# Mr. and Mrs. Smith **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 11, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823 "2005-06-11T01:16:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/41 "2005-06-13T22:12:23Z")
> [@drm](#): > > I had just finished competing in a 48hr film festival which required all the brainpower I could muster for one weekend. I was also pretty tired. On the way home after handing in our movie, I was in the **movie** for something brainless…so I picked Mr. and Mrs. Smith. > > \ Bolding mine. That was pretty funny. I know why you did it. After competing in a 48hr. film festival, it’s probably the only verb one could summon. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/42 "2005-06-14T02:20:20Z")
> [@Max Carnage](#): > > I was a little lost on how Jane recognized John as the shooter in the desert. She watched that security clip over and over, never seeing his face, but seemed to recognize him by him shaking his foot. Why? Was it ever established that she saw pee on his boot at home or something? I’m pretty sure he didn’t shake his leg because he urinated on his boot but as a distinctive personality quirk that Jane, as his wife of “five or six years”, recognized as his. The dinner afterwards would have been a feeling-out process to make sure she was right in her identification of him (and he of her). Him pissing on his boot was just a fortuitous accident or plot requirement, depending on how you view it. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/43 "2005-06-14T03:20:35Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > Bolding mine. That was pretty funny. I know why you did it. After competing in a 48hr. film festival, it’s probably the only verb one could summon. It was one of my best and most appropriate typo’s ever. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/44 "2005-06-14T16:53:45Z")
I really enjoyed the humor in the movie, the action was on the level, but too annoyingly “hollywood” to truly enjoy it. A lot of the jokes were very subtle and “dual” in their nature(like the 312 one) and I really like that in a movie. The dialogue was great to the point where the script could make for a decent read - how often has that happenned since Pulp Fiction came out? Shame about the PG-13, but they had to make money on it so what can you do. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/45 "2005-06-14T17:00:10Z")
I haven’t seen the movie, but it seems to me that if you say “some of them were two **at the time** ,” you are implying that they eventually grew older. If they were hits, you might not say “at the time”. I don’t think this is conclusive proof or anything, just sort of an implication of her words. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/46 "2005-06-14T17:37:14Z")
> [@sjc](#): > > I haven’t seen the movie, but it seems to me that if you say “some of them were two **at the time** ,” you are implying that they eventually grew older. If they were hits, you might not say “at the time”. I don’t think this is conclusive proof or anything, just sort of an implication of her words. “…two at **a** time.” Makes a big diff if you read it sexually. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/47 "2005-06-14T17:56:19Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > I’m pretty sure he didn’t shake his leg because he urinated on his boot but as a distinctive personality quirk that Jane, as his wife of “five or six years”, recognized as his. The dinner afterwards would have been a feeling-out process to make sure she was right in her identification of him (and he of her). > > Him pissing on his boot was just a fortuitous accident or plot requirement, depending on how you view it. I got the feeling that she was having a “Gee, that guy sure looks familiar… kinda like my hubby… but that’s just _silly_…” kind of moment. But then the phone rings, and her assistant says, “Jane- it’s your husband.” Even though her assistant wasn’t talking about the picture, it cemented the suspicion. A brilliant scene, I thought. Better than the scene that made John suspicious- I mean, he finds a computer chip that was delivered to his wife’s office, and he immediately suspects her of being an assassin?! She’s a computer tech, fer cryin’ out loud! The shooter could’ve BOUGHT the computer from her company! ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/48 "2005-06-15T04:16:46Z")
Agreed, **Lightnin’**. That’s my interpretation of the scene as well. I just forgot to mention the assistant. Also, remember that he was thinking about the other spy the entire time he was talking to Vince Vaughn’s character and obviously replaying it in his mind so when he found out the chip was mailed to the same address his wife’s office is at, things crystalized somewhat for him as well. It wasn’t until he dropped the wine and she caught it (which I’m unsure of the signifigance of… their reflexes, maybe?) that they were _ **really** _ certain though. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/49 "2005-06-18T02:49:03Z")
We saw it at the drive-in. Perfect drive-in movie, really. I was surprised that the Vince Vaughn character: Didn’t turn into a bad guy gunning for them. I still don’t like either Pitt or Jolie. ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/50 "2005-06-18T05:33:48Z")
I enjoyed this movie so much I’d like to see it again. I couldn’t get “Mondo Bongo” out of my head, so I was forced to download it from iTunes. I thought the “50 or 60” exchange referred to hits, not partners. When they were trapped in the portable shed in the store, I wouldn’t have been suprised if the movie ended with them being gunned down by the numerous commandos. However, I liked the way they ended it. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/51 "2005-06-18T07:06:08Z")
**Pitt** will get his dues, eventually. As one who took film classes in the early 80’s, and liked Eastwood and Redford, the pretty boy and action star of the time, and recognize the snarky comments about peoplewho have been blessed with good looks, I just know that Pitt will do another movie like 12 monkeys, win and Oscar, - or try his hand at directing and win an Oscar or start a film festival. It might take ten more years. **Jolie** has her Oscar and I don’t think she’s out to prove very much, being a Hollywood brat. She’ll keep doing stuff where she can phone in her performances and make money off her looks as long as the last. That means fun movies or stupid movies. The rest of the time she’ll keep working for Unicef (or whatever agency it is), take care of her kids and just enjoy life. She’ll get her recognition in about 15 years, when her looks will have faded, and people will start noticing that she really didn’t care (like Kathleen Turner). Part of the backlash against her is that she’s living her life very much like we normally think guys do, and don’t think about for a second. When a gal comes along and gives the impression of being sexually aggressive, it’s immidiate condemnation - double standards, of course. War of the Roses and True Lies have been mentioned, but I’m surprised that **Prizzi’s Honor** hasn’t showed up yet. And like **Stranger** above, I’m let down by all the excellent oppurtunities the film makers just plain _wasted_. The hits vs. lovers argument is just one of the many chances they had at poking fun at modern relationships. There were so many more where they just let it slip 'tween the fingers. And I think kids could’ve been a nice complication, as in **The Incredibles**. If this had just been a summer movie, it’d get a 3/4 summer movie score from me. But due to lack of explored potential of something that could’ve been really good, it get’s a 2-/4 with a resounding meh on top. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/52 "2005-06-18T07:53:57Z")
Saw it last night. …I think my ovaries exploded. For a summer action movie, it was excellent. Fast, pretty funny, SEXY, lots of explosions, big guns, car chase, and a plot predictable enough that you didn’t have to pay that much attention to what they were saying. 🙂 My favorite scene was the shootout between Brad and Angelina in their house. I think I’ll have the image of Ms. Jolie sliding across the floor, on her knees, in that slinky black dress, guns blazing… …er, I’ll be in my bunk. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/53 "2005-06-18T15:41:48Z")
> [@Fionn](#): > > I enjoyed this movie so much I’d like to see it again. I couldn’t get “Mondo Bongo” out of my head, so I was forced to download it from iTunes. > > I thought the “50 or 60” exchange referred to hits, not partners. > > When they were trapped in the portable shed in the store, I wouldn’t have been suprised if the movie ended with them being gunned down by the numerous commandos. However, I liked the way they ended it. Shouldn’t it frighten us to death, so to speak, that an elite commando squad can be shooting off thousands of bullets at two people standing up in the middle of an empty space – and wind up missing them completely and allowing them to get away unscathed? We’re doomed, I say. Doomed! ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/54 "2005-06-18T16:33:55Z")
> [@The Gaspode](#): > > War of the Roses and True Lies have been mentioned, but I’m surprised that **Prizzi’s Honor** hasn’t showed up yet. I thought of that, after I posted, but I didn’t figure anybody would remember that movie. IIRC, it died pretty quickly in the box office and never made any inroads as a cult film. (Allegedly, during the filming, before every scene Jack Nickelson was in, John Huston would tell him (about his character), “Remember, he’s _stupid_.”) > [@The Gaspode](#): > > And like **Stranger** above, I’m let down by all the excellent oppurtunities the film makers just plain _wasted_. The hits vs. lovers argument is just one of the many chances they had at poking fun at modern relationships. There were so many more where they just let it slip 'tween the fingers. One of the great ironies in _True Lies_ was how Curtis’ character wanted more adventure in her life (hence, her “fling” with the car salesman), whereas the globe-trotting, babe-seducing, bullet-dodging, terrorist-chasing, jumping-a-horse-off-of-a-building Harry Tasker just wanted to come home to a normal suburban life, and was distraught by the thought of having it crumble away, as many do even without the burden of having to save the world every few days. Yeah, _M&MS_ was ripe for a kind of Hepburn-Grant inspired banter crossed with some blackly humorous social satire. Blowing up the house…stealing the neighbor’s car in retaliation for not returning the grill…the weapons stored in the oven, and his stockpile in the garage…it was all there. But the filmmakers only occasionally, and obliquely plucked at the fruit. (Was I the only one that laughed when Mr. Smith used a neighbor as a human shield in the guise of showing him around the house?) The opening credit scenes were hilarious (“How many times this week?..Does the weekend count?”) but the rest of the film just didn’t add up. Yeah, I need to go see _The Incredibles_ again. “And machine washable, darling. That’s a new feature.” Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/55 "2005-06-18T16:40:44Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Shouldn’t it frighten us to death, so to speak, that an elite commando squad can be shooting off thousands of bullets at two people standing up in the middle of an empty space – and wind up missing them completely and allowing them to get away unscathed? We’re doomed, I say. Doomed! Hmm…whether I would find this frightening would depend if I’m on the commando side or the glamorous-couple-running-through-the-bullets-side. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/56 "2005-06-18T16:48:48Z")
> [@Fionn](#): > > Hmm…whether I would find this frightening would depend if I’m on the commando side or the glamorous-couple-running-through-the-bullets-side. We’re supposed to be on the good guys saving the world and being able to shoot straight side. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823/57 "2005-06-18T16:51:33Z")
> [@Tracy Lord](#): > > Saw it last night. > > …I think my ovaries exploded. > > For a summer action movie, it was excellent. Fast, pretty funny, SEXY, lots of explosions, big guns, car chase, and a plot predictable enough that you didn’t have to pay that much attention to what they were saying. 🙂 > > My favorite scene was the shootout between Brad and Angelina in their house. I think I’ll have the image of Ms. Jolie sliding across the floor, on her knees, in that slinky black dress, guns blazing… > > …er, I’ll be in my bunk. I think my ovaries exploded, too…which is pretty bad because I’m only 15! Who gets menopause at 15? Anyways, I loved this movie. It was fast-paced, really sexy, loud and lots of guns, cars, big booms…I wish they released this movie in IMAX. That would’ve been so cool. The part where Mr and Mrs Smith are shooting and fighting off all those SWAT and police officers in the Kostmart store was a bit much for me, but at the time, I didn’t really care. All I cared about was seeing Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie kick ass together. Well that’s Hollywood! I’m buying the DVD. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-and-mrs-smith/307823.md?page=2)