Date Night
(2010)An action-comedy about Claire and Phil Foster (Tina Fey and Steve Carell), a typical suburban couple whose lives – including their weekly date nights of dinner and a movie – have become routine. To reignite the marital spark, they visit a trendy Manhattan bistro where a case of mistaken identity turns their evening into the ultimate date night-gone-awry. But as Claire and Phil take their unexpected walk on the wild side, they begin to remember what made them so special together.
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Directed by Shawn Levy
Starring Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, Mila Kunis, Ray Liotta, Mark Ruffalo, Kristen Wiig, Taraji P. Henson
Written by Josh Klausner
On Demand, DVD & Blu-Ray
Available from 3 providers
Flicks Review
BY Andreas Heinemann Flicks Writer
Steve Carell and Tina Fey have reached the level of comic royalty thanks to their lead roles in The Office and 30 Rock respectively. Now they return to the big screen and pair up for the first time with this hybrid of middle-aged romcom and Hollywood action movie.
Fey and Carell both show why they are so highly regarded, bringing pitch-perfect comedic timing to their parts as they bounce material off each other like it’s the most natural thing in the world. The cast is fleshed out with a supporting crew of big names who nail their roles. There’s even a car chase scene so original and slickly executed that it rises above pastiche to provide an adrenaline-fueled sequence.
If the film has a flaw, it’s the way it can’t quite integrate Fey and Carell’s relationship sub-plot, from boring married couple to rejuvenated lovers, into the greater narrative. You can feel the laughs grind to a halt on the occasions where this theme is pushed. The action elements of the script also come close to imploding under the weight of their own convolutions near the big finale.
In spite of this, it’s a movie that should get a good reaction out of a wide range of viewers and would make an enjoyable date night of your own.
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Date Night
Didn't make any sense - a screwball comedy genre failing abysmally with irritating lead characters gurning at every opportunity and being hysterical instead of having any gags or any imagination. You're better off with the Man Who Knew Too Little to show how mistaken identity comedy is really done. Possibly one of the woporse comedies I have ever seen.
This was fantastic!! Laughed the ENTIRE way through the movie! Haven't done that in a long time!
Best Comedy I have seen in AGES!
it was utter utter rubbish!
anyone who thinks it's funny, must have had a frontal lobotomy, or have really really bad taste
waste of money and time
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The Press Reviews
67%
of critics recommend.
Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Carell and Fey are good company and work hard, but this is still a formulaic tale that will look most at home on the back of an airplane seat. In other words, A Shawn Levy Film. Full Review
These talented performers star in two of the wittiest, most sophisticated sitcoms on the air, but for this movie pairing they're stuck with an endlessly silly plot line and overblown physical mayhem that is instantly forgettable. The fact that they make it so funny nonetheless is a testament to their abilities. Full Review
Pulling in all sorts of directions, Date Night is held together by a terrific cast that make a little go a long, long way. Somewhere in all of this there was a seriously good movie. As it is, we have a seriously weird one. Full Review
They're Phil and Claire Foster - a NY husband and wife whose suburban lives have been besieged by the mundanities of two point four children; for whom each day is a series of routines - including their Date Night which sees them ordering the same dishes week in, week out. Full Review
An uncommonly engaging date movie. Full Review
Carell and Fey are two of America's best-loved comedy actors and a huge part of the appeal of Date Night lies in seeing these two comic actors sparking off each other. Full Review
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