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"MR. & MRS. SMITH"
(2005) (Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie) (PG-13)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Heavy Moderate Extreme *Mild Extreme
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Mild None Moderate Mild Heavy
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Heavy Minor Heavy Moderate Extreme


QUICK TAKE:
Action/Black Comedy: An otherwise mundane and bored husband and wife must deal with the surprise revelation that both are competing, highly trained contract killers with the same target.
PLOT:
While their marriage may have begun with passion, for John (BRAD PITT) and Jane Smith (ANGELINA JOLIE) things have become so mundane and boring that they're now in therapy. To confound the problem, each suspects the other of some extracurricular moonlighting. Little do they know that their instincts are right, as they eventually become aware that the other is really a secret agent and contract killer when both are assigned to take out Benjamin "Tank" Danz (ADAM BRODY).

Now suspicious of the other's motives, the two confide in their separate best friends, Eddie (VINCE VAUGHN) and Jasmine (KERRY WASHINGTON), but eventually engage in a potentially deadly game of cat and mouse. From that point on, the two highly proficient assassins try to figure out what to do and what all of this means for their marriage as they still try to complete the Danz job.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If they're fans of Pitt, Jolie or anyone else in the cast, they just might.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
For sequences of violence, intense action, sexual content and brief strong language.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • BRAD PITT plays a married man who's bored with and frustrated by his now passionless marriage to Jane. In reality, he's a highly trained contract killer who's good at his job, but is surprised to find that Jane holds down the same, but competing job. From that point on, he ends up getting violent with her and others, and briefly uses strong profanity. He drinks some and has sex with Jane upon first meeting her.
  • ANGELINA JOLIE plays his wife who's in the exact same boat (and uses the allure of S&M sex to complete one of her assigned kills) and uses some profanity while battling John and others. She drinks and has sex with John upon first meeting him.
  • VINCE VAUGHN plays John's sexist best friend who advises him on how to deal with Jane. He uses some profanity.
  • ADAM BRODY plays the couple's target who they eventually nab and try to get the truth out of.
  • KERRY WASHINGTON plays Jane's confidant and accomplice in agent-related activities.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
    Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


    (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    The following is a brief summary of the content found in this action-filled black comedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives are uttered. Sexually related dialogue and innuendo are present, as are several steamy/sexual encounters (making out, some groping and straddling, implied sex and a woman dressed in a revealing S&M outfit while she briefly performs such behavior on a man as part of her ruse before killing him).

    Violence consists of contract killers killing various people by various means (gunfire, breaking a neck, fighting), while other deaths are present and all sorts of brutal fighting occurs in several scenes (including a husband and wife trying to kill each other). Some of that has bloody results (but not as much as one might expect for the high body count), may be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers (although most of the material is played for action-laced black comedy) and could be enticing for some kids to imitate. Various characters have bad attitudes, including the husband and wife toward each other (they're in therapy before that about being in a passionless marriage). Various characters drink (some a lot) while a few smoke.

    Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

    For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, some bouncy camerawork might induce that reaction in some viewers.



    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • In a flashback, John has a shot of liquor and a beer. Jane then enters and the two have shots, while others drink. Later, the two drink from a bottle.
  • John fixes himself a martini.
  • Jane and John have wine with dinner.
  • John drinks from a flask.
  • John has a shot and beer in a bar where others drink. He then acts drunk as he crashes a backroom poker party where the participants are also drinking.
  • John and others drink at a party where Jane has wine.
  • Jane holds martinis for John and herself. John, however, is suspicious of what might be in it, so he pours it out.
  • Jane and John have wine with dinner. He then purposefully drops the wine bottle by her (to test her reflexes). She grabs it in midair, but then realizes what she's done and lets it drop, spilling the wine on the floor.
  • Jane and John separately drink shots. We later see an empty bottle of scotch by her.
  • Jane has some champagne.
  • John orders a martini.
  • Miscellaneous people drink.
  • After John says he has problems, Eddie sarcastically replies that crack addicts have problems.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • We hear the sound of John urinating in the desert (his back is to the camera and there's no visual of the act). Later, Jane looks over long range surveillance footage of the preceding, and we see a few wet spots on John's boot.
  • Jane has a bruise on her face and shoulder following a close call with a rocket explosion.
  • John may have a little blood on his head.
  • Both Jane and John's faces and shirts have blood on them during a fight. The next day, both have dried blood on them.
  • Jane has a little blood on her face during a battle.
  • During that battle, John and Jane are shot many times and have a little blood on their clothing, but both were wearing bulletproof vests and are okay
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • John and Jane are contract assassins who kill various people (all who are apparently bad).
  • The couple keeps their actual professions secret from each other. Once they discover them, they set out to kill each other before eventually teaming together to battle others.
  • Various contract killers try to kill John and Jane in various scenes.
  • When John tells Eddie of his assailant's possible weight being low, Eddie matter-of-factly says maybe the person was Filipino.
  • After realizing who and what she is, John refers to Jane as a "bitch."
  • Eddie has a bad attitude toward Jane (as John's friend).
  • John breaks a neighbor's window to steal their van from their garage to escape from assassins after them.
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material, but most of it's played in a black comedy/action fashion.
  • Jane remotely captures John in an elevator trap where the brakes are rigged with explosives. He calls her bluff to blow them, and one of her assistants does just that (with the elevator dropping, but John is okay as he had them fooled as to his real location).
  • John and Jane realize that assassins are now coming after both of them as tear gas and the lights of laser gun sights enter their house. They get into the basement, but a grenade comes down the stairs and lands under a huge container of heating oil. The two race out of the house and shoot various assassins before the house is blown apart by an enormous explosion.
  • John and Jane try to avoid being spotted by a chopper above them.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Handguns/Rifles/Machine guns/Shotgun/Knives/Various explosives: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details.
  • In a flashback, we hear the sounds of explosions and gunfire in the distance. The next morning, there appears to be another nearby explosion (the camera shot is bouncy at this moment).
  • Soldiers or cops carry rifles in a flashback where we see that John has a handgun tucked into the back of his pants.
  • We see that John has a secret lair of plenty of guns stashed under the shed, while Jane has an assortment of knives and guns in a hidden compartment in the stove.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "F*ckers get younger each year," "Sh*te," "Chickensh*t," "Pissing rain out there," "Piss off," "What the hell /is this/happened to you/was that?" "Same old, same old," "Idiot," "Chicks," "Honey," "I'd like to have her kick my ass," "Bitch," "Sweet Jesus, Mother of God," "You've been smoked," "Broad," "You gotta take this bitch out head-on," "Hey doll, thanks for giving me the shaft," "Come to daddy" "Who's your daddy now?" (an exchange during a fight), "Get off your fat ass," "Shut up" and "Half-assed."
  • All of the fighting, stunts and other action may be enticing for some kids to imitate.
  • We see Jane balancing herself on a chair while dealing with her drapes.
  • A woman has a nose ring.
  • Jane and her female agent companions escape from one building to another via a zip line extended between the two.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • A moderate amount of traditional, suspenseful music plays, as does some that's lighter in tone.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • A song has the lyrics, "Lay lady lay, lay across my big brass bed."
  • A song has the lyric, "Making love out of nothing at all."
  • PROFANITY
  • At least 1 "f" word, 5 "s" words, 1 slang term using female genitals ("p*ssy"), 6 asses (1 used with "hole"), 3 hells, 1 crap, 1 damn, 6 uses of "Jesus," 2 of "God" and 1 use each of "Christ," "Jesus Christ," "Oh dear God," "Oh my God" and "Sweet Jesus."
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • We see John and Jane in marital therapy, discussing their issues. When asked how often they have sex, the two seem perplexed based on the earlier 1 to 10 scale they were using to answer questions, with Jane saying that zero would be nothing. The therapist then asks about this week, with John replying, "Including this weekend?" but neither answers that question as they sit there in silence.
  • In a flashback, Jane enters a bar in a dress that reveals cleavage and lots of thigh, including something she has tucked in her garter. She and John then do a sensual, sexualized dance, including him being behind her. Later she straddles him in the rain and he may grope her breast (or nearby part of her body) in a highly sensual moment (both are clothed). The next morning, she wakes up in bed and has the sheet around part of her, but we see her bare back.
  • John and Jane do some passionate kissing while standing.
  • As they're getting dressed, we see Jane in her slip and bra that shows cleavage, while John is shirtless.
  • When John returns home, he puts his wedding band back on and we see some lipstick on his collar (making it seem like he's having an affair -- and maybe he is -- but the implication is that it's part of his undercover agent work). He tells Jane (in a line about something else) that he "got lucky," thus raising suspicion in her.
  • Jane goes out for the evening, telling John that it's "just a quickie." Later, she shows up a hotel wearing fishnet stockings under her overcoat and showing that she has handcuffs in her bag. When she enters her subject's room, the coat comes off, revealing her in a tight and small, leather dominatrix outfit that shows cleavage. We later see her domineering a man who's cuffed. She asks if he's been a bad boy, he says he has and she whacks a riding crop to his bare back. She then grabs his neck and breaks it, completing her mission.
  • We see more of Jane's cleavage in her S&M outfit.
  • We see an animated scan that "sees" all of Jane's body (but there's nothing explicit).
  • Talking about a waitress, Eddie tells John, "I'd like to have her kick my ass."
  • Jane shows a lot of thigh while seated and may be just wearing a shirt.
  • While verbally battling, John says that he can push the button anytime. Jane sarcastically replies that he couldn't find the button with two hands and a map (innuendo). When she then makes a comment about rolling over and playing dead, he sarcastically says that after five years of marriage, she should be used to it.
  • As mortal enemies, John and Jane dance in a public space, with some clothed if somewhat sexualized frisking for weapons going on. She asks, "Satisfied?" and he replies "Not in years." As they dance close, he then says "That's all John" (presumably a genital reference) and then pulls a knife from her garter (we see a lot of thigh) that he flicks off into a wall.
  • After getting into a severe fight where they tried to kill each other, John and Jane end up passionately kissing and starting to disrobe, all while bashing into things and knocking things over in the throes of passion. The neighbors and police respond to the earlier sounds of gunfire and such violence, but the two answer the door and she has just a sheet around her. Later, we then see both fall to the floor, post-sex, with heavy breathing from both. She's in her bra that shows cleavage. The next morning, she's in just one of his long dress shirts, while he's in a t-shirt and boxers.
  • A song has the lyrics, "Lay lady lay, lay across my big brass bed."
  • A song has the lyric, "Making love out of nothing at all."
  • Talking of some past event, Eddie asks Jane if that's a turn-on for her.
  • Talking about how many people they've killed but doubling as some sexual innuendo, John asks Jane how many she's done, stating he's somewhere in the 50s or 60s. She then replies, 312 and some two at a time.
  • We briefly see some nude mannequins (standard, nothing explicit) from behind them.
  • John and Jane are asked about sex again in a later therapy session (after they're back together) and both just smile.
  • SMOKING
  • A person at a party offers a Cuban (cigar) to John, but the latter declines the offer.
  • A few miscellaneous characters smoke.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • We see John and Jane in marital therapy, discussing their issues. When asked how often they have sex, the two seem perplexed based on the earlier 1 to 10 scale they were using to answer questions, with Jane saying that zero would be nothing. The therapist then asks about this week, with John replying, "Including this weekend?" but neither answers that question as they sit there in silence.
  • When John returns home, he puts his wedding band back on and we see some lipstick on his collar (making it seem like he's having an affair -- and maybe he is -- but the implication is that it's part of his undercover agent work). He tells Jane (in a line about something else) that he "got lucky," thus raising suspicion in her.
  • Back in marriage therapy, John comments on the huge space that keeps filling up with the things that he and Jane don't say to each other.
  • Once John and Jane learn the truth about each other, they set out to kill the other (before eventually teaming together to take on others).
  • Jane cries over thinking that she's killed John.
  • Jane states she was orphaned at the age of 5.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • Contract killers.
  • Marital discord, violence, boredom and related therapy.
  • Why the two highly trained agents would have been so oblivious to their significant other's real vocation.
  • The notion that happy endings are stories that haven't finished yet.
  • John asks a woman if she's a vegan. She replies that she isn't, but that her girlfriend is (but we don't know if that's as in a friend or a lover).
  • Jane states she was orphaned at the age of 5.
  • VIOLENCE
  • In a flashback, we hear the sounds of explosions and gunfire in the distance. The next morning, there appears to be another nearby explosion (the camera shot is bouncy at this moment).
  • We see John doing some kickboxing sparring in a ring with an opponent.
  • John shoots four men dead at a poker game as his latest assignment (no blood).
  • Jane grabs a subject's neck and breaks it, completing her mission. The man's minion shoots at a locked door to open it, but Jane rappels down a line several stories to the street below to escape.
  • Thinking he's some sort of intruder interrupting her latest hit, Jane shoots John from a long distance and he goes down (but is okay due to his bulletproof vest). Not knowing it's her in an abandoned shed up on a hillside, John then fires a rocket launcher back at her, with the rocket destroying the shed. All of the explosives that Jane had rigged in a large circle in the desert then go off.
  • John (on foot) chases after Jane (in her car) and blasts through a fence, accidentally discharging his gun that hits Jane's windshield. Thinking he's trying to kill her, she drives right at him and he flips up onto the roof, breaking through the back window (but she jumps out of the car). The car then flies down the road, hits an embankment, goes airborne, and then disappears from sight.
  • We hear the sound of John cocking his gun under the table in the direction of Jane.
  • Jane sets off an explosion (not seen) as a diversion to escape.
  • After he's just danced with Jane as mortal enemies, John exits, only to have someone tell him he's ticking. He then removes his coat and jams it into a mailbox where it explodes.
  • John grabs a limo driver and throws him to the street to take his vehicle.
  • Jane purposefully slams her car into the limo that John has stolen and is driving.
  • John breaks a window to get inside his house where Jane is armed and waiting for him. He then arms himself and the two get into a gun battle with handguns, shotguns and machine guns, causing a tremendous amount of property damage inside the house. A large butcher knife is thrown, a gas explosion occurs in the kitchen (that Jane barely avoids as she dives out of the way) and the two get into a brutal bout of hand to hand combat with severe blows, kicks and knocking each other into things in the house. A sofa then blocks our view of her repeatedly punching him quite hard, and then him kicking her quite hard, but we hear the impact. She then kicks him in the crotch and the fight ends when the two get into a gun standoff.
  • After having sex, Jane gets in one last punch to John (following a huge fight that preceded the sex).
  • John and Jane realize that assassins are now coming after both of them as tear gas and the lights of laser gun sights enter their house. They get into the basement, but a grenade comes down the stairs and lands under a huge container of heating oil. The two race out of the house and shoot various assassins before the house is blown apart by an enormous explosion.
  • John breaks a neighbor's window to steal their van from their garage to escape from assassins after them.
  • An assassin is hit by a van, kicked and then run over by the van (no direct impact of the latter).
  • Assassins pursue John and Jane (in a van) in several cars as they speed down the highway. A gun battle breaks out between the couple and the various assassins, but their cars appear to be bulletproof. At one point, Jane slams on the breaks and John is thrown forward in the van where Jane then slaps at him for something unrelated to their current predicament. That also results in one of the cars being stuck under the back of the van (in motion), with John hitting one assassin with a golf club after he pops up through the sunroof. He also pulls the pin on a grenade, the vehicles become disengaged and the car then explodes. The vehicles crash through big water barriers and one assassin comes through the open door on the van and John throws him out the other open side (no impact to the street). More gunfire erupts, with a car exploding and flipping on the road.
  • We see surveillance footage of John shooting someone and then see flashes of guns being fired in the dark.
  • An explosion knocks several people away from a door.
  • John punches Danz (who's in a bag). We then see that he and Jane have him tied to a chair, with Jane getting mad and taking a motel phone and blasting Danz on the head with it.
  • John and Jane hit one assassin to knock him out. They then get into a huge hand to hand and then gun battle with many assassins. John hits several with a large plumber's wrench, while Jane throws knives into several (and accidentally gets John in the leg with one after he's knocked out more assailants). A big gun battle then breaks out, with the couple shooting many of them dead (but there's no blood). During this, Jane falls a sizeable distance from one floor to the next and appears hurt.
  • During that battle, John and Jane are shot many times and have a little blood on their clothing, but both were wearing bulletproof vests and are generally okay. They then rush out and shoot many more assassins dead while avoiding returned gunfire and various explosions going off near them. During this, there's a tremendous amount of property damage and destruction in the home store they're in.



  • Reviewed May 25, 2005 / Posted June 10, 2005

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