marriage is a sham to begin with? Or is there something else stopping you from pulling the trigger?
With all secrets about their extracurricular activities finally exposed, John and Jane receive the ultimate therapy session, by way of a household shoot-out that redefines domestic violence.
Amidst a barrage of bullets, explosions and punches, John and Jane find a new attraction to each other. Instead of blowing each other’s heads off, they make love, team up and decide to fight against their rival businesses (who have teamed up to kill them).
Pitt and Jolie seem to realize the story line is nothing to brag about, so the couple steps back from the material long enough to have fun and let their chemistry shine through the corny one-liners that normally destroy summer action movies.
Doug Liman, the director behind “The Bourne Identity,” “Go” and “Swingers,” has trouble balancing the romantic mood with action. Instead, he melds the two together, letting the Smiths fall in love all over again during car chases and shootouts.
