Carell, Fey a comedic match made in heaven

“Date Night” is 2010′s first example of a popcorn flick that proudly settles on B-movie standards. Before the idea of the film is ever conceived, it’s no secret that Steve Carell and Tina Fey are a comedic match made in heaven. It’s like one of those scenarios where you just wonder how great the actors would be if they were in the same movie, and for that purpose alone the film is an utter success. Director Shawn Levy is no stranger to basic premises, and like his other projects, this one borrows several of its ideas from the romantic comedy stock. But what makes “Date Night” work so well in spite of its familiarity is the ingrained quality of its cast and how everything else just falls right into place.

The idea is pretty obvious. We’ve got a happily married couple on the latter side of 40 (or so) with two kids and a pair of demanding jobs. Their daily lives are so routine at this point, they have virtually no time to keep the romance in their marriage feeling fresh, and even when they do manage to have a good date night, it always ends on the same note: “why were we so hot for each other back then and not so much now?”

I’m not even going to elaborate on how many other romantic comedies have used this setup because even if I did, I’m sure that Shawn Levy would respond with a simple, “so what?” It’s a fair reaction from any director trying to maintain their work, but as we saw in “Just Married” and “Night at the Museum,” Levy has a good eye for talent and “Date Night” is by far his best work.

I knew when I first saw “Bruce Almighty” that there was something special to this nerdy-looking doofus named Steve Carell, and although I have still yet to educate myself on “The Office” phenomenon, I am well aware of what makes him such a zany character. When you combine this with Fey’s “30 Rock” expertise, what you have are two iconic jesters who simply can’t fall victim to the stereotype of a romantic comedy duo.

Carell and Fey play Phil and Claire Foster, a hard-working suburban couple that just needs something exciting to do in their otherwise boring married-lives. The opportunity comes when they visit a fancy restaurant in downtown Manhattan called “Claw” (catchy name, right?). They arrive with no reservations, but that’s no problem; “we’ll just fill in for the first couple that doesn’t show up.” After taking the party of two known as the “Tripplehorns,” it seems like a new range of fun has presented itself … until a pair of menacing-looking characters approach “the Tripplehorns” with a deadly proposition. From this point forward, “Date Night” turns into a spiraling swarm of comedic mishaps and chase sequences, all stemming from a simple case of mistaken identity.

What they say may come across as being mechanic to the flow of the genre, but like the movie itself, the actors are clearly enjoying themselves at every turn, and with notable performances from Ray Liotta, Mark Wahlberg and James Franco on the side, “Date Night” leaves nothing to waste in just 88 minutes. The arc of the storyline as I mentioned before, is nothing we haven’t seen already, and I certainly can’t reward anyone who predicts the concluding note of what it takes to make a real marriage work, but that’s not the point. This is what many of us critics like to call “just plain dumb fun.” Is it simple? Yes. Is it preposterous? Indeed. Is it still worth the price of a good date? You bet your ass!

Posted by Chris Moskaly on Apr 9 2010. Filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry