Review: Date Night

Rodney 11 Comments

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

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  • http://arifr06.student.ipb.ac.id ardhan

    it’s sound funny, i wanna see it soon :D

  • http://tric06.student.ipb.ac.id utari

    wanna watch this movie..

  • http://mutiarar06.student.ipb.ac.id mutiara

    It’s a funny movie, Fey and Carell are charismatic comedians who have amazing chemistry together.

  • http://www.reelfan.blogspot.com Alice

    I would give it about a 6 — and that’s only out of respect for Fey and Carell. It seemed to me that the screenwriters lost their collective nerve, so it was funny, not that funny; suspenseful, but not that suspenseful. Seemed a shame, if they’d let their marquee stars stretch their comic muscles a little, it could have been a classic.

  • Kevin C

    My wife and I saw this and thought it was great. Not laugh out loud the whole time, but consistent laughs throughout. I think what made it work is that The Fosters werent unhappy, but they were afraid that they might be if a couple they new and thought were happy wasnt. I think that was the whole point. They are happy and only began to question it when they saw their friends werent. Its classic paranoia.

    I thought the taxi scene was absolutley hilarious by the way. The thing that put this movie over the top for me was Fey and Carrells chemistry. You totally buy that they are a couple and the whole “whats the story” game was charming and funny. They are exactly what a normal funny couple is like and thats why all the situations they found themselves in were so funny. I loved it and agree with Rodney on the 8/10 grade.

  • Harsh (gypsydreams101)

    I thought the film was just about ok. Funny in bits and pieces but an overall “blah” experience.

    Steve Carell and Tina Fey are AWESOME, though, totally agree with you there…..

    But I disagree where you say the supporting cast are all pointless-I thought the Franco-Kunis segment was AMAZING…..”you really are far from home, aren’t you?”…..haha, that was insane :-D

    On the flipside, Marky Mark was just weird. The “put on your shirt” gag just went on and on and on, there was no need for that to run for so long. And Common and that other guy could just about’ve been played by anybody. Common needs some sense.

    It was ok…..they hyped up the cliches, the black taxi driver, the pricey babysitter, the unruly, irritating kids, the practiced-sex-after-marriage-routine……they served no purpose. Sure, they established the characters, but I’d definitely have wanted to see some greater monotony or greater issues in their lives (like you said, Rodney, they didn’t seem all the unhappy).

    Taraji P Henson was great as ever, but why her? After Benjamin Button this is all she could show up in? Strange.

    I’d give it around a 5 on 10.

  • Justin

    I’m sick of Tina Fey playing the same character in like every movie she’s in and this one doesn’t look any different.

    Steve Carrell is starting to go down that path as well and that’s sad because I find him really funny.

    I still have yet to laugh at a single joke I’ve seen in the 17 different versions of the trailer that’s been playing non stop the last month or so.

  • 420BAND

    Oh the Hot’s there. She’s got something and she’s funny as well.

    maYbee its the scar on her mouth?

    or the Palin vibe is still floatin’ around

    • Ken

      Yea indeed Something about Tina is Hot.
      I was chalking it up to the Palin vibe bit aswell.

  • Roman

    Is it just me or is Fey hot in this movie? Wierd attractions aside i think my wife and i are gonna check this out after seeing this decent review. Comedies like this are best scene with people because humor is contagious and since i’m not affraid to laugh out loud I think this will be a good time.

    • http://www.thestub.ca Rodney

      I too find something terribly hot about Tina Fey.

      She plays it down a lot and she has a quirky presence, but there is some hot in there.