Verdict
Summary
While there’s undeniable conveniences in the plot, the movie moves briskly, has a great cast and undeniable chemistry between the two leads.
Plot: Married couple Phil (Steve Carell) and Claire (Tina Fey) find themselves on the run from a couple of crooked NYC cops after taking the dinner reservation of another couple.
Review: Comedies, to me, are the most challenging genre to get right – everyone finds different things funny, and if you’re holding the film’s success to how many and how big the laughs are, you’re probably setting yourself up for failure, more times than not. Balance that with Shawn Levy, the director (and fellow Canadian) who’s made a few movies I’ve really enjoyed (including The Pink Panther, The Night at the Museum series, Real Steel and Deadpool & Wolverine). So, while I usually watch modern comedy movies with a sense of dread, I had hopes for this one.
Thankfully, this movie has more positives than negatives. The big selling point is the chemistry between Steve Carell and Tina Fey; together, they’re electric. You totally could buy them being a married couple stuck in a rut. Brilliant casting and the movie showcases both of them at their best.
The rest of the cast is excellent as well. I was shocked by the number of known actors in this movie. Along with Common, Taraji P. Henson and Mark Wahlberg in supporting roles, you have William Fichtner, Leighton Meester, Olivia Munn, Mark Ruffalo, Kristen Wiig, James Franco, Mila Kunis, Bill Burr, Jon Bernthal, Ari Gaynor, and Gal Gadot in roles of varying size of importance. The kudos go to Franco and Kunis for playing a charismatic pair of criminals and Wahlberg for his turn as a shirtless security expert. Wahlberg gets the most laughs per screen time in this one and is in one of his best roles I’ve seen.
The laughs do come. I especially liked them trying to escape the crooked cops in the slow-moving boat, some of the quips (including the collect call from, “This phone smells like urine!”), and some of the banter between the James Franco and Steve Carell characters. Like I said, though, the real funnyman in this one is Wahlberg, who brings about instant jealousy from Carell’s character; the banter between Wahlberg and Carell when he tries to imitate Wahlberg is hands-down the funniest part of the movie. Plus, like I said, the man does not wear a shirt throughout the film.
As for negatives, I hated the Kristen Wiig character (thankfully, she doesn’t show up much in the movie). Wiig always seems to be saddled with these characters who are incredibly selfish (Bridesmaids, anyone?), and this turn in this movie continues that trend. The scene between her and Fey is painfully unfunny to watch. Also, the script has way too many conveniences. For example, Wahlberg’s character happens to be a security expert who has top-notch technology to help track down a cell phone. Tina Fey happens to remember him, even though she’s a realtor and sees tons of clients, and he happens to remember her, even though she never actually sold him a property. Uh-huh. When the “Tripplehorns” flee, they happen to give over the flash drive that Carell and Fey’s characters need and that the bad guys are after. Uh-huh. Again, you can chalk it up to movie logic, but it happens too often to be ignored.
As for the run time, I watched the extended edition, which ran around 102 minutes, but the theatrical version, I think, was under 90 minutes. The movie flowed quickly, though, and I was never bored. The music was good, tense when needed, uplifting, and happy when the situation called for it. There’s a superb action sequence as a bonus, where a luxury car and a NYC cab are fused at the front, which leads to an entertaining chase through the streets.
There’s a lot to like about Date Night, and I recommend checking it out, especially if you’re a fan of Carell or Fey (or both). It moves well, has some funny lines, some tense scenes, a terrific action scene, and two phenomenal leads. For your money, what else do you want?