Movie with Abe: Date Night

Date Night
Directed by Shawn Levy
Released April 9, 2010

As posters for this film suggest, the big excitement behind it is the chance to unite NBC’s superstar actors Steve Carrell and Tina Fey in the same movie. The anchors of “The Office” and “30 Rock” team up in what starts as a chronicle of the boring lives of one married couple and ends up being a whacked adventure ride. It’s perhaps a bit too off-the-wall and unfettered for its own good, and might have worked better if it had allowed its stars to use their natural talents instead of forcing them into a hyperactive situation which relies on the moment to be funny instead of giving the actors free reign to do what they do best.

Instead of a more relaxed comedy scenario like each start has been in before, like “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” for Carrell and “Baby Mama” for Tina Fey, the two stars are thrust into a sort of action-comedy without much action to speak of where they’re constantly on the run from forces out of their control and desperate to find a clever way to outsmart their pursuers while at the same time becoming closer and renewing the romance of their marriage. The plot is exactly the kind of inane story that belongs in this kind of movie, which isn’t really a compliment. It’s ripe with plenty of corruption, cheesy villains, implausible scenarios, and silliness to detract from its potential. Carrell and Fey both ham it up but it doesn’t quite work because each is alternately trying to play the straight man, and it’s somewhat off-balance as a result.

This is a film that should be funnier but seems held back by a desire to stay tame and safe. When Carrell’s Phil Foster finally spits out a four-letter word, it’s a time for joy and celebration, as if he’s been holding it back for the whole movie and is finally ready to release his inner badass. Director Shawn Levy’s resume includes family-friendly fare like “Night at the Museum” and “Cheaper by the Dozen,” and he seems ill-equipped to handle the “that’s what she said” level of humor regularly practiced by the actors in question. That’s not to say that both Carrell and Fey should be relegated to the roles they’re currently performing on television, but rather that they have a bright future that includes less limited options. To its credit, the film does get much funnier towards the end, and it it’s still an enjoyable experience. It didn’t need to be an R-rated romp, but maybe just a film that took a bit more advantage of its PG-13 rating.

B-

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Date Night

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Date Night – Opening April 9, 2010



There’s enough reason to be excited for this movie before even seeing a trailer: it brings together the two people who really brought back NBC’s Must-See TV Thursday night. Steve Carrell is the undisputed star of “The Office,” and I’ve always considered Tina Fey to be the true lead of “30 Rock.” Before Alec Baldwin had two Emmys and three Golden Globes spouting “Best Actor in a Leading Role,” I had always considered him a supporting actor. More importantly, though, Fey works behind-the-scenes as a writer of the show. Unfortunately, Fey didn’t pen this film (her last and only film screenwriting credit was “Mean Girls”), but she should have a grand chance to show off the acting comedy chops she has demonstrated time and again on the four seasons of her hit TV show. Carrell should have no problem either, and he also proved his action-comedy abilities as the strongest part of “Get Smart,” but the question is: which one is the straight man? Fey usually plays that part, but it’s hard to decide which one of them is more of an oddball. But on to the movie! I was very surprised when I saw the trailer after hearing about this movie that it wasn’t a straight comedy a la “Knocked Up.” Instead, it’s an action comedy flick that, while still certainly emphasizing the latter, features killers and dangers aplently. In a sense that’s a relief because its something wildly original that doesn’t just depend, or worse, fall back on, the likeability and popularity of its two stars. They both do look like they’re having a blast though, playing low-key, fairly bland spouses who gradually let their inner crazy out as they’re on the run from hitmen who think they’re a different couple. The fact that the real couple is played by Mila Kunis and James Franco, as revealed ever-so-briefly in the trailer, is great considering their successful work in recent Judd Apatow troupe films, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Pineapple Express,” respectively. Simply put, even if the script isn’t sharp, the thespian talent involved should make it more than compelling, and I’ll definitely be thrilled to see it. Are you looking forward to it?