Date Night - A Review

Director: Shawn Levy
Language: English
Rating: * *1/2

It’s no secret that Steve Carell is arguably one of the funniest guys on American television. His deadpan humor could tickle even a callous fellow. On the other hand, Tina Fey is undoubtedly the smartest and the funniest person working for the American television industry. Just watch any episodes from the “30 Rock” series, which she writes and even directs, and you’ll know why I make such towering claims. So, what if these two quality jesters come together on the big screen, and try to make us laugh? What happens? Well, they certainly don’t fail in getting through to us, at least for a sizeable portion of the movie.

Phil Foster and Claire Foster (Steve Carell and Tina Fey respectively) are, dare I say, happily married with a couple of rascals for kids, who drive their parents insane every damn day; obviously, I mean what else would kids do? Phil works as a tax lawyer, and Claire as a realtor, which ultimately are boring jobs if you’ve managed to stretch it long enough. Every morning, this duo get up to the same cacophony of their kids' screams and rants, who surprise them in their bed while hopping on them and kneeing them, and demanding to get off with the day. The entire morning is a tedious replay of the same routine they put up with every single day. To find some solace from this hair-pulling, suicidal stress, they go on a weekly date and put things in a lighter perspective. But even that has turned into a chore, since they order the same food, and quietly poke fun at the neighboring patrons by trying to gauge their story and act it out to each other. They try hard to enjoy this rare moment of companionship. But after returning from work, dragging their knuckles on the floor, and then realize that they don’t have enough time to even breathe, because they have to go out again as some contingency plan to avoid having a nervous breakdown or worse, it’s obvious that their excitement level is anything but present.

However, after realizing that their mutual best friends’ marriage is on the rocks and are soon to split, a moment of introspection reveals itself to our protagonists, leading to a resurgence of strong will to keep their marriage from becoming a mirror image of that of their friends, and help themselves get out of the moribund rut they’ve been slowly slipping into. Claire decides to look ultra hot than usual for the upcoming weekly ritual, and Phil decides to take his wife out at a posh restaurant in the city for dinner. They both are upbeat and aren’t going to let anything in the world spoil their night out. Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men. After failing to get a table at the intended super-swank restaurant, Phil decides to assume the names of a certain couple Tripplehorns, who, despite having a reservation, are a no-show for the night. Despite Claire’s scruples, they decide to live out that part of the night under someone else’s identity. But that plan soon goes south when two intimidating guys approach them, under the impression that they are the Tripplehorns, and demand them to hand over a certain flash drive. This case of mistaken identity goes from bad to worse, and the Fosters are left clinging on to their nails, trying to get out of one hairy situation after another, with mobsters and debase cops in hot pursuit. Left to their own devices, the Fosters concoct plans that range from insanely stupid to ingenious. With a predictable ending, the movie was never going to surprise anyone on its climax front, and neither did it have many goodies to sprinkle throughout its duration. But one thing it sure had going for itself was the supernatural chemistry between its two principal characters, and a handful of witty dialogues to add spice to the whole funny cuisine.

There’s not much to be said about the movie in terms of its pedestrian storyline or the average direction, because the characters themselves were able enough to carry the whole movie on their shoulders, without any help from a third person. Even other technical aspects like the cinematography, or the editing was nothing to write home about. However, there were a couple of scenes that surely put a wide curve on my face, with occasional giggles. One such scene was an utterly silly, adrenaline pumping, and quite hilarious car chase sequence. After stealing an Audi from one of Claire’s past clients to escape, Phil rams it into an oncoming cab in a one-way lane, but that’s not the end of it. The two cars are, apparently, stuck to each other at its bonnet, and none of them seem to get either’s car unstuck. To add to their derisive misery, the corrupt cops are in hot pursuit, which doesn’t leave the Fosters with any option but to give their pursuers a fair chase, all the while having another cab glued to their engine. The ensuing action is goofy, but fun nonetheless. Another scene that comes to recollection is when the Fosters pay the real Tripplehorns a visit to extract the flash drive and finally get the whole motley off their back. The banter between “Taste” (James Franco) and “Whippit” (Mila Kunis) that follows is a treat to the funny bones, and add to the failing efforts of Phil to calm them down like some babysitter is downright uproarious.

One look at the movie’s poster would be adequate to judge what and how the movie would turn out, and whom the movie really belongs to. With few other actors delivering and contributing admirably to the mix, the movie just falls short of being a total drag. A cameo by Mark Wahlberg as Claire’s past client and the go-to guy amidst the nonsensical frenzy, acts out as woodenly as ever. All he did was bare his brawny and supremely-toned physique, and just mouth a couple of intelligent-sounding words. Actually, the haggard character of James Franco and the junkie, raunchy role of Mila Kunis were probably the only other fellow members who do a tremendous job in evoking chuckles. In the end, it’s always the quality performance by its two leads that keep you hooked when the movie seems to fall apart at its seam. They are the only ones, you should risk watching this movie for, but only if you have absolutely nothing to do. The movie is sure to tickle your ribs more than once, and you’ll definitely get a kick out of Steve Carell and Tina Fey’s onscreen antics, and a reaffirmation of why they are one of the funniest people working in the industry.