Mr. & Mrs. Smith: A Fresh and Relatable Spy Reboot

Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a much more character-driven story than the 2005 movie - and it really works.

By Nicole Drum

When Mr. & Mrs. Smith was released in 2005, the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie action-comedy film was a major box office success, telling the story of an upper-middle-class married couple who discovers that not only are they both assassins, but that they belong to competing agencies and have been tasked with killing each other. The action-packed story was enough of a fan favorite that, after its release, there were talks of not only a possible sequel, but even a spin-off television series, neither of which came to fruition. That is, until Amazon Studios announced a television series reboot in 2021 starring Donald Glover and, ultimately, Maya Erskine, as the titular Mr. & Mrs. Smith. This time, though, the married spies work for the same agency and are working together. It's an interesting deviation from the film's premise, but even with that new approach, this Mr. & Mrs. Smith delivers not only an action-packed adventure, but a thoughtful and humorous portrait of two flawed, lonely people and the challenges all relationships face — even when the stakes aren't life and death — that not only elevates the "spy" genre, but is fun as well.

In Mr. & Mrs. Smith, two lonely strangers end up taking jobs with a mysterious agency that offers them a life of travel, money, and high-stakes espionage, yet also sets them up with new lives as John (Glover) and Jane (Erskine) Smith — their cover story being that of a pair of married software engineers. As they are given high-risk missions, they also find themselves navigating their new relationship, which begins to become more and more complex as they start to develop actual feelings for one another, something that could complicate their work as spies as well as their emotional lives.

While by nature of being a spy/assassin story as part of its overall frame, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is by definition a story of deception and betrayal. What makes the series unique — and incredibly effective — is that even with that element, it is at its core a character story. Both Jane and John are imperfect people. While the original film presented a pair of glossy, albeit bored, characters, this John and Jane have baggage. Jane is emotionally closed off, John seems to be holding onto trauma and, at some point, appears to be a little less competent than Jane. Neither of them is equipped, on some level, for the work they are doing or for the relationship they've taken on. It's that element that makes this story interesting. The spy work, the mysterious company, and all of those aspects are all engaging and interesting, but what holds this together is watching the two characters finding themselves being faced with harder things than the job. It ends up being a nice balance between introspection and a bit of escapism.

What makes this work so well is the performances. Glover, as John, delivers a mix of what can only be called "swagger with vulnerability," but it never feels inauthentic. The viewer gets the sense that John's confidence is both genuine while also a mask for his own failings, particularly when it becomes apparent that of the pair, Jane may be somewhat more competent. As for Erskine, her performance as the very Type-A, emotionally closed-off Jane is so good that it's frustrating, at times, but is in equal measure just as vulnerable. Erskine slowly shows how the humanity in Jane's adaptation to the high-stakes and frequently lethal world she's become involved with, as well as the internal conflict that comes with letting her emotional guard down. It's a performance that also doesn't shy away from showing what that means for her own professional goals and what conflict that presents. Complimenting these two strong lead performances is an absolute feast of guest starring roles, with actors like John Turturro, Parker Posey, Paul Dano, and even Ron Perlman, who each offer interesting and complex characters, whether their screentime is brief or more substantive, fleshing out a world that is in many ways designed to be without anything substantive (this is spycraft, after all.)

But while the concept, the acting, and even the overall execution of this take on Mr. & Mrs. Smith is very much a success, even down to the pacing and how the series looks and feels, it isn't exactly a cleanly executed mission. Some of the humor simply doesn't quite land. There are also moments in the banter between John and Jane, particularly early on, that feels a little too polished and too glossy. The pair simply interact a little too well for people who have just met and, presumably at that point, have had very little training. It feels a little bit, at times, that the stylishness of things gets just slightly in the way of the story, though those moments are few, especially once things really get going.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith proves that you can reboot something and end up making a completely new and unique creation that not only stands on its own merit, but excels. By making the story more of a character study and less of a glitzy and bombastic James Bond-esque adventure, Mr. & Mrs. Smith invites viewers to both escape and engage — and have a little fun in the process.

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Rating: 4 out of 5

Mr. & Mrs. Smith premieres on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, February 2nd.

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