Stars Steve Carell ("Get Smart") and Tina Fey ("Baby Mama") are a comedic coupling made in heaven in the new action-comedy "Date Night." Usually in Hollywood comedies, one star far outshines the other in delivering the humor, but Carell and Fey are equally enjoyable and hilarious as a married couple who get in trouble with the mob. While the plot does not break any new ground in the genre, the many moments of these two talented comedians "riffing" with each other during socially awkward or dramatically tense scenes make the movie. I wish "Date Night" allowed Carell and Fey off their leashes even more because some of the freshest humor is often spur of the moment improvisation.
Carell and Fey star as married couple Phil and Claire Foster. Their lives are ordinary in the suburbs of New Jersey and both are looking for something to enliven their relationship. Getting a sitter for the kids, the Fosters head to the city for their weekly "date night" hoping to get into a swank new restaurant without a reservation. Taking the reservation of another couple, the Tripplehorns, a case of mistaken identity leads to troubles with the local mob. On the run for a piece of evidence the bad guys want returned, the Fosters must leave their ordinary lives behind for a night and do the extraordinary to survive.
The charismatic leads make the Fosters instantly likeable from the opening scene. Viewers will find Carell and Fey easy to identify with as parents. Their suburban family lives are really not that bad; they simply need to be reminded of that after a night of chaos in the big city. The movie is filled with chase scenes, some on foot and some involving out-of-control cars. There are several memorable cameos in the picture including a reluctant taxi driver (J.B. Smoove; TV’s “til Death”), a shirtless home security guy (Mark Wahlberg; "The Departed") and James Franco ("Pineapple Express") and Mila Kunis ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall") as the real, white trash Tripplehorns.
Director Shawn Levy ("Night at the Museum" films) creates an exciting film out of an unremarkable script, thanks in part to some great casting. The comedy is emphasized over the action in this film, but the life-or-death situations are believable enough for there to be concern for the main characters. While the comedy can verge on randy it doesn't cross over to blatantly offensive or rude, and therefore "Date Night" is appropriate for a broader audience. I would love to see Carell and Fey pair up again in a future film, perhaps written by themselves, since the on-screen chemistry is remarkable. This movie is a fun comedic adventure over familiar territory with two comedic masters and is thus worth a viewing.
Rated PG-13 for sexual and crude content throughout, language, some violence and a drug reference.
