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The newest comedy from Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Cheaper by the Dozen) is a hilarious look at a stagnant marriage, and a case of mistaken identity. Date Night’s script is largely improv, or so it seemed from the credit outtake reel, but thankfully, Steve Carell (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and Tina Fey (“Saturday Night Live”) could handle it.
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The movie starts by highlighting the ho-hum life that Phil and Claire Foster (Carell and Fey) share. They both work jobs with little satisfaction, are generally worn out on life, and not that interested in each other. But, once a week they hire a baby sitter and go out for a date. They always go to the same small local steakhouse and get the salmon and potato skins. But after talking to a married couple who is getting a divorce, Claire realizes that she could be headed that way too, unless they get out of their rut. So, for one of their date nights, she puts on a dress. This catches Phil’s eye, and he decides to take Claire to a fancy New York City restaurant instead of their classic Jersey fare. This part of the story is largely boring and uninspired.
However, that all turns around when the Fosters make their way to a super-exclusive seafood restaurant. Unable to get a table, they pretend to be another couple, claiming to be the Triplehorns, and stealing their reservation, which we learn is one of the biggest sins in New York City. It’s at this point that a case of mistaken identity puts a twist in their night, and leads them through police chases, a drug dealer’s apartment, breaking and entering, a strip club, and forces them to spend a decent amount of time with a shirtless weapons consultant.
This is one of the funniest laugh-out-loud movies I have seen in a while, but at the same time, it shows the realism of a boring relationship. It shows the stage when husband and wife become less like lovers and more like roommates. This is done fairly well, and has some emotional appeal, but the highlight of this film is the chemistry between Fey and Carell. They build off of each other, and succeed at making each other better in the movie. The other highlight has to be some of the smaller characters, such as James Franco (Spider-man) and Mila Kunis (“That 70’s Show”) as paranoid fighting druggies, and Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) as a mob boss.
Overall, it’s a movie that is exactly what it’s trying to be – a hilarious look at one crazy night in New York City. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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