Why Mr. & Mrs. Smith Is the Best Thing Streaming Right Now
2024-08-29 · 3 min read
Amazon Mr. and Mrs. Smith, reimagined by Donald Glover and Francesca Sloane, takes the title of the 2005 film and builds something entirely different: an espionage series that is really a relationship drama.
Donald Glover and Maya Erskine have extraordinary chemistry, and the show leans on it completely. Their dynamic feels genuinely improvised at times, with the awkwardness, humor, and escalating affection of a real relationship.
Each episode is self-contained enough to vary wildly in tone. One episode is a thriller. Another is a comedy of errors. Another is essentially a two-person chamber piece about trust.
The guest stars are deployed brilliantly. Paul Dano, Alexander Skarsgard, and Michaela Coel appear in individual episodes that illuminate different aspects of the central relationship.
The production design makes the most of its New York City setting. The couple brownstone becomes a character in itself.
Stream on Prime Video at https://www.primevideo.com/detail/mr-and-mrs-smith.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith is essential because it uses the spy genre as a lens to examine something universal: what it takes to really know another person. The action is fun, the performances are captivating, and the emotional payoff is earned.
