by Picking the absolute funniest role Angelina Jolie has ever played is debatable, as humor is subjective. However, many fans would argue that Jolie’s turn as Jane Smith in the 2005 action-comedy Mr. & Mrs. Smith is one of her most comedic. The film centers around a bored married couple, John (Brad Pitt) and Jane Smith, who are both secretly assassins working for competing agencies. They find out about each other’s secret professions and are tasked with eliminating each other. The situations the couple find themselves in as they try to kill each other are what lead to the comedic moments. Jolie plays Jane perfectly as a capable, deadpan killer who can also be surprisingly funny. Her comedic timing is on point, and she delivers her lines with a dry wit that is both entertaining and endearing.
While Jolie had taken on comedic roles before, such as Lara Croft in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Girl, Interrupted, her performance in Mr. & Mrs. Smith showed a new side of her comedic abilities. Jane Smith is a highly skilled assassin, but she is also bored and disconnected in her marriage. Jolie portrays Jane with a deadpan, no-nonsense attitude that serves as the perfect foil for Brad Pitt’s more animated and emotional John Smith. Jane remains cool, calm and collected even in the most absurd and dangerous of situations. Her dry delivery of sarcastic quips and one-liners, often directed at her oblivious husband, are hilarious.
One of the early scenes that establishes Jane’s comedic timing perfectly is when she and John are having dinner with friends at their home. As their friends talk about relationship issues, Jane casually mentions “We have our issues, but at least we don’t bore each other.” This gets a laugh from their friends, but the audience knows she is really referring to their secret double lives as assassins. Her matter-of-fact delivery of the line is comedic gold. Later, when the two get into an argument after discovering each other’s true professions, Jane calmly states “I’m going to count to three, and then I’m going to start shooting” before opening fire on John, showing her deadpan delivery can also be used for comedic effect in more intense scenes.
Jane remains unflappable even in the most outrageous of situations. In one scene, she is having a casual conversation with John in their living room when an explosion rocks the house. Without missing a beat, she continues talking as debris rains down, saying “That’s gonna be coming out of the security deposit.” Her ability to keep her cool amidst chaos is hilarious. When John later accidentally shoots her in the shoulder during a fight, she simply says “Ow, that really hurt” before knocking him out, playing it completely straight despite the absurdity. Jolie commits fully to Jane’s stoic demeanor, elevating even the silliest of moments with her comedic timing and delivery.
Beyond her dialogue delivery, Jolie also uses her physicality for comedy. Jane is an expert fighter and marksman, but Jolie finds ways to make her fighting sequences amusing as well. When battling John at one point, she takes multiple hard hits and falls through a table but simply gets back up, dusts herself off and says “Is that all you got?” with a wry smirk. Her resilience and refusal to show pain, no matter the severity of the blows, is played for laughs. Later, when the two have seemingly resolved their issues and are making love passionately, John suddenly punches her in the face, to which she responds by coldcocking him and saying “Don’t ever do that again” without missing a beat in their lovemaking. Jolie commits fully to the absurd physical comedy of the moment.
Jane is also shown to be highly competent but not above the occasional silly mistake, adding to her comedic qualities. When breaking into an enemy safehouse, she expertly bypasses the security system only to get stuck climbing through the air vent. Her frustration as she struggles is played for big laughs. Later, when chasing John through their neighborhood, she crashes her motorcycle but quickly gets back up, brushes herself off and keeps pursuing him in classic slapstick fashion. These moments of imperfect competence make Jane more relatable and endearing as a character while also being very funny.
Jane’s dry wit and stoic persona also lend themselves well to delivering biting insults and comebacks. When fighting John at one point, he taunts her by calling her skills “rusty”, to which she retorts “Your mom still visits me weekly, so I’ve been keeping in shape.” The rapid-fire, personal insult gets big laughs. Later, when John tries to get the upper hand in a fight, she quips “Honey, you may be great in bed, but hand to hand just isn’t your thing.” Jolie delivers the zingers with perfect comedic timing and inflection. Jane remains unflappably cool even when trading barbs, amplifying the humor of her remarks.
The dynamic between Jolie and Pitt as the bickering assassin couple is also a huge comedic strength of the film. Their natural chemistry and ability to play off each other is part of what makes their scenes so funny. When they begin to one-up each other with increasingly outlandish fight moves and tricks, it takes on a comedic “can you top this?” quality. Jolie matches Pitt’s animated energy perfectly, elevating the absurdity to hilarious new heights. Their final climactic battle, which sees them using all manner of weapons and vehicles through their suburban neighborhood, is an epic comedic showcase of their co-dependent yet combative relationship.
The film’s climax also highlights Jolie’s comedic timing. As the two finally call a truce, they passionately kiss – only for Jane to suddenly pull a hidden gun on John, saying “Just making sure.” She then tosses the gun away and they embrace, playing the moment for maximum laughs. Even in the most intimate of moments, Jane maintains her cool assassin instincts for comedic effect. Her commitment to staying in character, no matter the situation, is part of what makes her performance so funny and memorable.
While Jane Smith is a deadly assassin, Jolie ensures she never loses her sense of humor in even the most dire of circumstances. Her comedic timing, dry delivery of quips and ability to find the absurdity in any scene are what elevate Jane beyond a one-dimensional “tough girl” role. By committing fully to Jane’s stoic yet sardonic persona, Jolie brings an endearing wit and likability to what could have been a more serious part. Her effortless comedic chemistry with Pitt also serves the film tremendously. Overall, Jolie’s multilayered performance in Mr. & Mrs. Smith showed audiences a new side of her talents and cemented the film as one of her funniest, most memorable leading roles to date. Her pitch perfect comedic skills as the unflappable yet biting Jane Smith continue to entertain and impress fans years after the film’s release.
