Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)

hyped garbage

Fantastic!

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

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.

Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard play a quarrelsome married couple. One day they discover they're not actually married after all due to a legal technicality. Montgomery hesitates about getting remarried right away, which sets Lombard off and she leaves him. He spends the rest of the movie trying to get her back, even after she's started dating his law partner.A rare foray into a full-on comedy, this is one of Alfred Hitchcock's most divisive movies. People seem to have strong opinions about it one way or the other. The first time I saw it I hated it. It took repeated viewings over the years before I began to appreciate it more, though I still think it's flawed. I just recently watched it with a friend who had never seen it before and knew nothing of its reputation. She hated it like I did the first time and for the same reason: it's hard to buy the two lead characters as in love or care about them getting back together due to how they treat each other. Carole's character is annoyingly childish. She does little in her performance to soften that. Montgomery is better, getting most of the funny scenes in the movie. The scene in the restaurant with the cat and the soup was my favorite. It's an enjoyable movie but not for all tastes. Try to lower your expectations going in, particularly if you have high expectations due to it being a Hitchcock film.

Not Hitchcock at his best, but even when Hitchcock wasn't at his best he still did some good films. Mr. and Mrs. Smith will never be a personal favourite, but it is a good film, much better than the rating here and not one to be immediately discarded. Though it is understandable as to why people won't warm to this film mainly because the characters here are quite unpleasant. Where Mr. and Mrs. Smith falls down is in the last thirty minutes, where the pace slackens, the humour is rather tiresome and narratively it's here where the film runs out of ideas. As almost always with Hitchcock, Mr. and Mrs. Smith is a well made and directed film, not the most audacious of films visually but appropriate to the type of film it is. The script is elegant and witty, with razor-sharp interplay between the leads and many moments that will make you smile or laugh out loud(if it's not your cup of tea at the day, it's not a problem, Hitchcock's few ventures into comedy have all brought divisive opinions). It is a shame though that it is also one of those scripts that runs out of steam too early. There are also some great scenes that carry the slightly flimsy premise afloat, Robert Montgomery has the best moments, though Gene Raymond's tipsy to drunk scene is a joy and the razor shave moment is a nice example of the chemistry between the two leads. The two leads are wonderful and are thoroughly convincing together. Carole Lombard relishes her very showy role with great comic timing, not the most pleasant of characters mind you especially towards the end of the film, and looks radiant on screen. Robert Montgomery is much more subtle(no offence at all to Lombard) and has a more likable character, his comic timing is also spot on. The supporting roles are all solid, with Jack Carson and especially Gene Raymond the standouts. In conclusion, a good film with great leads, unfortunately the ending doesn't match the rest of the film in quality. 8/10 Bethany Cox

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".