Entertainment : From the Front row of the Balcony: \'Knight and Day\' is more comedy than thrills

Nobody, to paraphrase a quote attributed to H.M. Warner, wants to hear actors talk.

Harry Morris Warner — one of the movie-making Warner Brothers — was quoted thusly in 1927, as he talked about the latest new thing in movies: Talking picture shows.

Until that time, most movies were silent, but advances in technology were changing the way people would make, and see (and hear movies). Warner, in what was apparently one of those famous inaccurate predictions, expressed his view that people would prefer to see movies the way they always had — silently, with words printed on the screen.

I think of that quote often, but in a much different context than H.M. Warner meant.

"Nobody wants to hear actors talk."

I don't want to hear actors talk. I don't mean in the movies. I mean at any other time.

Tom Cruise, for example.

The Hollywood star saw his popularity decrease after a few very not-so-smart public comments, including a silly couch-jumping episode on the Oprah show and a pathetic attempt to explain away post-partum blues to Brooke Shields.

But after giving us a brief reprieve from public appearances and films following "MI-3," Tom Cruise is back on the big screen with Cameron Diaz in "Knight and Day."

One of America's most respected film critics, Kenneth Turan, devoted most of his review of "Knight and Day" to Tom Cruise's off-screen follies, and the apparent redemption he said he had seen in Cruise.

"We should put Oprah's couch away," Turan told his NPR audience.

I don't really care what happens to Oprah's couch, since I virtually never watch daytime TV. But it's OK me if anyone with a TV show decides to keep Tom Cruise off their couch or chair.

I say the same thing when I see Tom Cruise come on TV as I do most other actors: Click.

But back to the reason I have to mention Tom Cruise: "Knight and Day" opened Friday at the Palace.

Tom Cruise is a spy who goes by the name Roy Miller. He bumps into a Kansas native, June Havens, who is headed home to be a bridesmaid in her sister's wedding — and also to finish restoring a classic muscle car. June's carry-on luggage is filled with automotive parts.

The two keep bumping into each other until they get on the same flight. Thus begins a long and wild ride through several countries as June tries to figure out if Ray is really a spy, and if so, whose side he is on. June becomes an unwilling and at times suspicious partner in Miller's attempt to keep the prized possession, a very powerful tiny battery (yes a battery) out of the wrong hands.

Those of you who loved the Mission Impossible series (I didn't) will be in for a surprise with "Knight and Day."

This is more of a comedy than a spy thriller. The spy movie it reminded me of most was "Get Smart."

If you see "Knight and Day" as a silly, fun and mostly pointless comedy, it's pretty good. It offers lots of action, lots of pretty scenery and lots of great acting by Diaz. Cruise contributes a few good lines, but it's his partner who makes the movie worth seeing.

"Knight and Day" got bad reviews from people who don't like Tom Cruise, as well as people who wanted "Knight and Day" to be more like an "MI-4."

Rotten Tomatoes critics gave it a 52 percent "fresh" rating.

Why you should go: "Knight and Day" offers a breezy, easy-to-follow spy comedy with lots of fun.

My favorite part: "Someday is an evil word, because too often it's a code word for "Never."

What you should know before you go: Tom Cruise haters may recall that the last time they saw Tom in a car with Cameron Diaz (in "Vanilla Sky") his character ended up scarred for life and unable to remember how he got that way. (Spoiler alert) This does not happen in "Knight and Day." The movie is rated PG-13 mostly because of its its violence, including a slightly gory knife injury.