Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Great movie! Carole Lombard is wonderful in this movie and Robert Montgomery is such a hoot!

Being Married..Yet Not Married...and Starting All Over Again
In a candid moment, Mr. Smith tells his wife that, had he to do it over again, he would not marry her. He says that this doesn't mean that he would like to marry someone else: He simply would enjoy the life of the bachelor again.

By a freak of the law, it turns out that their 3-year marriage is legally invalid. To him, this is simply a matter of the formality of a new marriage. To her, however, this is a chance to dump him and find someone new. Or so it seems...

Mr. Smith is told by another man that it is "really bad" when the man is forced out of his house for two nights instead of just one. Mrs. Smith reverts to her maiden name, and starts dating other men. He follows her around, trying to persuade her that he loves her and would want to marry her anew. He says that his very pursuit of her proves that he loves her and wants her. But she remains aloof and resistant. Some viewers may see in Mrs. Smith a portrayal of women as fickle, impossible to please, unable to make up their minds, and even flippant and childish.

And so it goes. Will Mr. and Mrs. Smith ever get back together again?

This flick has obvious old-fashioned themes: huge cars, smoking in public and on film, women discouraged from working outside the home if they are unmarried, etc.

Curiously
Coming from director Alfred Hitchcock, MR. AND MRS. SMITH is a curiosity piece. Not fitting into any of the director's usual genres this comedy is a lot of fun. Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard make a great team. Pretty good scripting.

The queen of screwball comedy meets Hitchcock
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard) have a marriage with many ups and downs. One day at the office Mr. Smith finds out that he is not legally married. Surprise Mrs. Smith finds out also and waits for Mr. Smith to propose the make it legal. Some how he forgets to do this and drives her into the arms of his friend and partner.

Why won't the cat eat the soup?
How will all this turn out?

This formula was popular in the time the movie was made. This version is a tad more complex but still is necessary to suspend reality. We do get a good look at the 1939 Worlds Fair. Carole Lombard is not quits as noisy. Robert Montgomery is good at almost slapstick situations.

Kiss and make up -- not all that easy (recommended)
The 2005 version with Brad Pitt about undercover spies is not a remake and is unrelated to the 1941 MR. & MRS. SMITH. In this Hitchcock comedy, Ann Smith (Carole Lombard) is the well-dressed romantic spoiled bride of wealthy lawyer, David Smith (Robert Montgomery -- father of famed BEWITCHED star Elizabeth Montgomery). Ann insists on David's honesty in their 3-year old marriage. Any arguments must be resolved before anyone is allowed to leave the bedroom.

An unexpected visitor to David's office reveals that the marriage is not legal. Unbeknownst to David, the gentleman later visits Ann with the same news. Ann assumes David will top off a romantic evening with a legal marriage ceremony so she squeezes into her original wedding dress. It appears, however, that David is not in a hurry to exchange vows, though he is willing to change into something more comfortable after a Champagne nightcap. An infuriated Ann, then amplifies her "singleness" by evicting David, obtaining employment, and looking for a new mate. The battle is on, as David is intent to sabotage Ann's plans.

This makes my tenth Lombard film viewing. As matriarch of the screwball comedy genre, she again demonstrates her talent to deliver smart lines and convey intense emotion. (She works those eyebrows!) The ending wasn't quite what one might expect and the largely Hitchcock British humor is more subtle than slapstick. Nevertheless, there are many funny situations and inuendos. Most of the vindictive actions are just plain crude and unreasonable, but make no mistake, MR. AND MRS. SMITH is enjoyable.

Movie quote: "I can't imagine anything hanging in the closet shrinking so much."