REVIEW: Prime Video’s ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ Sheds New Light on The Smiths

Prime Video returns to the world of espionage with its newest series, Mr. & Mrs. Smith. A remake of the hit 2005 movie starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, this version stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine as the elusive spies, John and Jane Smith. But that is where the similarities between the two entities ends. The original movie focused on the married Smiths, who find out they work for rival agencies that have been tasked with killing each other. In the series, we find John and Jane leaving their old lives behind to begin new lives as a fake married couple. The couple has been tasked with different missions that get more interesting with each episode.

The eight-episode series beautifully lays out the missions while also unraveling the secrets John and Jane are attempting to hide. It introduces secondary characters that are intriguing and pivotal to the overall story. You are also given just enough character development and action in each episode that you will be glued to your seat until the final credits end. The relationship between Glover’s John and Erskine’s Jane plays out just as seamlessly. Over the course of the series, you watch as the two go from strangers to colleagues to lovers without missing a beat. Their chemistry is not fully apparent in the first episode. I was a bit nervous the chemistry would never be there, but as the series grows so does their chemistry. What helps this chemistry along is the dialogue between the two. The conversations happening between these two characters seem like real conversations couples would have with each other. The longer the two are connected the more open they become.

Glover and Erskine carry this show with ease. The two bring something different to the screen. Whether its Glover’s ability to capture humor in the tensest of moments or Erskine’s deadpan responses, you will be rooting for this couple when all is said and done. Sarah Paulson, Paul Dano, Eiza González, and Alexander Skarsgård are just some of the guest stars featured in the series, and each does a wonderful job. However, if they ever consider doing a spin-off of this series, I would love for it to be on González and Skarsgård’s characters. They are only featured briefly, but their characters make quite the impact.

If you are looking for a fun show that will have you engaged from start to finish this is for you. If you are looking for an exact retelling of the 2005 movie, this is not it. The only thing these two have in common is its title and the names of its title characters.

Grade: A