Date Night
Ordinary couple, extraordinary date night
Review
Now Itchy's expectations of Date Night were not sky-high. We always think that a good film starts with a good title. A title that in an instant, within a small collection of letters and syllables reaches out to its target audience and grabs it. So with Date Night there couldn't be a clearer indication of the genre awaiting us. Generic Hollywood goo-fest anyone? But consider this: Date Night is not a chick-flick.
Yes, Itchy were surprised too. So to all you men hiding behind your sofas: be safe in the knowledge that this is not one of the many diluted imitations of When Harry Met Sally. It's not one of those ghastly cinematic vacuums. On the contrary, Date Night is man's answer to the romantic comedy – the action comedy.
The story goes that run-of–the-mill married couple Phil (Steve Carell) and Clarie Foster (Tina Fey) are trying to re-ignite their marriage by - yes you guessed it - going on a date. The evening takes a turn when the pair mischievously steal a no-show couple's reservation, and in doing so inadvertently take on their criminal identity.
In pursuit of clearing their names, saving their lives and eventually (although not centrally) re-kindling the flattened flames of their relationship, the pair deliver a comedy master class, rich in rib-ticklers and refreshingly light on mainstream banality.
The common pitfall of funny-film making has long been the temptation to fit the narrative around the gags. But here it is the jokes that were written-in last. And in some cases, not written at all. Lines like ”I'm going home now to fart in a shoebox“ are moments of pure improvisation, achieved by actors at the top of their game, actors that share more than their casting.
Adept and as natural as Carell and Fey are at driving the plot, mentions must also go out to Mark Wahlberg and Ray Liotta, who, in contrast to their customary starring-role status, appear in supporting parts. Wahlberg play a shirtless muscle-bound flirt of a private security expert, named Holbrooke – a character crystallised by Carell's line: ”Your pecs make me want to kill myself“. Liotta though, has less screen time as gangster boss Joe Miletto, but all the same it's warming to see the cinematic great appear once more in his familiar gangster colours.
Date Night does what it sets out to do, no less no more. In a way that is only possible in American movie making, the comedy is served up straight, without subtlety and bereft of pretention – it's in your face and it makes you laugh out loud. So if you are after a night of unadulterated fun – that won't tax your brain - Itchy recommends Date Night.
Hamish Smith
The story goes that run-of–the-mill married couple Phil (Steve Carell) and Clarie Foster (Tina Fey) are trying to re-ignite their marriage by - yes you guessed it - going on a date. The evening takes a turn when the pair mischievously steal a no-show couple's reservation, and in doing so inadvertently take on their criminal identity.
In pursuit of clearing their names, saving their lives and eventually (although not centrally) re-kindling the flattened flames of their relationship, the pair deliver a comedy master class, rich in rib-ticklers and refreshingly light on mainstream banality.
The common pitfall of funny-film making has long been the temptation to fit the narrative around the gags. But here it is the jokes that were written-in last. And in some cases, not written at all. Lines like ”I'm going home now to fart in a shoebox“ are moments of pure improvisation, achieved by actors at the top of their game, actors that share more than their casting.
Adept and as natural as Carell and Fey are at driving the plot, mentions must also go out to Mark Wahlberg and Ray Liotta, who, in contrast to their customary starring-role status, appear in supporting parts. Wahlberg play a shirtless muscle-bound flirt of a private security expert, named Holbrooke – a character crystallised by Carell's line: ”Your pecs make me want to kill myself“. Liotta though, has less screen time as gangster boss Joe Miletto, but all the same it's warming to see the cinematic great appear once more in his familiar gangster colours.
Date Night does what it sets out to do, no less no more. In a way that is only possible in American movie making, the comedy is served up straight, without subtlety and bereft of pretention – it's in your face and it makes you laugh out loud. So if you are after a night of unadulterated fun – that won't tax your brain - Itchy recommends Date Night.
Hamish Smith
