HAMSTER RATING

DIRECTED BY: Doug Liman (Both Bourne movies)

SPECS:

Brad Pitt (Ocean’s Twelve, Troy) as “John Smith”

Angelina Jolie (Alexander, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) as “Jane Smith”

Vince Vaughn (Be Cool, Starsky & Hutch) as “Eddie”

Adam Brody (Fox’s “The O.C.”) as “Benjamin Diaz”

Written by Simon Kinberg (xXx: State of the Union – Don’t worry, this is much better!)

Executive Produced by Erik Feig (Produced I Know What You Did and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer – See note above.)

SYNOPSIS:

John and Jane Smith are mercenary assassins working for rival…well, whatever sort of organizations employ mercenary assassins on a regular basis. That’s never really explained. But it’s not the point. The point is, neither John nor Jane in fact know what the other actually does for a living, despite the fact that they’ve been married, and presumably lived in the same house, for 8 years. This situation highlights the problems in their marriage, which they are in the process of resolving when they are ordered to assassinate one-another. Explosions and PG-13 sex scenes ensue.

REVIEW IN BRIEF:

Finally, a movie that lives up to all the hype. A well-spent $8.

NOTABLE:

Angelina Jolie, as usual. Also, strangely enough, some of the best sound editing I’ve heard in awhile.

FORGETTABLE:

Vince Vaughn and Adam Brody.

REVIEW:

Alright. Let’s get this outta the way right now:

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Now that we’ve gotten that out of my system, the review shall commence gossip-free.

Smiths is slated as a big, expensive summer action blockbuster, and on this front it doesn’t disappoint. While it actually keeps the explosions and sophomoric banter to a welcome minimum, that it does offer up is well-executed and effective. No Chronicles of Riddick here, folks. Smiths is an excellent demonstration of how action flicks are supposed to come off, taking pace from previous summer action movies that have now become classics – The Great Escape and Logan’s Run come to mind. All have enough explosions and snappiness to satisfy the heat-exhausted, but haven’t sacrificed plot or characters to fit them in. Perhaps Hollywood wouldn’t be facing its worst financial slump on record if it had stayed true to this ever-winning formula…

But more on Hollywood’s crappy business model later. As successful a formula as Smiths follow as an action movie, it tries to transcend the usual monogenre by jumping rather brazenly into a second. Which is, believe it or not, romantic comedy. At first glance, this might seem as ill-conceived as combining country music and rap (no offense, Cowboy Troy). But just as growing interest in Troy’s hick-hoppin’ proves, anything is possible, and possibly even worth it. While the gentler side of Smiths doesn’t come off as winningly as its gun-totting-car-chase facet (it seems to have gotten a tad chopped-up in editing), it does further round-out the already coherent action flick. Much of the humor and simple characterization spring from this side of the bed, so to speak. As does the film’s soul. Regardless the explosions and gunfire, Smiths is actually an informed commentary on romantic and sexual relationships.

This is a fact the filmmakers generally seemed to remember in the editing room. As I’ve said, the action doesn’t drown out the subtler aspects of the story. Neither does it overwhelm the subtler story aspects of the movie as a whole. The Smiths' complex relationship issues get as much screen time as the exploding gearotica – at the very least in attitude, if not in actual minutes. This near-perfect balance of the two is what makes the film’s commentary easily accessible. Smiths finally emerges as a noisy, fast-paced caricature of a typical long-term relationship. Yes, in relationships there is sometimes tedium, long-held secrets, the occasional brutal grudge match (utilizing words or grenades or whatever). But when push comes to shove, when the demands of daily life begin to overwhelm, Smiths would like us to believe that true love will always triumph. Even if it has to blow up a car or seven in the process.

Smiths isn’t perfect, of course. There are a few unfortunate snafus. The action-romance balance is near perfect, not perfect. The last 15/20 minutes of the movie is rather heavy on the action. No one forgets the romance throughout, but it does get knocked around slightly by a gratuitous stretch of automatic gunfire. Another complaint is an over-abundance of distracting cameos/extras. A manic Vince Vaughn, and smart-mouthed O.C.er Adam Brody, pop in and out as generally ineffective comedic foils the movie should have done without. And then there’s the stable of Mrs. Smith’s so-called “associates.” Though alleged to be her fellow assassins, we never see them doing much more than moving around vast amounts of flashy digital junk in extremely tight pants. One or two pretty girls may have been okay, but five? How much additional eye-candy does a movie need with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt as leads?

Even with these minor problems, Smiths will still stand out as one of the best movies this summer. Batman and War of the Worlds may elbow it out of the spotlight before long, and both will probably bury it at the box office, but that isn’t Smiths’ fault. Doug Liman’s latest action/romantic comedy is as well-constructed and fun as any summer general release can be. The fan-boys may clamor over Christian Bale’s Dark Knight; soccer-moms may swoon by the millions over Tom Cruise as a rugged single dad staring down Martians; but everyone else will find fun this summer with Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Fun, and maybe some rare food for thought.