Mr & Mrs Smith

Good show honey, but ………..

AV – **1/2
EV – ***

The battle of the sexes just got a whole new perspective – its all about who makes the first move, to put an end to a misery called spouse, quite literally!
Jane (Jolie) and John Smith (Pitt) are a not so happily married, working couple with their share of usual problems. Their secret lives as high flying spies/assassins belonging to different organizations are unknown to each other. Hell breaks loose when their identities are revealed, thanks to a common mission which puts them in a face-off situation. Now that the ugly truth is out, one has to die for the other to survive. Thus the focus shifts to a cat and mouse chase which has everything from high speed chases, shootouts, blasts, fist fights and even a ballroom dance sequence. And yes, there is a small twist in the story too.

The highlight of the movie is the awesome onscreen chemistry between the two lead playes. Add to that some witty dialogues, slick action, cool gadgets, fast pace proceedings and you have a winner (well almost!). Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie put up a stylish display of acting. Eddie (Vince Vaughn) from John's spy agency is funny. Jane's spy agency consists of an all female crew. Whew! What the movie lacks is a solid story line and make-belief scenes (especially the unrealistically choreographed action sequences towards the end). The movie does not ponder into the nitty-gritties of the issues faced by a married couple, rather it chooses to be funny and occasionally silly. Ignore all the flaws and you have a "time-pass" popcorn flick.

-Arun Ganesh

PS: For all those who expect some steamy scenes between the two hotties- Our sensor board didn't find us grown up enough to handle them. Chop, chop, chop.

Bunti Aur Babli

Con Act!

AV: *
EV: **

Help!!! I am a victim of Bunty aur Babli. For the last two weeks they have been all over the place in print and media, trying to sell a concept to us. Their ideas and promises seemed so grand that I was tempted to check out their story. And like many of their victims I came out with an empty feeling.

So we have Rakesh (Abhishek Bachchan) and Vimmi (Rani Mukerji), two souls who realize that their dreams are too big to be realized in the towns where they stay. Against their parent’s consent they leave their homes ‘to make it big’. But they soon understand that in this big bad world they have to be two steps ahead of the others. They assume the identities of Bunty and Babli and begin a series of con jobs. This includes a scheme to sell the Taj Mahal to a gullible foreigner. With every heist their plans become bolder. Hot on their trail is Dashrath Singh (Amitabh Bachchan) who is hell bent on nabbing the two imposters. Does he succeed or do the con pair give him the slip, that’s what the movie is all about.

This concept is not entirely new but could have made for good entertainment. The director seems to have compromised heavily on the script department. We have long song sequences and the pace becomes sluggish after a point of time so you have to look for diversions. The dialogues are mostly vernacular which suits the protagonists from U.P. Some of the shots do remind us of Saathiya (the song ‘Chup Chup ke’ and sequences where the couple has arguments). The music is a big let down especially since it comes from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, whose music I otherwise love. Only ‘Dhadak Dhadak’ which captures the soul of the Hindi heartland, is worth mentioning.
AB Junior has good comic timing and can hold his own in midst of senior actors, that’s for sure. He assumes the character with ease right down to the fake ‘nikee’t shirt (something which is a hit in those weekly roadside bazaar stalls). Rani has already proved herself as a superb actress so really this one’s a breeze for her. Check out the scene where she starts wailing for her mother in the middle of nowhere. AB Senior does not have much of a role to speak of and frankly his presence acts as a speed breaker in some places.

What bothers me really is what this movie could have been had the director not fallen into the trap of commercialization. One suggestion to Mr Shaad Ali: Keep it short and simple.

-Suprateek Sinha