Mild manner couple Phil and Claire Foster (Steve Carell and Tina Fey) just want a simple night on the town. They want one night where they don't go to same family restaurant in their New Jersey town. Just one date night away from the kids and responsibilities. Of course they are rewarded by getting caught up in a dangerous political scandal where they must drive sports cars in car chases, don sexy disguises, and end the corruption once and for all, all the while rediscovering their love for each other and re-igniting their marriage.
This is where Date Night fails. I would have been happy to watch Tina Fey drink milk and make quippy remarks for two hours. Steve Carell used to be funny too, before he played every character exactly like Michael Scott from The Office. They don't need to put these two in a highly formulaic action movie to get butts in the seats. Also, why did these guys need to have problems in their marriage that could only be resolved by a night of car chases and gun fire? That part is too cliche. Fortunately, the problems they have aren't that big or serious. Their really quite silly actually. So much so, it just reaffirms my belief that they didn't really need that subplot; they feel like they've just become really good room mates instead of lovers.
This belief stems from two friends who are getting a divorce for that very reason. He wants, I dunno, man time. She wants to "do" three dudes at once. It's stupid, but it sets up the insecurities for Phil and Claire's marriage. Phil and Claire, however, really have a great marriage. They love each other. They work well together. They're good parents. They're not selfish. They're kind of the best hollywood marriage I've ever seen. One that show that it's not about the excitement and getting what you want, it's about loving your spouse and catering to what they need. That's why it annoys me so much that they have to discover that they're indeed missing out on something. Sometimes marriage is being really good room mates. I know I haven't been married publically before, but I wanted their marriage. It was sweet and fun and funny. Oh well, I guess if everything was fine to begin with they wouldn't need car chases to rediscover themselves. That's Hollywood.
Where this movie succeeds? Two words; Tina Fey. She's maybe the most likable entertainer in the business at the moment in that: A. She wrote a high school teen drama and made it hilarious and awesome (Mean Girls). B. She actually made SNL worth watching for a small amount of time (Weekend Update). And C. She makes me not only watch, but enjoy watching Tracy Morgan (30 Rock). On top of that she has the most consistently funny sitcom on television (30 Rock is ending its fourth season just as strong or strong than its past seasons). Name one other person capable of any of that. Pretty much everything she says is hilarious in this movie too. She's worth the price of the ticket alone. Steve Carell is pretty good, but i've grown quite bored of him. He, like his famous sitcom, The Office, fails to evolve as a entertainer and therefore is just tired and predictable. He was decent in this film, but I felt like I'd seen it all before. Try something new! Over all, I really enjoyed Date Night because its flaws are very small parts of the film and Tina Fey is a very big part.
B-
