Making one of the best on screen couples in recent memory, Tina Fey and Steve Carell bring the laughs in the brainless but funny DATE NIGHT.
Phil and Claire Foster (Carell and Fey) have hit a marriage wall—one marked by routine. While they love one another and their two kids, they have become more roommates than actual mates. Their regular date nights have become ho-hum—dinner and a movie just isn’t cutting it. In order to spice things up, they venture from their suburban confines and into the dark and dangerous city. When they take a dinner reservation belonging to another couple, they get more excitement than they bargained for. Mobsters and dirty cops are soon in hot pursuit. And a shirtless Mark Wahlberg may be the Foster’s only hope.
DATE NIGHT is not a smart movie. But it is a funny one. When the focus is on the Fosters’ attempts to spice up their flagging marriage, it works. But the action subplot is straight out of the 1980s—cheesy and low on credibility. Like a light less arty version of Martin Scorsese’s AFTER HOURS (1985) and certainly reminiscent of that 1970 Jack Lemmon film THE OUT OF TOWNERS, DATE NIGHT will provide solid date night entertainment.
In addition to the excellent leads, DATE NIGHT has a terrific supporting cast. Mark Ruffalo and Kristen Wiig are funny as another disillusioned couple. And at the other end of the economic spectrum, James Franco plays a tattooed criminal type battling his stripper mate played by a foul mouthed Mila Kunis. Ray Liotta is typically strong playing another mobster as part of the cheesy subplot. Mark Wahlberg makes maximum use of his chiseled body playing it cool in his scenes and producing big laughs. Of the ensemble cast, Taraji P. Henson comes off best playing a tough detective who comes to the Fosters’ aid.
Movies like DATE NIGHT will never go out of style. But with a subplot this forgettable, it will not likely leave a memorable impression.
