Date Night (2010)

Watching Steve Carell and Tina Fey in Date Night was like putting salve on my rom-com movie soul, still healing (and reeling) from a vicious attack by The Bounty Hunter. Sure, the film stung a little at times and had a vaguely medicinal smell to it, but the double dose of Fey and Carell was just what the doctor ordered.

The two comedians star as Phil and Claire Foster, a suburban New Jersey married couple. Their life together isn’t bad–they like each other and still find time to get away from the kids for a weekly date night–but it isn’t particularly exciting, either. In an attempt to spice things up, they head to an upscale (read: snotty) New York City hotspot and co-opt the reservation of a no-show couple, the Tripplehorns. This leads to a case of mistaken identity that gets them caught up in one crazy night, plagued by a mobster (Ray Liotta), a pair of grifters (James Franco and Mila Kunis), some crooked cops (Common and Jimmi Simpson), and a mysterious “security specialist” (Mark Walhlberg).

But the story, as written by Shrek The Third scripter Josh Klausner, isn’t what makes this movie so special. He delivers gaping plot holes–won’t these two end up in witness relocation somewhere in Albuquerque for the rest of their lives–and a confusing, hurried ending to a formulaic story. In fact, the plotline is the very definition of the “date movie” formula: crime caper as a backdrop for romance with relationship stuff for the chicks and car crashes for the dudes. It’s a simplistic approach that is gradually making both sexes as stupid as Hollywood already seems to think we are. But I digress.

Nor does Date Night’s appeal lie in Shawn Levy’s skill as a helmsman. It’s clear that most of his directorial energies went into a car chase scene that involves the impromptu creation of a sportscar-taxicab hybrid, a unique gimmick that lasted too long by half. That means that other moments in the film, such as the pivotal alleyway scene where the Fosters first find themselves out of their depth, get the made-for-TV movie treatment. Not only did I swear that I could see the painted backdrop softly swaying in the breeze, as a New Yorker, I assure you that there are no street-accessible alleys behind really swanky restaurants.

This film coasts through on the strength of the lead performances by two of television’s funniest comedians. Often cast as the awkward, attractive-because-they’re-funny types, Fey and Carell have perfect chemistry together (something that the “better-looking” Aniston and Butler seriously lacked). Their wry delivery, complete with matching sardonic head-tilts, signal a couple that could easily be real, likeable, and madly in love…in that non-showy way that wry, sardonic types often are. And, call me a sucker if you will, but I can’t ever seem to resist Carell’s sweet charm when he gets wide-eyed and earnest.

Moreover, if the end-credit outtakes are to be believed, the film’s funniest dialogue comes directly from Fey and Carell’s improvisational genius, including the Fosters’ endearing habit of putting words and funny accents into other people’s mouths. I have to wonder how much of the rest of this script was doctored by Fey, whose Mean Girls was a riot, or Carell, who co-wrote The Forty-Year-Old Virgin. I also have to wonder how much better they would have done had they written the whole thing themselves.

The rest of the cast does a great job keeping the laughs going. Marky Mark–he’s more shirtless Calvin Klein hunk than legitimate actor in this role–and Ray Liotta serve as amusing sight gags, playing amped-up versions of their most famous roles. As the real Tripplehorns, Kunis and Franco completely hijack a confrontational scene with their aggressive banter and creepy-cute groping. It’s unclear whether or not this is also improvisational, but, given Kunis’ many years on That 70′s Show and The Family Guy, it seems likely.

In the Hollywood of my fantasies, Date Night is just the beginning of a series of Fey-Carell pairings. That’s how terrific these two are together. Hopefully, in their next outing, they’ll have better source material to work from.

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