Date Night 2010
Somehow Tina Fey and Steve Carrell have become people’s favorite characters on TV. Both seem so naturally funny that pairing them up in a movie seems like a no brainer. But neither is particularly romantic, so Date Night makes them stretch a little. They can’t just be fast-talking buffoons, but must also be a believable couple. There is good writing and they can knock the comedy out of the park, so I think it works. The plot ultimately sags as they try to find a way to get out of the predicament they stumbled into, but it is fun watching them get deeper and deeper into trouble even as they try to set things right. There are a couple of decent side characters, including Mark Wahlburg as a character who can’t keep his shirt on. While it isn’t a constant laugh riot, I still enjoyed the movie all the way through and have no problem recommending it. I’ll give it an A- taking off just a little because not everything they throw at the wall sticks.
Edit: I bought the Blu-ray of this movie in 2018 on sale and then finally watched it in 2019. I wasn’t as impressed the next time around. It is still easy to watch (maybe a classic in flight movie), but a lot of what the characters do doesn’t make sense and the humor often seems forced or improvised, like they would just come up with a situation and have the actors try to make it funny, which doesn’t always work. It is still enjoyable watching a surprising number of good actors show up and do scenes. This movie would be more of a B if I were to re-rate it.
Written: 19 Jan 2011
Owned on: Blu-ray, Digital