There are two film genres that have been, figuratively speaking, resting comfortably in public toilets for the last decade. These genres — horror and romantic comedy — have provided such disasters as the ever-growing “Saw” franchise and the star-studded, yet clumsily executed “Valentine’s Day.” They are genres that have been bogged down by tired formulas, hokey dialogue and shameful miscasting.
However, every once in a while audiences are graced with a gem such as the inventive “(500) Days of Summer” which demonstrates characters who are smart, likable and have more than a six word “I love you, I hate you” vocabulary.
Such traits can be found in Tina Fey and Steve Carell, two of Hollywood’s most successful comedians, in their new comedy “Date Night.” Here is a film that takes a generic formula and adds a relentless surge of charm and comic energy to spark some life into a dying genre.
Fey and Carell play Phil and Claire Foster, a sensible, middle-aged married couple with two kids, a fixed living routine and no time for excitement.
Living in suburban New Jersey, the overworked couple fears their marriage may have the same fate as their recently divorced friends Brad and Haley (Mark Ruffalo and Kristen Wing) if they do not break out of their dead-end cycle soon. In attempt to escape from their rut and add some spice to their weekly date night, the Fosters set out to a fancy seafood restaurant in Manhattan.
Much to their dismay, the restaurant is overbooked, persuading them to steal a reservation under the name “Triplehorn.” No sooner do they sit down before they are coerced to exit the restaurant by two corrupt cops (Common and Jimmi Simpson) who work for an even more corrupt Mafia Lord (Ray Liotta) and sex-crazed District Attorney (William Fichtner). Now held at gunpoint, the Fosters are mistaken for Taste (James Franco) and Whippit (Mila Kunis), a dim-witted thief and his yakkity stripper girlfriend who use the name “Triplehorn” as an alias to secure a flash drive with rather compromising contents.
After a comically performed exit strategy, the Fosters are on the run, enduring car crashes, shoot outs and bitter New York residents. Now, with their combined brain power and the help of a shirtless and tech-savvy Mark Wahlberg, the Fosters may be able to solve the crime and make it home in time to tuck in the kiddos.
As with “30 Rock” and “The Office,” Fey and Carell score comic gold in this action-packed romantic comedy. Here is a film that will satisfy both male and female parties on a date, supplying them with smarts, humor, romance and adventure.
While the narrative is very similar to films such as Scorsese’s “After Hours” and the more recent “The Bounty Hunter,” the chemistry between Fey and Carell is really the life of the party. Such gifted comic performers, Fey and Carell create characters that are not only humorous, but also engaging and involving.
The film also makes good use of its supporting players, with Wiig, Kunis, Franco and Wahlberg garnering more than just a few laughs. The film, while conventional, manages to keep things moving and does not take itself too seriously.
This is a perfectly adequate alternative to the heap of dung that usually inhabits this genre. Sharp, witty and fast-paced, “Date Night” is a trip audiences will enjoy taking.
Showtimes
Hollywood Theaters- Spotlight 14
1100 N. Interstate Drive, Norman
1:15, 1:50, 4, 4:35, 6:45, 7:15, 9:20 and 10 p.m.
Moore Warren Theatre
1000 S. Telephone Rd., Moore
1:15, 2:15, 3:40, 5, 6:15, 7:25, 9 and 10 p.m.
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billyadams 2 years, 1 month ago
Just a quick note, the actress who played Haley Sullivan is Kristen Wiig, not Wing.
cineman69 2 years, 1 month ago
billyadams:
Atleast he spelled it right in the last paragraph. Looks like he knows who she is, but made a slight typo. The editor of the section should have caught that error. That is his job, you know. Dont blame the author. Instead of calling petty things to people's attention, how about saying something more constructive, like what you thought of the review as a whole and not just a single misspelled word. What were you trying to do, make the author feel bad?