Reboots and remakes are always a dicey proposition. When it was announced that Donald Glover was updating Mr. & Mrs. Smith as a new series for Amazon, there was understandable doubt. That doubt only increased as his original on-screen partner Phoebe Waller-Bridge exited the project and was later replaced by Maya Erskine. However, based on the first batch of reviews, the whole thing surprisingly works.
Ahead of its full season release, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is earning glowing reviews from critics thanks to the show’s decision to flip the script of the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie classic by significantly expanding the premise beyond two insanely beautiful hooking up in the middle of insanely choreographed fight scenes. The new Mr. & Mrs. Smith actually spends time with its John (Glover) and Jane (Erskine), and it’s all the better for it.
You can see what the reviews are saying below:
Kimberly Ricci, Uproxx:
Mr. & Mrs. Smith is very unlike anything that Donald Glover has done in recent years. Atlanta, as brilliant and funny as it was, loved to subvert expectations and do it again two episodes later. It truly kept viewers on their toes, but it also wasn’t a show that you could watch on autopilot. Whereas Mr. & Mrs. Smith picks you up and carries you along with momentum. Like those damn addictive chips called Pringles, once you pop, well, you catch my drift. It’s a clever show, but it doesn’t make the viewer work for what they receive. That’s a sweet spot.
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone:
Whatever that theoretical version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith with Waller-Bridge would have been, the actual show that Glover, Sloane, Erskine, and company have made is wonderful. It cleverly inverts the movie’s premise. It blends the best elements of retro TV and modern TV, and deftly balances the ridiculousness of the core idea with the danger of it. And if Glover and Erskine’s chemistry isn’t so scorching that you assume they must be getting together in real life, they play off each other incredibly well throughout. It’s a whole lot of fun.
Saloni Gajjar, The A.V. Club:
Mr. & Mrs. Smith’s most appealing thrills aren’t found in its gun-toting action scenes, high-octane chases in stunning locales, or undercover spying. No, in Prime Video’s new drama, which premieres February 2, the true adventure lies in the dissection of a nuanced, somewhat cursed relationship. Against all odds, Mr. & Mrs. Smith works because of this. Despite a measured start and a bunch of predictable twists, the story clicks into place as the show slowly but endearingly builds on its strengths over eight episodes.
Aaron Pruner, The Wrap:
What a difference two decades makes. This new series delivers gun fights, hand-to-hand combat, car chase sequences and explosions. But that’s all just icing on the cake. “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is an exemplary remake that charts its own path by filling in necessary narrative blanks. It expands on certain story details, and changes canon where it makes sense. Instead of tightening the focus on big-budget action sequences, the series goes all-in on the relationship dynamic between John and Jane who, instead of being two tenured secret agents like Jolie and Pitt, are a couple of lonely outcasts looking for connection and purpose.
Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter:
It’s amusing as a showcase for high-wattage cameos; Paul Dano, Michaela Coel and John Turturro are among the long list of recognizable faces playing potential allies, enemies or marks. Most fun of all is Ron Perlman as a hardened criminal who spends so much of his time under John and Jane’s reluctant protection acting like an entitled baby that he becomes the catalyst for the inevitable conversation about whether to have kids.
Allison Herman, Variety:
“Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is distinctly contemporary, from the charmingly awkward, mumblecore-adjacent banter between Glover and Erskine’s John and Jane to the luxuriously appointed New York townhouse where they’re stationed. (From the built-in arches to the houseplants, the vibe is “millennial Pinterest board.”) It’s also highly conceptual, bordering on the surreal. From the moment John and Jane conduct their job interviews with a faceless screen in a nondescript office building, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” feels more like “Black Mirror” than “Mission: Impossible.” The Smiths get their orders from a Siri-like chatbot they call Hihi, after its opening salutation, while David Fleming’s spare electronic score gives the proceedings a futuristic feel.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith Season 1 starts streaming February 2 on Prime Video.
