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THE REWATCHABLES · November 21, 2023

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

A 2005 action / comedy directed by Doug Liman, covered in the complete Rewatchables archive.

ActionComedy2000sDirected by Doug Liman
Overall episode#334Source sheet order
Movie year20052000s
Tomatometer60%Critics’ score
Metacritic55View score
Roger Ebert3/4Original star rating
DirectorDoug LimanAction / Comedy

FROM THE CONVERSATION

What they said about the movie

The episode argues that Mr. and Mrs. Smith is a highly rewatchable, culturally seismic 2005 movie whose appeal comes less from plot than from the off-screen Brangelina tabloid frenzy and the stars’ electric on-screen chemistry. The hosts treat it as a time capsule of peak Us Weekly/Paparazzi culture, while also praising the marriage-counseling scenes, the dinner scene, the house, and the glam action-comedy energy.
Based only on this episode’s transcriptTimes approximateSpeakers were clearly identifiedExplore the connections

WHY IT WORKS

What made it rewatchable

  1. 01The Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie chemistry makes the movie feel electric and unusually watchable. About 8 min
  2. 02The marriage-counseling opening is a funny, meta way to start the film and sets the tone well. About 32 min
  3. 03The dinner scene with hidden identities and knives is a standout, highly rewatchable set piece. About 40 min
  4. 04The night-out assassin sequence and homecoming have strong action-comedy payoff. About 40 min
  5. 05The film captures a unique 2005 celebrity-and-gossip moment that made the movie feel bigger than itself. About 8 min

WHAT DID NOT WORK

Their main criticisms

  1. moderateThe third act is flimsy and the movie keeps going after the central cat-and-mouse tension is gone. About 56 min
  2. moderateThe plot is thin and the movie is more about chemistry than story. About 8 min
  3. minorThe film feels over-workshopped, with multiple rewrites and endings. About 8 min
  4. minorSome action and espionage details do not add up logically. About 56 min

SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO

Standout moments

Favorite

Marriage counseling opening

The early therapy scenes are praised for their funny, intimate back-and-forth and for establishing the film’s central joke.

About 32 min
Favorite

Dinner scene with hidden identities

The dinner sequence with wine, peas, and concealed knives is one of the hosts’ top picks.

About 40 min
Favorite

Nighttime assassinations and homecoming

Both hosts point to the sequence where each goes out to kill people and returns home as the most rewatchable scene.

About 40 min
positive

Bogota / Colombia hotel action

They like the location and action, but joke that the depiction of Colombia is inaccurate and not appreciated locally.

About 40 min
positive

Elevator blast and zipline exits

The explosive elevator bit and repeated zipline exits are treated as memorable action beats.

About 40 min
positive

House showdown and kitchen weapon reveal

The house set, including the weapon stove and kitchen reveal, is admired as a great production design element.

About 48 min

WHERE THEY DISAGREED

The biggest debates

No final agreement About 48 min

Who is the real winner of the Brad/Angelina/Jennifer triangle?

Bill Simmons

Jennifer Aniston benefited the most professionally and emotionally from the public sympathy.

Amanda Dobbins

Angelina Jolie was the more compelling choice aesthetically, and she sided with Jolie in 2005.

Chris Ryan

Brad Pitt ultimately benefited by emerging from the situation with a bigger star profile.

They partly agreed About 8 min

Whether the movie’s plot matters

Bill Simmons

The movie barely has a plot; chemistry and celebrity matter more.

Chris Ryan

There is a plot, but it is flimsy and the film depends on star energy.

They partly agreed About 56 min

How strong the third act is

Bill Simmons

The ending gets generic once the core marital tension is gone.

Chris Ryan

The final set piece is cool, but the narrative does weaken.

They agreed About 16 min

Whether Angelina Jolie could play more ordinary dramatic roles

Amanda Dobbins

She is so striking that it is hard to imagine her as a regular person in many parts.

Bill Simmons

She can do certain weird, glamorous roles but not ordinary or mundane ones.

They partly agreed About 1:04

Whether a sequel should exist

Bill Simmons

A sequel with the same stars would be amazing in theory, especially as a darker divorce-spy story.

Amanda Dobbins

It would have been a smart career move when the pair were together, but now feels impossible.

8 People discussedActors, directors, writers, and producers
8 Conversation takesSpeakers shown only where the transcript identifies them
Bill SimmonsLoved it

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Calls it a monster hit and one of the most 2005 movies possible, shaped by celebrity culture and tabloid frenzy.

About 8 min
Amanda DobbinsLoved it

2005 celebrity culture

Argues the film belongs to the pre-social-media era when magazines and paparazzi drove celebrity obsession.

About 8 min
Bill SimmonsLoved it

Angelina Jolie

Sees Jolie as exceptionally potent onscreen but hard to cast in ordinary roles because she is too striking.

About 16 min
Amanda DobbinsLoved it

marriage counseling scenes

Picks the marriage counseling sequence as a favorite because it is sexy, funny, and sets the movie up well.

About 32 min
Chris RyanLoved it

dinner scene

Likes the dinner scene and the domestic concealment games, especially the wine and knife details.

About 40 min
Bill SimmonsDid not like it

the third act

Argues the final stretch becomes overlong and less interesting once the couple unites against outside forces.

About 56 min
Chris RyanMixed

Doug Liman

Credits Liman’s style but jokes that he is bad at scheduling and bet against the wrong production timeline twice.

About 1:04
Amanda DobbinsLiked it

Mr. and Mrs. Smith sequel

Says a sequel with the same stars could have been a good career move, though the real-life split makes it impossible now.

About 1:04
5 ThemesThe larger ideas in the discussion

Celebrity culture and tabloid timing

The episode treats the film as inseparable from the Brad/Jenn/Angelina triangle, Us Weekly coverage, and the pre-social-media gossip ecosystem.

About 8 min

Chemistry over plot

The hosts argue the movie works because two huge stars are fun to watch together, not because the script is especially strong.

About 8 min

Marriage as action-comedy template

They read the film as a marriage movie disguised as a spy/action picture, especially in the counseling and domestic scenes.

About 32 min

The power and limits of Angelina Jolie’s screen presence

They praise her as extraordinarily magnetic but argue she is hardest to cast in ordinary roles because of how striking she is.

About 16 min

2005 as a peak monoculture year

The movie is used as evidence that celebrity gossip, moviegoing, and shared cultural reference points were unusually aligned in the mid-2000s.

About 8 min
22 Facts and referencesProduction notes and other movies mentioned

Production note

Doug Liman’s production schedule on Mr. and Mrs. Smith reportedly ran about $26 million over because Brad Pitt left for Ocean's 12.

About 1:04

Production note

The hosts say the movie went through around 40 endings and many script hands, including Simon Kinberg and others.

About 8 min

Production note

Angelina Jolie reportedly had a knife collection and pushed the knife work in the film.

About 16 min

Production note

A steamy sex scene was cut to keep the movie PG-13.

About 56 min

Production note

The film had a prior TV version starring Scott Bakula and Maria Bello.

About 56 min

Production note

A planned 2007 TV spinoff version was developed with Jordana Brewster and Martin Henderson but not picked up.

About 1:04

Production note

A sequel was discussed by Pitt and Jolie in 2010 but never got a story.

About 1:04

Us Weekly

Used as shorthand for the tabloid ecosystem driving public obsession with the Brangelina story.

About 8 min

TMZ

Mentioned as part of the emerging gossip-media landscape.

About 8 min

Perez Hilton

Referenced as part of the burgeoning internet gossip infrastructure.

About 8 min

Ain't It Cool

Used to illustrate how online movie-gossip and rumor coverage was becoming more immediate.

About 8 min

Proof of Life

Used as a comparison point for how off-screen romance can affect audience perception and box office.

About 16 min

Ocean's 12

Referenced repeatedly in discussing Brad Pitt’s schedule and Doug Liman’s bad bet.

About 8 min

Friends

Mentioned as the show Jennifer Aniston was finishing as the film’s production unfolded.

About 8 min

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Used to situate Angelina Jolie’s career and celebrity status before Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

About 8 min

Sex and the City?

Not directly referenced; omitted.

Opening minutes · low confidence

The Kelly Clarkson show

Not referenced; omitted.

Opening minutes · low confidence

Gossip Girl

Not referenced; omitted.

Opening minutes · low confidence

The Bourne Identity

Used to mock Doug Liman’s history of losing production timing bets.

About 1:04

Wedding Crashers

Referenced in discussing Vince Vaughn’s comedic mode and possible influence on his performance.

About 1:04

Glee

Mentioned only jokingly in connection with knives and a character’s life.

About 40 min · low confidence

The Home Depot

A recurring ad sponsor also becomes a joke source while discussing the house and weapon stove.

About 32 min
10 Running jokes and short linesRecurring bits captured from the conversation

Paparazzi-era nostalgia

The hosts repeatedly joke that the mid-2000s tabloid world was absurd but fun and culturally powerful.

About 8 min

Doug Liman should stop talking

The hosts mock Liman’s interviews and public comments about chemistry, scheduling, and celebrity relationships.

About 24 min

Weapon stove obsession

They keep returning to the hidden-guns-in-the-kitchen idea as a fun visual gag.

About 48 min

Home Depot sponsorship riffs

The ad read becomes part of the show’s comedy while they discuss the house and holiday decor.

About 32 min

Team Aniston / Team Jolie

The love-triangle sides are treated like a sports rivalry and used for recurring jokes.

About 8 min

Bill Simmons

“This is the most 2005 movie.”
About 8 min

Chris Ryan

“Fuck you, Doug Lyman.”
About 16 min

Amanda Dobbins

“I can't wait to get to work.”
About 40 min

Bill Simmons

“The chemistry is unbelievable in the movie.”
About 8 min

Amanda Dobbins

“there's just no other”
About 16 min · low confidence

MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT

Where to watch

UNITED STATES

Checking where Mr. and Mrs. Smith is available…

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT

Movies to watch before and after.

Three movies to watch before Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and three to watch next.

Finding six movies…Three to watch first and three to watch next.
Includes a Rewatchables episodePosters from TMDB.

ON THE MIC

3 voices on this episode

Bill Simmons headshotBill SimmonsThe Rewatchables
Chris Ryan headshotChris RyanThe Rewatchables
Amanda Dobbins headshotAmanda DobbinsThe Rewatchables

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