There are only two types of people in the world: those who think Brad Pitt is beautiful and those who think Angelina Jolie is gorgeous. And you don't necessarily have to swing both ways to believe both are true. So, it is for these reasons alone that "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" is going to be a box office smash.
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To be honest, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" is exactly what it markets itself to be: an action movie with pretty people who fight each other and have hot, dirty sex. Much more than that, it is not.
The story is about Mr. Smith (Brad Pitt) and his wife, obviously Mrs. Smith (Angelina Jolie), neither of whom know the other is an assassin. They are commissioned by their two different killing agencies to the same job - kill some schmuck named Benjamin Diaz (played by Adam Brody of the O.C.) - but inadvertently discover that they're both in the same line of work.
After that, their respective agencies demand that the Smiths have a duel of epic proportions and each is forced to decide if their marriage or livelihood is more important.
Have no fear. There will be no spoilers in this review, mainly because it has the "Return of the King" curse; it should have ended about five times. That said, guessing the outcome of the actual ending is great fun while watching.
But before you reach the 120th minute, here are seven main reasons to see this film:
1. Vince Vaughn is back to his improv-acted characters, which takes you back to the good ol' days when he made films like "Swingers" and "Made." He struts his comedic abilities in this movie, though there is far too little of him. (Adam Brody is also pretty good. He basically just plays Seth Cohen, but he's cute.)
2. Two words: witty banter. Or perhaps it should be "witty banter."
3. There are countless "Fight Club" references sprinkled throughout. For instance, Brody actually wears a "Fight Club" T-shirt. One scene even takes place in the same coffee shop.
4. Brad Pitt wears a white undershirt with white boxer shorts for a good chunk of the movie. White boxer shorts. This may require a moment of silence.
5. Angelina Jolie has a scene in which she plays a dominatrix. A dominatrix! This may require a moment of silence.
6. There are lots of guns and explosions. The bullet count is probably in the high triple digits, and the explosions top out around seven.
7. The audience gets a bird's eye view of the scandal surrounding the love affair between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. And after weeks of reading US Weekly, it's a much-needed release.
Overall, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" is an entertaining romp. It drags a bit in the end sequence and relies heavily on the attractiveness factor of its actors. But honestly, who doesn't want to see Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie touching each other inappropriately one minute and then shooting guns at each other the next? Isn't that the exact definition of the American dream?