Back in the game

Everybody needs to give Tom Cruise a break. Yes, he loves his wife, Katie Holmes, and yes, he has his own personal religious beliefs. Except for the millions of dollars, he doesn't seem all that different from most. 

So why not forget it all, at least for a minute?

Knight and Day marks Cruise's return to popcorn ‘n' explosions summer flicks, after an almost two-year absence from film. Knight and Day may not be among the best films of the year, but it fits its role perfectly — a funny, action-packed summer blockbuster that will work for the boys and the girls.

Yes, Knight and Day is a date flick, part romantic comedy and part action extravaganza. The difference between this and other such films is that the disparate genres are melded together seamlessly.

The film follows June Havens (Cameron Diaz, Shrek Forever After), a somewhat uncoordinated cutie with a penchant for fixing dead automobiles. She inexplicably gets on the wrong airplane at the wrong time and — surprise — finds herself embroiled in the world of international espionage.

While Diaz is the film's emotional center, Roy Miller (Cruise, Valkyrie) is its strong arm, killing more than his fair share of people. He's on the run from a corrupt U.S. government when Diaz becomes his unlikely ally, and audiences can probably guess most of the rest.   

The producers made a smart choice in toning down the romantic aspect and playing up the comedy angle. Every scene has a stitch of laughter in it — some ironic or tongue-in-cheek moment that has a more universal appeal.

Conversely, the universal appeal, which makes it work as a date flick, muddles the experience as a whole. Certain parts of the film are played down, or sometimes tangential to the story, leading to plot holes and repeated stops and starts in the pacing.

The plots continually plot for Havens to be incapacitated, whether by fancy tranquilizers or otherwise. Funny, yes, but it happens repeatedly, with her passing out for hours and major action scenes cut devastatingly short, including one in which it is only implied there will be a helicopter versus fighter jet battle just before Miller once again knocks out Havens. 

Annoying as the film's pacing is, what is shown doesn't fail to impress. Quirky fight scenes are abundant and seamlessly mix romance and comedy.

While June waits in an airplane bathroom, thinking about how to hit on Roy, he is outside in the cabin, beating government lackeys and ironically strangling one with an emergency air-mask. 

The key to this film is to not pay close attention to the plot. Five minutes after it's over, viewers won't remember a single villain's name and probably not even their motivations. Sure, Peter Sarsgaard (Orphan) is the main antagonist, but what was he trying to do? Money was involved, but who really cares? 

Knight and Day is balanced until the end, when it uncharacteristically gets much too romantic. Letting plot-holes build quickly in the final 10 minutes to ensure the film has its characters riding into the lovely sunset will leave many viewers with a bitter taste in their mouths.

Frustratingly, the screenplay also follows Hollywood's trendy environmentally-conscious focus to the letter — saying and meaning little but aiming for props for dealing with big issues. The somewhat convoluted Swiss cheese narrative is based around a perpetual energy producing battery that could solve the world's energy crisis.

Good job, screenwriters, you've mindlessly worked a hollow message into a film that can barely hold up its plot at face value.

But don't get too serious about all this, or else the movie will be treated just like Cruise is today by the public: overanalyzed. Then again, in this case, it really is the filmmakers' fault.

Knight and Day is a fun movie, so take it lightly, because there aren't any levels beneath that anyway. Basically, it is a better version of Brangelina's 2005 Mr. and Mrs. Smith. 

Grab some popcorn, grab somebody cute and go have a good time. Just don't jump up and down on anyone's chair — the film isn't that good and people have been known to heavily scrutinize others for such behavior. 

RATING: 3 stars out of 5

diversions@umdbk.com