Killers (Rhoades)

“Killers” Seems Slightly Familiar
Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

They say there are no new plots, and “Killers” – the new Katherine Heigl - Ashton Kutcher action comedy – proves it true. This is simply another telling of the “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” movie. Or “True Lies.”

You know how it goes: A spouse discovers that her hubby is actually a spy.
You’ll be entertained, even if Heigl and Kutcher don’t have the falling-in-love-on-screen chemistry of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Or the pithy panache of Jamie Lee Curtis and the Governator.

“Killers” is knocking ’em dead at the Tropic Cinema.

Yes, after three years of a predictable suburban marriage, Jennifer (Heigl) discovers that her husband Spencer (Kutcher) is a professional assassin. How did she miss this minor fact? I don’t think I could hide that kind of career secret from my wife even if I socked away all the bullets in my sock drawer.

Worse news for our mismatched couple, a gaggle of competing hitmen is out to kill them. You can take it from there, keeping in mind this movie’s played for laughs.

As much as I adore Katherine Heigl, I’d have rather seen Kutcher paired with real-life wife Demi Moore. But in my twist, Demi’s the assassin to her hubby’s befuddled surprise. However, Bob DeRosa and Ted Griffin wrote this wacky screenplay, not me.

Maybe they hadn’t seen “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” or “True Lies.”

Australian-born director Robert Luketic (“Legally Blonde,” “Monster-in-Law”) knows how to do funny movies. And he’s directed Heigl before (in “The Ugly Truth”).

Toss in a supporting cast of Ton Selleck, Catherine O’Hara, and Martin Mull and you’ll automatically start chuckling.

Katherine Heigl knows what her audience likes “I’ve obviously been doing a few romantic comedies,” she says, “and what I loved about this particular romantic comedy was that it had the added element of action, so it was a slightly different take on the formula.”

Ashton Kutcher adds, “I had been looking for a movie like this, a fun, entertaining action comedy … and then, when I read this script, I realized that this kind of movie hadn’t been made in awhile.”

Well, not since …

srhoades@aol.com
[from Soalres Hill]