Ever had one small, harmless white lie cause an utterly disastrous situation, causing you to wonder, “How in the world did I end up like this?”
“Date Night” captures an extreme predicament caused by one little lie from Phil (Steve Carell) and Claire Foster (Tina Fey), a self-proclaimed “boring couple from New Jersey.”
The Fosters enjoy a once-a-week date night outside the house away from their two children, but it’s evident that their date night has become routine and boring. When a couple close to the Fosters announces their divorce, it raises questions about their own marriage.
Startled to see Claire unexpectedly dressed up for the next date night, Phil decides to take her out for a fancy dinner in Manhattan. Claire protests, arguing the city is too far away, but is secretly thrilled to see Phil excited and taking initiative.
Dinner starts out on a sour note when Phil takes Claire to one of the hottest places in Manhattan on a Friday evening without a reservation. While waiting, Claire tries to convince Phil to go elsewhere, but he stubbornly refuses. Much to Claire’s initial dismay, Phil takes an apparent no-show’s reservation, but the two start to enjoy a lovely dinner, drinking and laughing without worrying about the kids, work or the house.
When two men suddenly escort them out, the Fosters assume it’s because of the stolen reservation; however, their gunpoint demand to turn over a flash drive quickly reveals that the Fosters have been confused for another couple – the one whose reservation they took.
The night progresses to a complete nightmare as the couple battles and blunders through New York, trying to track down the couple whose reservation they stole. The two are quickly forced to put aside any issues and work together to come out alive.
Whether being part of a high-speed chase or pole dancing at a club, Carell (“The Office”) and Fey’s (“30 Rock”) characters expectedly make the film entertaining, no matter what the situation.
Carell and Fey do have incredible chemistry together, and I look forward to seeing them grow together in future projects.
It was interesting to see James Franco and Mark Walberg both playing minor roles, yet adding significant humor and twists to the film. Walberg easily embodies a tough, wealthy stud/nerd figure, whom Claire has apparently fallen for sometime during their acquaintance. Franco convincingly pulls off a cameo performance as a dumb, redneck criminal character, which prior to this film, I never could have pictured him doing.
While the action/drama part of the plot is utterly unbelievable, the film is entertaining and also sweet. The film incorporates serious elements of relationships, acknowledging that marriage isn’t easy and isn’t about the individuals.
As the film progresses, Phil and Claire express their fears, realize they need to be honest with one another and then begin to learn to work together: Phil learns to appreciate Claire’s hard work, and Claire learns to trust Phil and let him make plans. The two eventually come to realize they’re not simply good roommates; as Phil tells Claire at the end of the movie, “I’d do it [our lives together] all again.”
My only real complaint about the film was that it simply seemed to be lacking something. Maybe I set the bar too high because of Carell and Fey’s talents, but I kept expecting something brilliant or absolutely hysterical, and I never saw that.
I’m not sure that Fey and Carell were much funnier than Fey and Amy Poehler in “Baby Mama.” All three are talented comedians and are great at tag teaming, but their gifts may be more improv than script acting.
Although I found myself laughing every few minutes, I kept wanting more out of both Carell and Fey. Whether it’s “The Office” or “30 Rock,” both are just so witty and talented with improv and off-the-cuff acting, so I naturally thought combining them would double the laughs. Instead, perhaps the combination limited them too much by tying them down to a script. (If you see this film, stay for the bloopers and outtakes during the credits and perhaps you’ll further understand what I mean.)
Overall, I liked how the film managed to be humorous while including serious elements. While there are some cliché and illogical moments, “Date Night” still managed to impart a message to the audience while still being funny.