‘Date Night’
3 Stars out of 5
Have you ever wanted to see a mash-up of “The Out of Towners,” “National Lampoon’s Vacation” and “Baby’s Day Out” starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell? Me too! Alas, “Date Night” is not quite that movie, but it sure attempts to be.
From director Shawn “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” Levy, “Date Night” is a decently fun film that is completely carried by its two leads – Steve Carell and Tina Fey—who despite the pedestrian script and hackneyed action sequences, make the film watchable because of their chemistry. They really are a perfectly matched couple/screen-duo. Too bad the material in “Date Night” doesn’t live up to their capabilities.
Steve “Evan Almighty” Carell and Tina “Baby Mama” Fey play Phil and Claire Foster, a bored but happy New Jersey couple who, after leaving their two kids with the greedy babysitter, decide to forgo the weekly tradition of date night people-watching at a local steakhouse for a trip to a fancy New York City restaurant—aptly named “Claw.” Unfortunately for the Fosters—but convenient for the screenwriter—they forgot to call about a reservation. To remedy the situation—and to try to save his marriage—Phil decides to claim another couple’s reservation. As you probably guessed—bad move. The reservation belonged to a couple that was in trouble with a crime boss and the Fosters are soon being chased around Manhattan because of mistaken identity.
The film starts off well enough with the Foster’s life together being explored for its banality. Their neighbors and book club buddies are splitting up because they have come to the point in their lives where they are “just really great roommates.” Phil’s actions throughout the film are a reaction to his fear of becoming just a roommate with his wife, which gives a bit of gravity to the absurd action and events. Carell is quite good here and is superior to Fey. I was beginning to worry about Carell after the lame “Evan Almighty” and the sub-par “Get Smart.” Unfortunately, his next film is called “Dinner with Schmucks” and looks even worse than it sounds.
Fey is decent as Claire but her main problem is that she is still not yet at the acting level of a comedic film star. Her style is still stuck in the more self-aware and winking TV sketch comedy. For an extreme example of the TV sketch mode, check out Kristen “SNL” Wiig’s scene in “Date Night,” that is excruciating and unfunny because she is basically crying out “look at me! I am funny.” Good comedy actors never show that emotion. Fey does have some true comedic skills, but this film doesn’t use them to their full effect.
The movie should also have focused more on the journey itself and not the action. The best parts of the movie were when it slowed down and allowed the actors to really engage each other, as in a scene in which they return to the restaurant to retrieve some information. One of the most fun scenes in the movie was when the Fosters confront the real couple—played by James “Pineapple Express” Franco and Mila “That 70’s Show” Kunis—whose reservation they stole.
The film is fun and clipping along at a steady pace until the Fosters arrive at Holbrooke’s apartment—played by a shirtless and bored Mark Wahlberg—who is, conveniently, an expert in international security operations. Even worse, Wahlberg is given nothing to do besides sitting on a couch, shirtless. And to make matters worse, they return later to have another flat, lifeless scene with him!
The story—which was flimsy to begin with—completely fell apart at the climax. For those who have seen it, think about what Carell says to Fey at the rooftop scene about his plan. It makes no logical sense! How could he have done that without his wife finding out?
The trailer for “Date Night” fell victim to one of the most annoying trends in movies in that it shows pretty much the entire film. It shows the set-up, the chase, the encounters with other characters and it even shows part of the climax of the film. It also spoils some of the best jokes in the movie. I personally didn’t laugh more than a couple of times throughout the movie; the bloopers during the credits were the only time I laughed out loud. I had a smile on my face and had a pleasant time. “Date night” would have been better if they had a more talented director and screenwriters who allowed the leads to improve.
The cinematography looks cheap and lifeless. You can tell it was filmed with some new fancy digital hand-held camera, as the film looks similar to Michael Mann’s bloated and pompous “Public Enemies.”
Let’s face facts; Carell and Fey carry this movie, on their backs, up a steep hill of mediocrity. “Date Night” works as a comedy of the week for a—ahem—date movie. But other than that it is very forgettable. There are not many jokes and the ones that do work will probably not hold up on multiple viewings. “Date Night” will soon take its place among the underwhelming forgettable star-vehicle comedies like “Funny People,” “Along Came Polly,” and any Eddie Murphy movie from the last ten years. If you are on a date and have to choose between “Clash of the Titans” and “Date Night,” unless your date loves Greek mythology and men in skirts and braids, chose the latter.