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In the heartwarming tradition of wholesome family entertainment such as Prizzi’s Honor, Mr. and Mrs. Smith tells the story of a loving couple. By day, bride and groom seek out their professional liaisons and make appropriate contact. By night, they return home to a marriage they once treasured though now both would readily admit the bloom is off the rose.

Life grows a bit harried for the duo when their various business enterprises require them to interact with one another during the day. For you see, both of the Smiths have found employment in an unusual vocation. They are paid assassins and, as fate would have it, each has just discovered that their next target is someone they know. In fact, it happens to be the very person each promised to love until death do them part. They failed to realize at the moment they took their marriage vows how literally those words could be taken.

The premise of Mr. and Mrs. Smith is simple. A husband and wife are hired killers who just found out their next marks are one another. What follows is a game of cat and mouse described as a blend of War of the Roses and True Lies. Will one of the wetworks specialists succeed in their mission? Will the couple figure out a way to escape their unusual circumstances and somehow manage to put the spark back in their relationship? All options are open to a film with such a unique concept.

Casting on the project proved difficult. Initially, Nicole Kidman was groomed for the female lead, but she had to eventually drop out due to multiple scheduling conflicts. In her stead, Catherine Zeta-Jones was selected as a replacement, but she too was forced to exit when the project failed to get off the ground. Meanwhile, Brad Pitt juggled his calendar in order to keep freeing up a spot for this production. When it became obvious that no appropriate A-list female lead could be brought onboard, he announced an intention to exit the project. Before this could happen, another famous actress was wooed for the part of Mrs. Smith, and she accepted. With the luscious-lipped Angelina Jolie on board, Pitt decided that he would honor his commitment to the project.

The combination of Pitt and Jolie immediately makes Mr. and Mrs. Smith one of the most noteworthy projects of summer 2005. They are not, however, the only two famous faces brought onboard. Mr. Swingers himself, Vince Vaughn, also frontlines. Alongside this trio is rising talent Adam Brody, whom you probably know from The OC but whom BOP loves from his days on The Gilmore Girls. Hardworking William Fichtner, last seen in Black Hawk Down and Equilibrium, is also a featured performer. Another interesting name is Greg Ellis, whose face you might not know but his voice is familiar to many. Jackie Chan Adventures fans would recognize him instantly as the voice of the evil patrician Valmont. Kerry Washington, who plays the key role of Della Charles in the upcoming Ray, is also present here.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith sounds a lot like Laws of Attraction but with a body count. With such gorgeous leads and such an unusual premise, the movie is poised to be one of the most publicized productions of the summer. (David Mumpower/BOP)

Vital statistics for Mr. & Mrs. Smith Main Cast Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Vince Vaughn Supporting Cast Adam Brody, Greg Ellis, William Fichtner, Kerry Washington, Angela Bassett, Keith David Director Doug Liman Screenwriter Simon Kinberg Distributor Twentieth Century Fox Trailer Click Here for Trailer Official Site http://www.mrandmrssmithmovie.com/ Rating PG-13 Running Time 120 minutes Screen Count 3,424 Awards Awards page for Mr. & Mrs. Smith Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Lara Croft:Tomb Raider	6/15/01	47.74	50.95	3308	14430.00	14813.1	131.14	139.96	2.75
Troy	5/14/04	46.87	46.87	3411	13739.49	13739.5	133.23	133.23	0.00
Ocean's Twelve	12/10/04	39.15	39.15	3290	11900.72	11900.7	125.53	125.53	0.00
Ocean's 11	12/7/01	38.11	40.67	3075	12393.00	12722.0	183.41	195.75	4.76
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life	7/25/03	21.78	21.78	3222	6761.00	6761.0	65.65	65.65	3.01
Taking Lives	3/19/04	11.46	11.46	2705	4236.03	4236.0	32.68	32.68	0.00
Fight Club	10/15/99	11.04	13.15	1963	5624.00	6421.1	37.02	44.11	3.35