When you put Tina Fey and Steve Carell together in a film you expect it to be funny. Date Night, while it won’t set the comedy world alight, doesn’t disappoint. Yes the plot is predictable and the jokes aren’t particularly edgy, but considering the standard of American comedies recently, especially those with excellent comedians attached, Date Night isn’t half bad.
Claire (Fey) and Phil Foster (Carell) are a busy married couple with kids whose scheduled date nights have lost their romance. When a couple in their book club (Kristen Wiig and Mark Ruffalo) decide to divorce, citing the banality of their relationship, Claire and Phil begin to worry that they too are stuck in a runt. Breaking their usual date cycle, they venture into Manhattan, leaving the familiarity of suburban New Jersey. When they take someone else’s reservation at a pretentious restaurant, and are mistaken for a couple who are blackmailing a mobster (a very orange Ray Liotta), adventure ensues.
Following the tried and tested scenario of mistaken identity resulting in high jinx, the film is peppered with satisfying cameos that prop up an increasingly silly plot. James Franco and Mila Kunis are great as the real criminal couple, getting some of the best and most risqué lines. Mark Wahlberg is suitable eye-candy as a security advisor with a hint of the 007s, who helps Claire and Phil evade their corrupt cop pursuers (Common and Jimmi Simpson).
Fey and Carell, thanks to their similar comedic styles, make a pleasing partnership on screen. Both excellent ad-libbers, the full extent of their abilities can be enjoyed during the film’s closing credits. While the directing skills of Shawn Levy (Cheaper by the Dozen, Just Married) are questionable, this likeable pairing keeps the film afloat.
Date Night is really a self-fulfilling prophecy; its broad appeal making it exactly the kind of movie couples go see. While the film’s more honest moments about marriage and kids may cause some nervous giggling, for most this film will live up to requirements. It is just entertaining enough and just short enough (88 minutes) for easy cinema viewing.
3/5
