Review: Date Night
My Rating: 3 bites [out of 5]
In Short: Don’t let that mediocre trailer fool you—Date Night is both and sweet and very funny, granting a perfect showcase for two of our absolute best comic actors. If anything, it’ll make for a pleasant diversion before the oncoming rush of huge summer films. [full review after the jump]
Full Review: I’ll keep this short and sweet, just like this film. However stupid and silly the trailer may have made it look, Date Night ended up really surprising me. It’s funny pretty much throughout its entire running time, with, best of all, a warm and heartfelt character-based story at its center.
Phil and Claire Foster (The Office and 30 Rock’s comedy giants, Steve Carell and Tina Fey) are a mild-mannered, likable couple who decide to spice up their weekly “date night” by dining out at a trendy New York hotspot. Unable to get a last-minute table, they end up stealing another couple’s reservation…and then chaos – involving mobsters, crooked cops, wild car chases, and a shirtless Mark Whalberg – ensues.
Although things get pretty goofy from there, I actually found myself charmed by the plot turns, even as the night took the most insane turns. The film’s enjoyment value really rests on the dependable and always improv-ready shoulders of Fey and Carell. They ground the wackiness with an actual believability – you instantly accept that these are two regular people who just want to go home, who are in way, way over their heads. And, of course, the two comedy stalwarts make an adorable married couple – they work so well together, riff so easily off one another’s rhythms (his: deadpan reactions, hers: instant quips and witty one-liners) that I hope this isn’t the last time they work together.
The film’s structure also gives way to a revolving door of essentially one-scene cameos, many by some very recognizable names. I don’t want to spoil them (that’s half the fun), but, since the trailer already gave one away, I’d say Mila Kunis and James Franco (who were comedy magic together once before) made the most hilarious impression with their takes on the trashy, weirdly sensitive, low-life couple…the very ones whose reservation sets off the night’s events. Of the rest of the cast (with what little screen time they have), I’d single out Mark Whalberg, an underrated comic actor to begin with (see: I Heart Huckabees—not a good film by any means, but a performance that should have gotten him his first Oscar nomination before The Departed) who nicely underplays as the suave, tech specialist, and whose chronic shirtless-ness gives Carell (and a lovestruck Fey) one of the best moments in the film.
But, as mentioned before, all of the cameos and awkward actions scenes (at least for our heroes) wouldn’t matter if we weren’t rooting so much for Phil and Claire Foster. Through this entire ordeal, they rediscover not so much the spark in their marriage (that was there all along; they just didn’t quite see it), but rather how much they mean to one another, how valuable they are to each other as partners in whatever madness ensues (be it having a family…or surviving a ridiculous case of mistaken identity). Carell, in particular, so talented that he makes being funny look effortless, continues to show his strengths as an offbeat leading man (just as he did with Get Smart and Dan in Real Life). He has a gift for sincerity, for making bizarre situations and lines that may be disgustingly sweet in other hands, come off natural and lovely. Fey, too, is a comedienne whose talent shouldn’t be overlooked; the entire film is a partnership (just like the marriage at its core), and it would never have worked if one of the actors wasn’t up to par.
Did the film really need all the action and shooting and stunt work? (even though there’s a car chase in the middle that might be worth the ticket price alone. It needs to be seen for its ingenuity, as a kind of Jason Bourne-style craziness gone even more haywire) Probably not, and the film occasionally steps in to territory that’s too juvenile and lowbrow, at least compared to the rest of the movie. But Fey and Carell are so good in their roles, and the entire ride so unexpectedly pleasant, that I didn’t mind the occasional flaws.
In the end, it’s refreshing to see a love story that feels genuine (and a middle-aged one at that), even if the central couple was married to begin with. With barely any fancy speeches, these two end up having a more romantic and realistic relationship than pasty, angsty tweens could ever dream of. I could understand saving this one for a rental, but I think many people will be surprised by this film, just like me. Even with some script flaws (and the much superior story of a boy and his dragon, probably playing in the theater next door), I doubt you’ll find as many laughs and a more appealing couple to spend two hours with.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox.
the script of the boy and his dragon was too amazing.
ReplyDeletebut date night i do want to see