Watch Mr. & Mrs. Smith For Free

Don't Believe the Hype

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

The most surprising entry from the filmography of Alfred Hitchcock is his 1941 film, Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Hitchcock claimed he made the film as a favor to lead actress Carole Lombard; Mr. & Mrs. Smith is the only screwball comedy the famous suspense director ever made. Starring along with Carole Lombard is Robert Montgomery; the pair plays a married couple who find out that their marriage is unofficial, and instead of going through the legal paperwork to make their union legal, they question each other and their feelings. Out of his element, Hitchcock put forth a classic comedy that oddly still feels like a Hitchcock film, a true treat for the serious fan as they wade through Hitch's body of work. Elite New York couple Ann Smith (Carole Lombard) and David Smith (Robert Montgomery) have enjoyed an affectionate, loving, wedded bliss for three years. After individual visits from their lawyers, however, they learn that a municipal technicality prevented their union from being legally recognized. What should be a simple fix, turns into a possible breakup for the couple as they start to wonder how much in love with each other they truly are. The day the couple was told of the technicality, David commented over breakfast that if he were to start his life over, he would never marry. Despite his love for his wife, David feels as though an immense amount of sacrifice of himself has taken place due to his marriage to his wife. That comment has stuck with Ann as she decides what to do about her defunct marriage to her husband. Ann decides that a separation is in order and she begins to live the life of a single woman, even re-adopting her maiden name. As Ann enjoys her new life and freedoms, David sets his sights to stop at nothing to win back the devotion of his wife. Winning back Ann's hand becomes much more difficult as she begins dating other men. As David becomes increasingly more disgruntled with life without his wife, he begins to realize that maybe he wouldn't remove his wife from his life if he had the chance to do it again.As a fan of classic cinema, I was both surprised and embarrassed to realize that this was the first film I had seen of classic star Carole Lombard. I was happy to change that status and finally see her of a film; I found Lombard's acting exceptional and engaging, and cannot wait to see more of her work. This film is a lot of fun with the slight nods to silent cinema it seems to employ. The ways in which Mr. & Mrs. Smith plays out like a silent film, prove to be a perfect match to the plot of men's and women's relationships of the 1940's. As Lombard gains independence, she enjoys life without her husband more, therefore illustrating the liberation of women in the 40's. Although Mr. & Mrs. Smith has a very Howard Hawks feel to it, it is also clear that there are many aspects recognizable as Hitchcock touches. For instance, this journey through Alfred Hitchcock's filmography, I have grown quite fond of the way in which the auteur films faces. That same unique way faces are filmed are present in this film and are fun to watch. Sure, the film is a comedy, therefore Hitchcock touches are few and far between, but the film doesn't feel foreign to fans of Hitchcock and one can see his touches in it throughout the film. Fans of Hitchcock must see this film, if for no other reason, just to see the famous suspense director trying his hand at comedy; although, if given a chance, one won't be disappointed with a Carole Lombard film, either.

This is the best Carole Lombard film I've seen. She shows a range of talent. Her timing and delivery are excellent.The male lead is a bit weaker, he doesn't seem like good romantic lead really. No real sex appeal, he didn't phone in his performance but he didn't bring his best performance either. He was pretty much a cardboard cutout. He was badly miscast with Lombard.Lombard's character has that brilliance, vivaciousness to have any man yet she's stuck with a mediocre character actor.The dialogue is good and flows well.Hitchcock doesn't do comedy very well so Lombard saves this movie.The supporting cast was OK.Production values were typical mid-budget studio.The cinematography was adequate.Overall, I'll watch this film again just to watch Carole Lombard give a really good performance. She is better here than in "My Man Godfrey".

If this movie had been directed by Leo McCarey or W.S. Van Dyke or any director other than Alfred Hitchcock, who herein strayed from his customary suspense genre, this film would be considered a superb achievement in sophisticated comedy.Carole Lombard is at her best, her performance here equaled only in 'To Be Or Not To Be', her next (and final) film. In this and "To Be" we see a mature comedy talent in its full manifestation. It's likely that this New and Improved Carole was what she would have continued to give her audiences had her career not ended as it did. The dizzy daffy dopey blonde of the superb 'My Man Godrey' in 1936 has finally grown up and stopped throwing temper tantrums. As a result, she's now, at last, fabulous. And some of the credit for this happy transformation must be due to Hitchcock's input. And Robert Montgomery is Carole's equally fabulous partner in this witty story of a husband who tells his wife that No, if he had it to do over again, he would not have married her,("You want me to be honest, don't you? Because we have a marriage where we respect each other.") and then proceeds to regret saying this. Montgomery was perfect, his performance stunning. Who could have bettered him? Not Gable, probably not Grant, but perhaps Melvyn Douglas or Willian Powell could have done as well, though both are a bit too slickly urbane.Every scene was hilariously wonderful. Carole putting on the suit she was wearing when proposed to, and saying "I don't understand how it could have shrunk just hanging in the closet." Or Montgomery's meeting in his office with the little man from Idaho who doesn't get to the point of his visit right off, and while he rambles, RM flips through his mail and nods, until the little man drops the bombshell and RM says, "What's that?" Or at Mama Lucy's when he says, "That cat knows something. I want a stomach pump." Here we are watching a master comedic actor in action.Supposedly Hitchcock later said he didn't have a high opinion of his work in this film, that he didn't understand Mr and Mrs Smith. Just goes to show that when you're a master director, you don't have to understand the characters. Just point the camera and let the actors do their stuff.

Comedy and romance have always been an integral part of Alfred Hitchcock's oeuvre. His humor is usually distinctly black but always essential and associated with the context of the story. However, one of Hitchcock's most hated pictures "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" is an exception in this, as comedy isn't a mere subtext, for the film is style-wise a pure screwball comedy. In the hands of any other director, the story would have gathered warm romantic tone but in Hitchcock's grip it reveals its cynic nature. This is partially due to Hitchcock's moral honesty. His uncompromising reluctance to embellish cruelty. Hitchcock is always celebrated as "the master of suspense" and as the great teller of crime stories. But the crimes committed in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" are of different nature. For they are precisely crimes of passion because they are aimed at pride, dignity and, in the worst case, love. In the 1960's, Hitchcock told Truffaut that he only made the film as a favor to Carole Lombard. In his own words, he only filmed what was said in the screenplay. In reality, however, the film has a lot of characteristic elements of Hitchcock's distinct style, wit and world view. The first scene, for example, is a brilliant expression of personal anguish in dysfunctional married life, introducing the film's satirical nature.Although the film is a lightweight comical comment on modern marriage, a dark variant beats beneath the surface. A constant emotion of the decomposition of love reigns. For its personal portrayal of marriage "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" is related to Hitchcock's other works, such as "Rich and Strange", in which the illusion of money and the silence of love are dominant themes, and "Suspicion" where marriage includes a strong shadow of doubt and distrust. For Hitchcock, marriage seems to be a normative institution, controlled by money and monitored by the community, which leaves no room for real emotions. It is as if all marital action was based on cheat, deceit and oppression. The Smiths, for example, are instantly ready to divorce after hearing about a legal error -- their marriage was never verified -- because there had been no real feelings whatsoever for years. A mere technicality held the unsteady edifice of love together. Later on, the film warms up a little as the cool cynicism of the beginning settles. However, the pessimistically realist mood remains as an echo, a subtext, until the very end.In the field of narrative, Hitchcock continues to develop the sensation of anxiety, presented in the opening tracking shot, by using poignant identification. In American comedy, objective observation is often used by filmmakers (screwball is a "report of madness", so to speak) but Hitchcock prefers to stick to the subjective perspective. It's crucial that he never alienates events, gags nor characters. As a consequence of this, the jokes never amuse the people to whom they are aimed at.