As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

The title characters are a bickering couple who had been married for three years-or so they had thought. A lawyer tells them about a legal technicality that made their marriage invalid after all. So do they go ahead and marry for real this time?Unfortunately wifey has second thoughts, and the movie has her pursuing other men, despite all the trouble Mr. Smith goes through to get her to take him back. Will he eventually succeed?The movie is amusing, but never builds up any tension or big laughs. Screwball farces were in vogue in the era, but Alfred Hitchcock probably was not comfortable with this material, and the leads do very well, the side characters are weaker. Still entertaining if you don't expect a great classic.

In today's cinematic climate, romantic comedies premiere at the theaters seemingly every weekend. The start of the genre may very well have been with Alfred Hitchcock's "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", a fun little comedy that shows Hitchcock indeed has a sense of humor.For a basic plot summary, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" sees "married" couple Ann (Carole Lombard) & David (Robert Montgomery) discover that, due to a technicality, they are not not officially betrothed. What follows is a series of "jilted lover" events that would fit in nicely with any current rom-com.Though some may call me crazy for saying this, "Smith" is far better than Hitch's later-years Cold War snoozefests. Though this movie is not deep intellectually, it is just a fun little romp and a treatise on married relationships. That, to me, was the real highlight of the experience...watching Hitch's deft commentary on the institution of marriage weaved into the fabric of the movie.Also, the soundtrack is so light and catchy that it will be in your head for the next few days. It really adds to the overall "light" feel of the picture.Overall, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" is a fun little romp through romantic foibles. Instead of trying to force suspense, Hitchcock instead goes light-hearted and provides an enjoyable experience. Far better than the farcical "The Trouble With Harry". The humor isn't forced in this one.

There is a reason why Hitchcock was known as the Master of Suspense and not the Master of Romantic Comedy. This film is proof of this, his only romantic comedy which he directed on the behest of the star Carole Lombard. Hitchcock later admitted he did not really understand the characters so just followed the screenplay.Ann (Carole Lombard) and David Smith (Robert Montgomery) are a married couple in New York. He is a well to do lawyer but although the couple are in love they bicker a lot. One morning, Ann asks David if he would marry her again if he had it to do over again. He replies he would not even though he is very happy with her.Well would you believe it later that day David is informed by a state official that due to a mishap they were never legally married. However this leads to a series of misunderstandings that drive the couple apart and she goes to the arms of his law partner who ends up proposing to her.The trouble with the film is that it fails as a screwball comedy and becomes increasingly tedious as the movie progresses and the couple keep on arguing. Although David said he would not marry Ann again he the spends the entire time conniving her to marry her again while she plays hard to get.

Not Hitchcock at his best, but even when Hitchcock wasn't at his best he still did some good films. Mr. and Mrs. Smith will never be a personal favourite, but it is a good film, much better than the rating here and not one to be immediately discarded. Though it is understandable as to why people won't warm to this film mainly because the characters here are quite unpleasant. Where Mr. and Mrs. Smith falls down is in the last thirty minutes, where the pace slackens, the humour is rather tiresome and narratively it's here where the film runs out of ideas. As almost always with Hitchcock, Mr. and Mrs. Smith is a well made and directed film, not the most audacious of films visually but appropriate to the type of film it is. The script is elegant and witty, with razor-sharp interplay between the leads and many moments that will make you smile or laugh out loud(if it's not your cup of tea at the day, it's not a problem, Hitchcock's few ventures into comedy have all brought divisive opinions). It is a shame though that it is also one of those scripts that runs out of steam too early. There are also some great scenes that carry the slightly flimsy premise afloat, Robert Montgomery has the best moments, though Gene Raymond's tipsy to drunk scene is a joy and the razor shave moment is a nice example of the chemistry between the two leads. The two leads are wonderful and are thoroughly convincing together. Carole Lombard relishes her very showy role with great comic timing, not the most pleasant of characters mind you especially towards the end of the film, and looks radiant on screen. Robert Montgomery is much more subtle(no offence at all to Lombard) and has a more likable character, his comic timing is also spot on. The supporting roles are all solid, with Jack Carson and especially Gene Raymond the standouts. In conclusion, a good film with great leads, unfortunately the ending doesn't match the rest of the film in quality. 8/10 Bethany Cox