Here at FandomWire, we review the new Prime Video streaming limited series Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024), and the article is spoiler-free.
This is not your parents (or, depending on your age), older cousin, brothers, or your own, Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The new television adaption of the movie that broke in “Bennifer” is more comic, less action, and uses the backdrop of a fun spy series to tell a story of the dissoluation of a marriage.
By the time the news series reaches the penultimate episode, “Couples Therapy (Naked & Afraid),” the intention is clear, and the series works on a different level. The Donald Glover and Fransesca Stone series could be may be called “Mr. & Mrs. Smith: An Anatomy of a Fall from a (Failed) Marriage.”
Mr. & Mrs. Smith thoughtfully examines the void created in our personal lives. We are more honest with complete strangers than we are with the ones we love. While also being funny, sexy, and action-packed on top of being something very real.
Prime Video’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024) Season 1 Synopsis and Review:
The story differs immediately from the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie version because the couple knows about each other from the start. The story follows two strangers with military backgrounds who are lonely. Glover takes over Pitt’s “John,” his version being a mama’s boy who was dishonorably discharged and had only a couple of hundred dollars in his account.
John is paired with a woman, Jane (Maya Erskine), an intelligence operative who is out of work and has few options. Like John, she answers a series of questions from an artificial intelligence (that’s my assumption) who goes by the name “Hihi.” John and Jane are deemed compatible or, at least, compatible with what the “company” wants them to be.
They both apply for spy positions labeled “high-risk.” They are gifted a beautiful brownstone in Manhattan to live their best life, full of travel, espionage, and a pact to make as much money as possible as long as the arrangement lasts. Not only do the newbies have to learn the trade on the job, but they are given only three failures before their partnership dissolves.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024) is a high-wire act
Prime Video’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith is brought to you by the creators of Atlanta, Glover, and Francesca Sloane (Fargo). All eight episodes will stream tomorrow. My biggest worry will be high expectations. The series has been highly anticipated for months. Glover’s spin on the popular film may not be fully embraced by those looking to escape the stresses and triggers of their own lives.
The series can be fun, and the titular characters have terrific chemistry with something real instead of flash. As Mr. and Mrs. Smith progress, Glover and Sloane use a mix of banter, irreverent humor, and clever storylines and plot points to keep the viewer entertained. All while putting the couple through something that amounts to something like a Christmas carol for millennials.
The Smiths meet couples and people on different paths in their lives, getting a glimpse of their futures from all angles. This makes the series interesting since it has a bevy of cameos (listed below) that are an embarrassment of riches. This high-wire act was executed well, with some bumps along the way, but that’s more challenging than it looks.
Also Read: Donald Glover, Maya Erskine’s Race-Swapped Remake Branded “Wish.com version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith”
Is Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024) Worth Watching?
Mr. & Smith Smith is worth watching based on the chemistry between Glover and Erskine. The series can also be quite clever and funny with its spy game theme. It is also smart when it comes to a keen eye for behaviors in relationships because our behaviors do not change, and we expect our loved ones to do so.
Besides the leads, the series has an eye-opening roster of guest stars, including Parker Posey, Wagner Moura, Michaela Coel, John Turturro, Paul Dano, Alexander Skarsgård, Eiza González, Sarah Paulson, Sharon Horgan, Ron Perlman, Billy Campbell, and Ursula Corbero, to name a few. That’s the respect that comes with the pedigree Glover brings to streaming television.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith certainly isn’t perfect. Several moments lack common sense in the spy trade with decision-making. However, the positives far outweigh the negatives, so plan on investing your time for a (hopefully) second season. This remake is a thoughtful, high-wire act of a new generation.
You can stream Prime Video’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024) starting February 2nd, 2024.
Grade: 8/10
