Rating: * * *
Verdict: A mishmash of comedy and action, but Fey and Carell deliver on laughs.
Tina Fey and Steve Carell strut their comedic abilities by taking this far-fetched story and turning it into an enjoyable laugh-out-loud comedy.
At 88 minutes, Date Night is short, sharp light entertainment filled with great quips, a solid cast, and a few absurdly funny moments. Carell and Fey do their best to make the material feel fresh through their impeccable comedic timing, onscreen chemistry and, no doubt, ad-libbing.
It is, however, not all riotously funny. At times the scripting is average, and the gags predictable. Watching a nice married couple from the burbs talk their way into a strip club and then do an impromptu performance is more cringeworthy than funny. It is scenes like this, combined with an underwhelming ending, which makes Date Night a touch uneven, in particular when there is plenty of high-speed action thrown into the comedy mix as well.
Fey and Carell are Claire and Phil Foster, a typical couple with two kids and busy jobs. Life is full of routine and exhaustion, and when some good friends decide out of the blue to divorce, the Fosters decide it's time to spice up their weekly date night.
Being spontaneous, Phil insists on taking Claire to a flash Manhattan bistro, and since they don't have a reservation, they pretend to be the Tripplehorns, a couple who have failed to turn up for their table. And that's one of the best things about Date Night, plenty of married couples with kids will relate to Clare and Phil's story, particularly with Carell and Fey coming across as very normal.
From this point on though the story turns into pure fantasy. Thanks to a case of mistaken identity, the Fosters' evening descends into a nightmare as it turns out the Tripplehorns are wanted by a variety of gangster types. Abduction, car chases, shootouts, and run-ins with dodgy law enforcement agents - and a topless Mark Wahlberg - ensue as after dinner entertainment.
It might be unrealistic, forgettable, and the mistaken identity routine has been done plenty of times before, but it provides lighthearted escapism for babysitter employers everywhere. Date Night is perfect date night material.
Cast: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, James Franco
Director: Shawn Levy
Running time: 88 mins
Rating: M (Offensive Language & Sexual References)
