I was very intrigued by the recent release, “Date Night” starring Tina Fey and Steve Carrell. This comedic matching was of particular interest to me because I felt it offered a lot of opportunity for laughs, but at the same time risked being formulaic. Carrell and Fey both star in hit TV shows which have recently become slightly routine. Every episode seems a little like the last, so I was interested in finding out if their characters in this movie would just be carbon copies of their characters on TV. I actually went into this movie with fairly low expectations, and I came out pleasantly surprised. “Date Night” is a movie about a suburban couple whose lives have become routine. It’s a “Get up, get the kids ready for school, come home, clean up, make dinner, get the kids ready for bed, and tomorrow start it all over” kind of situation which I think we all can relate to. The only break in their monotony is their “Date Night” once a week, hence the (unfortunate) title. It rapidly becomes apparent to both characters that even this night has become routine. As a result they decide to try to spice things up by going on a date in the city at an expensive restaurant. Here is where the all too expected plot twist comes into play.
When Fey and Carrell show up at the restaurant and find out they can’t get a table they claim to be another couple who didn’t show up for their reservation. It turns out that this couple is in trouble with a mobster who has the cops in his pocket and shenanigans ensue. This scene was almost identical to the scene in “North by Northwest” where a similar mix-up occurs.
For the remainder of the film the action manages to blend very well with the comedy. The laughs were few and far between at first, but about 45 minutes in the movie really gets rolling (as soon as Mark Wahlberg shows up actually) and I laughed so hard I almost cried. There were two points where I literally had to fight to keep from falling out of my chair.
Throw into the mix a brief appearance by James Franco (who is one of the absolutely funniest actors working today) and an incredibly hilarious showing by relatively unknown J.B. Smoove as a panicky cab driver, and “Date Night” becomes one of the funniest and most consistent comedies I’ve seen in a long time.
If you want to find out if Fey and Carrell can get their marriage back on track (and stay alive in the process) you’ll have to see the movie.
Grade: A-
Troy Haines, 30, of Mapleton, graduated from the University of Maine at Presque Isle with a degree in outdoor leadership and natural resource protection. He also has a farm in Garfield Plantation where he grows “beyondorganic” produce, guides mountain and rock climbing, runs a butchering business, and works in grass-roots advocacy. The writer loves living and recreating in northern Maine, and is a huge fan of movies, music and books. He can be reached online at troy.haines@changethatworks.net.
Tina Fey and Steve Carrell team up in ‘Date Night’
By Troy Haines
