Current:Home > ScamsReview: Donald Glover's 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' is so weird you'll either love it or hate it -FundGuru
Review: Donald Glover's 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' is so weird you'll either love it or hate it
View
Date:2025-04-25 23:48:53
You can't really be surprised when you get exactly what you signed up for.
Donald Glover, creator of FX's "Atlanta" and Amazon's "Swarm," doesn't make standard TV shows. He goes for the weird, the experimental, the philosophical and sometimes horrific. So when the actor/writer/producer was tapped to create a "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" TV series for Amazon, I shouldn't have expected anything like the 2005 Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movie, the 1996 Scott Bakula and Maria Bello TV series, or the 1941 Alfred Hitchcock film. And yet somehow I was still surprised by how odd Glover's take on the married-spies tale ended up.
"Smith" (streaming now, ★★ out of four) tells the story of two spies for some unknown private entity who are slapped together in a fake marriage that starts to turn truly romantic (in the Brangelina film, the couple is employed by rival spy agencies and sent to kill each other).
Created by Glover and his "Atlanta" co-producer Francesca Sloane, and with the headline couple played by Glover and Maya Erskine ("PEN15"), "Smith" is a spy show that doesn't often feel like it's in that usually high-octane genre.
The series has far more bland conversations than tense action sequences, more awkward banter than witty repartee and more staid dinner parties than dastardly criminal deeds. It is exactly what, say, "Atlanta" might be like if there were a few secret agents thrown into the mix. Glover is nothing but himself, and he has a distinctive, naturalistic, understated style. If you're looking for the glamorous high jinks of a James Bond caper, this is not the show for you. Nor would Brad and Angelina fit into this world.
But Glover and Erskine do, in their own awkward way. "Smith" is unlikely to generate anything but strong reactions. You'll either love this vérité take on the espionage drama or you will absolutely hate it. It works − some of the time. There is charm to the weirdness. But at other points the stripped-down story verges on boring. And for me, the dull outweighed the interestingly quirky.
John (Glover) and Jane Smith (Erskine) are meandering millennials who trade their old lives and identities for high salaries and high-risk missions, working for a secretive corporation that gives them unexplained tasks and communicates only through instant messaging. Paired as a fake married couple, the strangers at first actively eschew any romantic or sexual tension. But after the adrenaline rush of a mission or two, they fall into bed together, and into some more normal married-couple tics (it doesn't take long for the bickering to start, for instance).
Each episode finds the pair on a different mission for their anonymous benefactor, as the threat of unknown punishment for failure looms large. There is a shockingly good guest cast for each case of the week, including Alexander Skarsgård, Sarah Paulson, Sharon Horgan, Ron Perlman, Paul Dano, Michaela Coel, John Turturro and Parker Posey. They're all nice to see but seem equally confused to be there. Occasionally, John and Jane run into other John and Jane Smiths, who help unravel the mystery of their employer. But the cases are the afterthoughts of each episode: The meat of the story is the relationship between them, and all their mundanities and eccentricities.
Revival:Donald Glover shares big 'Community' movie update: 'I'm all in'
Erskine and Glover are a delight anywhere, but they have to work too hard to create chemistry. When part of the premise of the series is that the main couple can't keep their hands off each other, it shouldn't be so difficult for the viewers to see the spark between them. Yet Erskine and Glover always seem more like great pals than great lovers, even during sex scenes.
As for the overall tone and mood of the series, it isn't to my taste and will likely be a hard sell for many. I can see what Glover was trying to do: Subvert expectations and make a series about marriage that also happens to have spies. It could have been profound, but it just doesn't gel into something cohesive. "Smith" was originally meant to be a collaboration between Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge ("Fleabag" and "Indiana Jones 5"). Bridge departed due to creative differences, and this is one of the only times I believe that the phrase isn't a euphemism for some deeper conflict. Maybe they would have had more chemistry, but Bridge's style and humor are brash and obvious, and Glover clearly wanted a more intimate, stranger vibe.
He certainly achieved strange. And that probably wasn't for the best.
More:Donald Glover says fans will be 'shocked' by 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' TV series
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Miranda Lambert Says She Raised a Little Hell After Concert Selfie Incident
- Kourtney Kardashian Makes Rare Comment on Her Pregnancy
- Shakira Brings Her 2 Sons as Her Dates to 2023 Premios Juventud
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Beyoncé's New Perfume Will Have You Feeling Crazy in Love
- MrBeast YouTuber Kris Tyson Comes Out as Transgender
- Inside Vanderpump Rules' Cast Trip to Tahoe—And Why Fans Think Tom Sandoval Is There
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Dispute over threat of extinction posed by AI looms over surging industry
Ranking
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Mandy Moore Says She's Received Paychecks Under $1 for This Is Us Streaming Residuals
- Human remains found in 3 separate suitcases in Florida, police say
- Karlie Kloss Reveals Name of Baby No. 2 With Joshua Kushner
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Cheyenne Floyd Reveals Angry Teen Mom Fans Have Shown Up to Her House
- US surpasses 400 mass shootings so far in 2023: National gun violence website
- Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin Reveal 2nd Wedding in the Works
Recommendation
Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
Kylie Jenner Shares BTS Photo From Day of Her Reunion With Jordyn Woods
Feel Free to Salute These Secrets About Saving Private Ryan
TikToker AJ Clementine Undergoes Vocal Feminization Surgery
How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
Save 41% On Philosophy Dry Shampoo and Add Volume and Softness to Your Hair
Toast the End of Harry Styles' Tour With Facts That Taste Like Strawberries on a Summer Evenin'
Apple Watch Flash Deal: Save $261 on a Bundle With Bands, a Charging Stand, and More Accessories