Date Night

Before you read this review, you must know 20th Century Fox tried to win my affections by offering free popcorn and soda when I went to see Date Night. Journalistic ethics prevented me from taking that popcorn. My cravings for caffeine and an overpowering thirst forced me to enjoy the soda (It was hot and I walked all the way to the cineplex!).

Steve Carell and Tina Fey star as Phil and Claire - a suburban couple living a mundane life in New Jersey, but they have a regular date night to get away from the brattiest kids in the world and attempt to reconnect. Looking around, and seeing the difficulties other couples face, and truly dedicated to each other, Phil and Claire decide to spice up their latest date night by heading into New York City to have dinner at the hottest, hippest and trendiest restaurant in Manhattan (if only Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy did the same thing, maybe they would be together today).

Of course, they don't have a reservation, but Phil refuses to let this opportunity to do something special for his beloved wife pass him by, so he decides to steal the reservations of a couple that has not shown up. It turns out to be a move that leads to a night full of cops, mafia tough guys, a shirtless dude with the coolest pad in NYC and danger around every corner. Can Phil and Claire convince the bad guys they are not the couple they are looking for?

Will these mild mannered suburbanites have what it takes to outwit everyone?

Surprisingly, Date Night is not as bad as I thought it would be (and that's not the free Diet Coke doing the talking).

It's a movie that works best when focused on the sharp, funny, witty dialogue. Writer Josh Klausner provides some hilarious lines and situations that don't feel overly familiar nor ridiculous. Sure, Date Night has its stupid moments, especially when director Shawn Levy focuses on physical humor (which isn't very funny coming from two stars known more for their cerebral abilities), but the good outweighs the bad.

Now, the premise might be a little outrageous (and stolen from a great episode of Seinfeld), but the relationship between Phil and Claire is the most realistic and most endearing portion of the movie. Klausner, Levy, Carell and Fey make Phil and Claire into everycouple. They're not outrageous, cartoonish people who have unbelievable, annoying disagreements you only find in movies. Phil and Claire are two people who love each other, their family and their lives, but they need to find that spark again every so often. It's charming and relatable.

Best of all, it was a genius idea to have Mark "Don't Call Me Marky Mark" Wahlberg appear as the shirtless dude with a pretentious name, Holbrooke. While Matthew McConaughey might be better know for his acting ability while bare chested (with Channing Tatum and his Abs of Steel coming in a close second), Wahlberg still is in the same shape he was when he modeled Calvin Klein underwear, has the acting ability to play well with Carell and Fey, and seems to get the joke and play along with it. We wouldn't have laughed as hard if it was some anonymous model who robotically recited his lines.

When Date Night tries to force those dramatic moments that challenge Phil and Claire's marriage, it's boring and doesn't fit in, but Levy and Klausner avoid that most of the time.

Date Night is rated PG-13 for sexual and crude content throughout, language, some violence and a drug reference.