Two of television’s funniest personalities, Steve Carell (“The Office”) and Tina Fey (“Saturday Night Live” and “30 Rock”), are getting to share more than NBC’s Thursday night timeslot in the new comedy Date Night (20th Century Fox).
Directed by Shawn Levy (the Night at the Museum films), Date Night tells the story of the Fosters, a bored married couple living a suburban life in New Jersey. After their friends, the Sullivans, confide in Claire (Fey) and Phil (Carell) about their divorce plans, both Claire and Phil Foster realize that they are headed down the same path. In a spur of the moment decision, the couple decides to spend a romantic evening in Manhattan. When they steal a reservation at a posh restaurant, a case of mistaken identity gets the Fosters involved in a dangerous scandal.
The film’s basic premise and familiar storyline involving crooked cops, a district attorney in league with organized crime, and the righteous detective determined to end corruption, lends itself to plenty of jokes. Essentially, Date Night is a buddy cop movie. However, instead of being cops, the leads are a married couple. Everyone knows what is going to happen; the fun is in getting there.
This is Date Night’s strong point: While the film is nothing special and ultimately forgettable, it is jam-packed full of gags and cameos that make it a worthwhile time at the movies. Carell and Fey play well off of each other, and their comedic timing and delivery turn a potentially disastrous film into something that is ultimately enjoyable. Though they are essentially playing the same roles they always do, Fey and Carell still make it work.
Aside from the notable leads, Date Night also features a string of celebrities in bit-parts that are often hysterical. One of the film’s best moments comes when the Fosters run into the people whose identity they stole: a trashy couple who go by the names Taste and Whippit. Taste is played by James Franco, pitch-perfect as the presumable drug dealer who fell in love with a stripper, Whippit (Mila Kunis), who is now his girlfriend.
Another great moment comes when the Fosters sneak into a strip club owned by a mob boss (Ray Liotta) and run into District Attorney Frank Crenshaw (William Fichtner, “Prison Break”), a bi-curious sex addict who takes a particular liking to both Claire and Phil. The results of this encounter are bizarre but hilarious, and Fichtner easily steals the scene.
Though Date Night is basically forgettable, it provides a brisk 88-minute escape for moviegoers looking for some laughs.
