Film Review

“Date Night,” a Comedic Look at Marriage in the 21st Century
Is your daily routine repetitive and boring? Do you feel as though you and your spouse are stuck in a rut? Then you will certainly be able to relate with the couple in “Date Night”. This film looks at the life of an average American married couple from New Jersey who needs to spice up their love life. What ensues is a complicated and sometimes entertaining plot line that, if nothing else, will make you and your spouse look at your relationship from a whole other angle.
Directed by Shawn Levy, who also directed comedies like, “Just Married,” and “Cheaper by the Dozen,” “Date Night,” is his newest film that takes a deeper look at marriage in modern times. Claire and Phil Foster (Tina Fey and Steve Carell) each become subconsciously concerned with their own marriage when they find out their best friends are getting a divorce. So, when their weekly date night comes around they resolve to make it out of the ordinary. They drive into N.Y.C. and take another couple’s reservation at a swanky new restaurant.
Unfortunately for the Foster’s they stole the wrong reservation. The Tripplehorns, the couple whose reservation the Foster's stole, turn out to be a couple who supposedly stole a flash drive from the mobster Joe Miletto (Ray Liotta). What ensues is a cat and mouse hunt by Miletto’s right hand guys as the Foster’s try to evade the mobsters while simultaneously finding the Tripplehorns (Mila Kunis and James Franco) so they can retrieve the flash drive and resolve the issue.
While the plot line seems entertaining enough, the driving factor that takes away from the film is the seemingly trying-too-hard script. Carell and Fey are comedic genious’s that the overscripting actually seems to lessen their credibility. They fit their roles with ease and naturalness but the audience can tell when the script tries too hard.
An example: Claire and Phil are sitting on the subway and Claire begins saying, “Honey, if I’m going to get wacked off…” and Phil jumps in and says, “we might get bumped off, but we’re not going to get wacked off.” It is clear to the audience that the scene is created in an attempt to make a good joke, but the joke is not funny, nor plausible. Fey and Carell are entertaining enough that when bad jokes are put in it truly takes away from the content and reduces the integrity of the otherwise seasoned and on point actors.
Aside from the script that falls flat the rest of the film on a whole makes an important comment on marriage today. With more marriages failing than succeeding in our society, this film, through the use of comedy, looks at why so many of those marriages fail. Both parents work, neither has time for each other never mind themselves, there is constant chaos, and no time to appreciate one another. It is no wonder why marriages fail. And that’s exactly why this film can be seen as an important part of today’s film industry. If nothing else it may make couples realize that other couples are dealing with the same issues as them and that there are things that can be done to save a marriage.
Carell and Fey were cast flawlessly into the role of Phil and Claire Foster to make us take a closer look at our own relationships. The film certainly has its classic moments but the driving accomplishment behind the film is the statement it makes about the difficulties of marriage in the 21st century.
Rated: PG-13
Some explicit language and drug references
Twentieth Century Fox Films
Target Publication: Entertainment Weekly