Review: Date Night

Date Night

OPENING: 04/09/2010

STUDIO: Fox

RUN TIME:88 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

Opening Statement
Steve Carell and Tina Fey have been providing laughs on their respective back-to-back NBC sitcoms The Office and 30 Rock for years. Now, the two get a chance to appear onscreen together in the new flick Date Night. The result is a film less entertaining than the television shows they star in, but nonetheless a reasonably appealing way to spend 88 minutes.

Facts of the Case
Carell and Fey play Phil and Claire Foster, an ordinary married couple with two young children. The Fosters have slipped into a somewhat humdrum routine, so one night Phil and Claire decide to spice things up by going to an expensive restaurant in the heart of New York City. Unfortunately, they’re unable to get a reservation. Unwilling to let this setback ruin their romantic evening, Phil steals the reservation of an absent couple named the Tripplehorns. A bit unethical, but at least they’ll get a table. Alas, it seems that the real Tripplehorns are in trouble with some very unsavory characters, leading to a very unpleasant case of mistaken identity for the Fosters. Suddenly, Phil and Claire find themselves on the run from dangerous hit men, searching frantically for the real Tripplehorns and a mysterious flash drive that can put an end to the whole situation.

The Evidence
I couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment when I noticed that “Date Night” was directed by Shawn Levy, whose financially successful but artistically flat comedies have never really impressed me. Levy’s films (which include Night at the Museum, the remake of The Pink Panther and the remake of Cheaper by the Dozen) generally offer overbearing slapstick comedy fused to rather clumsy plotting. That’s also the case with Date Night, but fortunately the two leads manage to overcome the material and generate some genuine warmth and humor.

Some of the film’s best moments occur during the first 20 minutes or so, when we spend some time getting to know the Fosters. These moments have laughs of a fairly low-key sort; little observations of a marriage that do a nice job of drawing us into the film and setting up the characters. Fey and Carell play off each other in such a natural, comfortable manner that it’s very easy for us to believe that they’re a real married couple. There’s an amusing bedroom scene that in which the tentative desire for intimacy is overwhelmed by weariness and a general lack of romantic mood.

Once the plot kicks in and the silliness starts, we’re able to enjoy what happens because we care about Phil and Claire… and because they still feel like credible characters even when the movie jumps off the rails. Phil’s an accountant and Claire’s a realtor; neither party is going to develop advanced combat skills (nor do they transform into wacky comic stereotypes, for that matter). The film also graciously allows for a few scenes in which the action slows down and we get some touching moments of honesty between the two leads. The movie lives up to its premise of being a comedy about a married couple that gets into a crazy situation, which is something worth considering.

There are a number of colorful supporting players (including a heavily tattooed James Franco, a constantly shirtless Mark Wahlberg and a typically seething Ray Liotta), along with a handful of action scenes (including an overlong car chase), but pretty much everything in the film outside the two central characters is either generic stuff that we’ve seen hundreds of times before or unique stuff that just fails to generate any interest despite its unique nature. Mark Wahlberg as a shirtless ex-military playboy is an amusing starting point, but that’s pretty much the extent of the joke. Levy also has a somewhat obnoxious manner of over-accentuating the foreshadowing he does in the film, offering close-ups of people, things or places that will be Of Great Importance later.

Closing Statement
Did I like the film? Sure, because I liked Fey and Carell. But I’m partial to liking the two of them anyway, because I find them refreshing, genuine comedic talents and exceptional actors. Otherwise, there’s just not much to write home about. If you’ve got nothing better to do, you could do worse than Date Night.

6/10

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