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By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
My first world problem is pretty simple: it doesn’t matter how many streaming services I subscribe to. It’s hard to find an action movie that balances unforgettable scenes of chaos with memorable characters and quotable dialogue.
But would you believe we had a near-perfect action movie twenty years ago, the production of which destroyed Brad Pitt and Friends star Jennifer Aniston’s marriage? This movie is Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005), and you can now stream all of its retro glory on Netflix.
A well-armed marriage is a polished marriage
The premise of Mr. and Mrs. Smith is that a married couple goes to counseling, but neither wants to confess their mutual secret: each is secretly a super spy working for a rival organization. However, when they are both assigned the same target, each discovers that their mild-mannered spouse is actually a globe-trotting secret agent. It threatens to either destroy their marriage or make it stronger than ever, and the end result may depend on who picks up the gun first.
The cast of Mr. and Mrs. Smith is full of big names, including Adam Brody (best known for The CO television series) as the target that our two titular agents are tasked with eliminating. Speaking of secret agents, an early staple Vince Vaughn (best known for Wedding Crashers) plays Mr. Smith’s best friend and colleague. On top of that, the film stars A-list actors Keith David (best known for They live) and Michelle Monaghan (best known for Party Baby Party) in relatively small but memorable parts.
The Sexiest Action Movie Ever Made
The best performances, however, come from Mr. and Mrs. Smith themselves: Brad Pitt absolutely devours this leading man role, transforming his good looks and charisma into a weapon just as deadly as anything his character wields. Angelina Jolie, for her part, delivers a femme fatale performance that is significantly better than the excellent one she delivered in movies like Research. Additionally, the chemistry the two actors shared (a chemistry strong enough to cause Brad Pitt to divorce!) is very clear on screen, adding layers of sexual tension that practically make this complex relationship pop off the screen.
For what Mr. and Mrs. Smith credited with causing Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston (once the sexiest celebrity couple in the world) to divorce? The short answer is that Pitt began to develop feelings for his co-star Angelina Jolie; he maintained that he never cheated on Aniston, but when he confessed these feelings to her, it would have ended their marriage. Later, Pitt and Jolie got married, but the real Mr. and Mr. Smith unfortunately filed for divorce in 2016, although it wasn’t finalized until 2024.
Killing it with the general public
In the days before streaming, Mr. and Mrs. Smith (with its hot action and sizzling sex appeal) scratched an itch that moviegoers didn’t even know they had. Against a budget of $110 million, the film grossed $487.3 million, which was enough to buy its titular spies quite a few martinis. That would normally be enough profit to merit a sequel, but stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were unimpressed with the scripts they received; instead of a movie sequel, the film was revived nearly two decades later to become a season-long killer TV show starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine.
When Mr. and Mr. Smith was released, it barely managed to cling on to the coveted “fresh” rating. On Rotten Tomatoesthe film has a score of 60 percent, with critics mildly complaining that the film’s writing could be sharper and that it relies too much on cheap thrills like explosions. However, they generally agreed that the rock-solid chemistry between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made it a sexy action epic worth watching.
All the stars are turning on it tonight
That’s pretty much where I landed on this film, especially after revisiting it. Mr. and Mrs. Smith is not a perfect film, and it is true that it sometimes relies a little too much on action rather than, say, perfectly constructed dialogue. But this kind of movie featuring stars and fame is increasingly rare these days, and these big names do a lot to elevate the material they’re given. As previously noted, Pitt and Jolie are particularly good, and it’s really hard to take your eyes off their characters when their sparks fly even faster than their bullets.
In addition, I appreciate Mr. and Mrs. Smith better now that I’ve watched (and seriously enjoyed) the Amazon TV remake; the series was generally more serious, turning its premise into an opportunity to explore the crucial intersections between identity, career, sex, and love. By comparison, the film is more of a light-hearted adventure whose premise is mostly an excuse to cram as much sexy violence on screen as possible. But let’s be honest: Who needs a truly serious plot when a movie packs so much frenetic fun into almost every frame?
Would you agree that Mr. and Mrs. Smith is a perfect action movie, or would you rather get into a shootout with your spouse than watch it to the end? The only way to find out is to sit on the couch and stream it. Netflix for yourself. If you’re watching with friends or family, don’t forget the most important part: the intense post-credits debate over whether Brad Pitt should have stuck it out with Jennifer Aniston rather than rolling the dice with Angelina Jolie, early cinema’s sexiest bad girl.
