Thanks for checking out our Date Night review.
Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Shawn Levy
Staring: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, Jimmy Simpson, Common
Released: April 9, 2010
THE GENERAL IDEA
Phil and Claire Foster (Carell and Fey) are stuck in a rut. They’re still in love but they’re secretly afraid the other will file for divorce at any moment due to their dreary lifestyle. Determined to break out of their funk, Phil and Claire go for a date night in the city. As they hopelessly wait for a table at a completely booked restaurant, Phil decides they should take the table of an absent party, the Tripplehorns (James Franco and Mila Kunis). Unfortunately, the Tripplehorns are mixed up in some bad business and a case of mistaken identity forces Phil and Claire to run for their lives and get off the hook before they get whacked by mobsters and dirty cops.
THE GOOD
Tina Fey and Steve Carell are just comic timing genius. They are basically playing their characters from 30Rock and The Office – but not quite. Still its amazing to see these two work together. Everything that works in this movie is because they are in this. Every scene works because these two know how to play off each other. I would love to have been on set to see the improving that went on to make this, but they would probably ask me to leave after my diet soda came out of my nose.
Everyone else in this film is just window dressing for these two.
The pacing of the film works well as their hectic circumstances lead them from one silly scene to another (that stripper pole scene was just awesome) and it keeps the movie racing along while still delivering the laughs.
THE BAD
There were a few moments where they stop trying to be so crazy to address that silly premise of an emotional stagnant thing and when they pause to address that, it just seems like they are reminding us that they are in love and its just not neccessary. It was clear at the beginning that even though they got all stale and routine in their relationship that they were not really unhappy, they were just worried the other person would be. Addressing that in the movie gives a hiccup to the already great pacing. It was forced, and awkward. You could have left that scene on the cutting room floor and it wouldn’t have changed the film at all.
The supporting cast and the people they encounter truely are just window dressing. Without people to talk to, the movie just wouldnt make any sense, but I just didnt care about ANYONE else but these two. Probably not a bad thing, but when they are doing such a good job, its just icing on the cake when the supporting cast wow’s you too. And they didnt.
OVERALL
A very funny film, and an adventure in silliness. Its a little predictable in the plot/premise, but nothing that happens in the movie is predictable which makes it a lot of fun to live through.
Go see this movie. Its a riot.
I give Date Night a 8 out of 10
