Rating of
2.5/4
Great Film For A Date
MovieMike - wrote on 12/22/11
After the somewhat disappointing ‘Bounty Hunter’, it seemed like tempting fate to check out the new release ‘Date Night’ with Tina Fey and Steve Carell. Like I said previously, actual date movies seem to be too far and between, so why not give it a go? Turned out to be a better call than I hoped for.
Directed by Shawn Levy (who also gave us the ‘Night At The Museum’ franchise and ‘Cheaper By The Dozen’), ‘Date Night’ is anything but predictable. Mixing comedy and a little couple’s introspection, the film manages to avoid being boring, and offers a number of genuine laughs without resorting to buffoonery.
Fey and Carell play Phil and Claire Foster, a couple who’s relationship has become mundane and are both beaten down by the daily grind. In an attempt to break this tiring cycle, they venture out to a trendy restaurant in Manhattan. On a whim they pretend to be a couple that obviously failed to show for their own reserved table at the upscale eatery. Because of the purloined identities, the Foster’s proceed to get tangled up with a pair of crooked cops, a shadowy special ops agent (a very buff looking Mark Wahlberg), a very frightened cab driver, and a dirty District Attorney.
I’ve liked Fey since her early SNL days – well before her more notable Palin spoofs. Her role here as the every-day Mom type is well served. While Carell can normally be seen serving up laughs on ‘The Office’, he manages to give us a character that is just different enough (less of the clueless behavior, more of the laughable attempts at toughness) to keep from being a rehash.
There are cameo appearances by the aforementioned Wahlberg, Ray Liotta, James Franco, and Mila Kunis. Liotta plays a mob boss, but his role here is quite limited. Franco and Kunis are a riot as the couple the Foster’s impersonated. Like most movies, there are a few implausible parts to the story line, but the crooked DA character seems almost lifted from recent headlines, and Levy manages to give us a car chase that has a unique twist.
While ‘Date Night’ probably won’t score any Golden Globes or Oscars, it is still pretty good fun – and yes, it makes for an enjoyable date night of your own!
