Date Night is a charming comedy, starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey, and tells the story of an ordinary, suburban couple trying to bring excitement to their lives. After one little lie, the couple goes on a wild journey through the seedy parts of New York that makes them think ordinary isn’t such a bad thing. Date Night offers several hilarious moments and quite a few laughs with numerous familiar cast members. Although the movie, on the whole, is funny and entertaining, at several points, jokes are forced and the movie tries too hard to be a mash-up of 30 Rock and The Office.
The most stand out part of this movie is the cast. With a wide array of big names from the headliners to Common, Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, and Ray Liotta, each plays a character that had unique quirks and contributes to the overall humor of the film.
Each character was essential to the movie and each actor delivered his or her part extremely well.
Another strong point of the film was the humor. Although the movie lacked constant big-laugh moments, many of the jokes were sublime and timed perfectly. For example, when District Attorney Frank Crenshaw (William Fitchner) appeared late in the movie with his broom from the opening. Or, the reoccurring theme of stealing someone’s reservation was another example of the witty humor.
One of the reoccurring big-laugh moments happened when Claire Foster (Fey) continuously ran into open drawers.
However, there were several points during the story that the jokes either fell flat or felt like an out-of-place episode of 30 Rock. Awkward stares between the two main characters felt awkward for everyone in attendance. The writers tried to recreate the winning formula of The Office and 30 Rock but some of the humor didn’t translate to the big screen.
Another problem was the questionable framing and odd camera angles which occurred throughout the movie. And, the pacing of the movie at times seemed obscenely slow.
Still, the movie is a solid watch. I’d recommend it for anyone wanting to beat this unseasonable heat, just don’t expect the movie to blow you away.
MPAA: PG-13
Final Grade: B
Next Issue: Kick-Ass
