(2012-04-28 03:55:08)

Fun, light entertainment

My wife and I saw Date Night yesterday, and we both found it to be a lot of fun. The first half of the movie is better than the second, but it's still OK. Tina Fey and Steve Carrell are great together, they have some definite comic chemistry and do a great job in the movie. All the banter and action is fun and funny. We both felt the movie could have been even better, but overall it was funny, good light entertainment for the evening. Especially recommended for adults with kids.

(2012-04-27 11:59:40)

Hilarious! Loved this movie.

This review is from: Date Night (Amazon Instant Video) Hilariously funny. We laughed so much it hurt. Steve Carell and Tina Fey are fantastic in this movie about a husband-and-wife date night that goes horribly wrong when this couple takes some other couple's reservation for two at a restaurant. Underneath the high-action adventure that arises from a case of mistaken identity, there's a sub-plot about their growth as a couple in the course of this date night that is heartwarming in the end. We watched the movie together as a family and loved it (our children are 14 and 10 years old). This would actually make a good date movie, especially (but not only) for married people. Loved it and highly recommend it!

(2012-04-25 20:53:56)

Good enough, but should have been so much better

It fails the Siskel test, in that the viewer keeps suspecting that the jokes that Steve Carrell and Tina Fey told each other in the makeup chair were funnier and less formulaic than this movie, but it is entertaining, and Carrell and Fey are both completely game and utterly likable. Plus, I am one half a boring, married, middle-aged couple in New Jersey, so I was required to enjoy this movie.

(2012-04-25 06:00:19)

Superbly crafted.

This is a superbly and delicately crafted blend of comedy, romance and intrigue.The comedy is both subtle and macro including some amazingly resonant work by Steve Carrell and Tina Fay who work exceptionally well together. Their physical humor and timing are immaculate. Many scenes stand on their own and transitions are fun and well thought out. There are elements that appeal strongly to both male and female viewers and in the process help bridge the gap and reinforce relationships. This is a movie after which you are extremely likely to "get lucky". The dialogue and settings are both of the finest qualtiy in their design and effects. We have found that diverse groups of teens, older and younger adults, men and women in our circle of friends have often all greatly enjoyed this movie. Its broad appeal makes it of great value.

MLDinTN

(2012-04-14 13:49:57)

I thought it failed

I was expecting better from Steve Carroll and Tina Fey, but for me,this movie just didn't deliver. There wasn't anything that made melaugh out loud. Some scenes were amusing. Carroll and Fey play amarried couple that take the reservation of another couple at a fancyrestaurant. It turns out the the other couple stole a flash drive fromsome gangster and he's hired two goons to get it back, and the goonshappen to be cops. So, these cops take Carroll and Fey and threatenthem. They escape and hunt down a friend played by Mark Wahlberg.Wahlberg had the best scenes, as he stands there shirtless whileeveryone seems to make comments about it. The 2 track down the disk andwant to return it. They are still being chased by the bad cops and thegood cops and have to do a semi-stripper dance at the end.FINAL VERDICT: not good enough to recommend.

TxMike

(2012-04-14 12:27:20)

A dull couple in New Jersey breaks out of their usual date routine and get more "fun" than they ever bargained for.

We saw this on DVD, with Natalie, Kristen, and Carey. It was the"extended version", 13 minutes longer than the theatrical version, andhad more than a bit of off-color language. So even though its rating is"PG13" this version certainly seems "R".Steve Carell is Phil Foster and Tina Fey is his wife, Claire Foster.They have good lives in suburban New Jersey. Both work, they have acouple of young kids, and a comfortable home. They have the type ofmatter-of-fact relationship many happily married couple have, they seemto be perfect partners and best friends, but Phil realizes much of thepassion is gone.They have such a routine life the babysitter shows up withoutspecifically being called because she knows it is "date night" forthem, and they usually go to the same restaurant and order the samemeals as always.On this night Phil says "Let's go into the city, to that restaurant youtalk about." So, their adventure begins into Manhattan.They don't have reservations, the restaurant is full, and when acertain "party of two" is announced but they don't appear to be there,Phil decides to take their table. (This becomes somewhat of a runningjoke when even the criminal element can't believe he took someoneelse's table.) The big problem is, some crooks are looking for themissing party and then assume Phil and Claire are them. Then theexcitement begins.Carell and Fey are both gifted comedic actors and they make this movieinteresting. They find themselves in the middle of crime andcorruption. And to protect themselves they decide to jump in and solvethe mystery. Of course everything is pretty well implausible, butoverall it is a nicely entertaining movie.SPOILERS: The thugs who they think are crooks, who accost them at therestaurant and want a jump drive, are actually on the NYC police force.They are protecting the corrupt DA and the jump drive has someincriminating photos of him cavorting with ladies of the night, amongother illegal activities. So the Forsters end up exposing all this. Anextended funny scene is when the car and a NYC cab get hooked togetherfront to front and the conjoined vehicle is careening through thestreets being chased by the rogue cops.

Scott Miller

(2012-04-14 05:59:19)

Less than the sum of its parts

There's a lot to like about Date Night. I have enjoyed Steve Carrellsince I first saw him as Produce Pete on The Daily Show. And Tina Feyplays self-deprecation better than anyone. So what could possibly gowrong by putting them together?To answer that, first let's look at Get Smart. I really enjoyed thatfilm because not only did it retain the spirit of the original show,but Steve Carrell made a perfect imperfect hero. He isn't suave or coolor tough, but the villains aren't either, so the plot doesn't reallycall for that. As a result, the movie works. Now let's look at The Hangover. It's a very different type of comedy --much more akin to Beverly Hills Cop than anything else. I felt theaction took over the plot a little too much at the expense of thecomedy, but it mostly worked because both the comedy and the action hada serious, adult attitude to them. That's where Date Night never really comes together. The comedy isfunny enough and very family friendly. It's light, it's enjoyable. Andthe characters are normal people who just want to have some semblanceof the lives they used to enjoy before everything started seeming a bitflat. But the action is more hard-edged than that. The criminals don'tseem like the lovable oafs of Get Smart who would patiently wait aroundwhile Maxwell rattled off a "Would you believe..." set. No, thesecriminals seem like the kind that would leave bodies behind. And ourheroes seem like the kind who would end up the featured victims onAmerica's Most Wanted. Yet they succeed in bringing these guys downwhere trained field agents have failed? It's an uncomfortable mixturethat never reaches the realm of believability.Still, perhaps all those things could be forgiven if they were at leastconsistent in their inconsistency. But the finale takes the actionstory into ludicrous sitcom territory. The plot resolution would havebeen a stretch in the 1980s -- I was astounded that this kind of endingcould possibly wind up in a modern-day movie. But there it is. So I must reluctantly give Date Night a thumbs-down. As I said, there'sa lot to like here, but the stars don't really play off each other asthe might have, and they are completely overshadowed by the actionplot. Ultimately, there's no reason to watch this film instead of, say,a marathon of The Office and 30 Rock.And that's a shame.

(2012-04-13 19:37:53)

Carell and Fey cure the rom-com blues

It's a story that's been told countless times before: a stuck-in-a-rut married couple decides to do something crazy to add some spice to their bland lives with disastrous results.So what makes Date Night so much better than most of the films that came before it? Two words: Screen chemistry.[...]

tabielby

(2012-04-13 13:39:21)

Harldy an ideal date but still enjoyable

Imagine if True Romance was a light-hearted Romantic Comedy where twolovers become entangled in a web of crime and you will not be far offthe mark. Date Night is remarkably similar to True Romance in terms ofplot but replaces the style and panache of Tarantino's writing withslapstick humour and bumbling criminals. However, don't let that getyour hopes up, True Romance is a classic, Date night is mere popcornfodder despite being surprisingly enjoyable.Tina Fey and Steve Carell play the Fosters, a hapless couple whosemarriage is on its last legs, and when their attempt to rekindle theflame goes awry they are mistaken for two thieves who have stolen fromone of New York's leading crime lords - and he is not a happy man.Throughout their eventful date night the Foster's are thrown into oneunbelievable situation after another and while most are amusing, somefall flat, but the excellent cameos are sure to keep you entertainedwhen the humour dries up. In fact, Shawn Levy should be glad that hemanaged to recruit such an appealing cast; the performances improve onwhat would otherwise be a lacklustre comedy. Steve Carell shines asPhil Foster, with his warped sense of humour and deadpan acting, andMark Wahlberg is excellent as the ex colleague who comes to the aid ofthe Fosters. Most of the humour comes from Carell's performance, he ison his usual top form, and fans of Anchorman and the 40 Year old Virginwill not be disappointed. As he gains confidence throughout the night,Phil Foster gradually regains the love and trust of his wife, it's theusual clichГѓВ© but here it actually works, and you can't help butempathise with the endearing couple.If Date Night was any longer, it would have dragged but thankfully thesnappy pacing coupled with a relatively short running time of 88minutes was perfect for this style of comedy, and funnily enough wouldmake it a perfect film to take a potential partner to see.Let's say Date Night is a female friend; I certainly enjoyed spendingan evening with her, and it would have been even better with a fewdrinks. I might save her number, but only with the intention of seeingher again if nothing else was on the cards. In other words, check itout but don't get your hopes up!If you liked this film you will also enjoy these:The 40 Year Old Virgin, True Romance, The Apartment, The Naked GunTrilogy

Steven

(2012-04-12 19:40:05)

Steve Carell and Tina Fey are great together.

Steve Carell and Tina Fey are the stars on two of my favorite TV shows,The Office and 30 Rock. So when I found out that they are starring in acomedy together being directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum), Ihad high expectations. Levy delivers a fun movie for both guys andgirls. Carell and Fey star as Phil and Claire Foster, a married couplewho decide to do something different for their weekly date night. Theirwhole night goes crazy when Phil lies about who they are to arestaurant waiter. They are caught in the mob and crooked cops. Not tomention that Phil isn't happy when Claire acts like a different personwhen they meet and old client of hers who is a detective. Mark Wahlbergplays the former client and shows that he can do comedy.Along with Carell, Fey, and Wahlberg are Taraji P. Henson as a cop whois helping out the Fosters. Ray Liotta has a hilarious cameo as a mobboss. William Fichtner (The Longest Yard and Blades of Glory) makes amemorable cameo as New York's corrupt District Attorney.While a lot of humor comes from Carell and Fey within the dialogue,more of the humor Levy has for us is in the situations within eachscene. Levy lets us look at the situation and has us find the humor init.

(2012-04-06 01:41:25)

"1...2...3"

Book club or date night - date night or book club - hmmmm, which should we choose?The beginning of the movie might drag for some people unless you've been married for quite a few years. If you have, you will totally get the very tongue-in-cheek humor revolving around the Foster's marriage. You'll be sitting there, nodding your head, and thinking funny/oh, maybe not. Even if not married, the first part of the movie doesn't last too long and then the Fosters are off to New York City for fun and giggles.Reminded me a lot of the original version of The Out-of-Towners with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis. The chemistry between Carell and Fey felt very similar in this movie.BEST car chase ever! I loved the VIP room exotic dancing sequence with Carell and Fey, too. And both maitre d' sequences at the restaurant are superb. Oh, and Mark Wahlberg - wow!I liked this movie and will watch it again a few more times in the future, I am sure.Warning: some violence, sexual innuendos and language in the movie. Probably not recommended for smaller children.

MatthewLong23

(2012-04-05 19:54:03)

very funny entertaining film

This is a very funny comedy vehicle for Tina Fey and Steve Carrel tostar in together because it is both ridiculous and allows them to spewone liners in almost every scene. The story is about a boring NewJersey couple who find out their friends are getting divorced becausethere's no spark in their life. That prompts them to do somethingdifferent for date night by attempting to go to a popular New Yorkrestaurant, where they say your welcome when they answer the phone andit takes months to get a reservation. They decide to be a little riskyand pretend they are another couple. While at dinner they find out thepeople they are impersonating stole a flash drive from a well knownmobster, which causes them to do things they normally wouldn't do suchas breaking into a store and stealing a car. Mark Wahlberg has a veryfunny role in it as a guy who doesn't believe in shirts and makes SteveCarrel self conscious about his image and Tina Fey a giddy school girl.There isn't too much action in this film but has a really cool carchase near the end. You will probably enjoy this film if you like thesetwo actors

(2012-04-05 13:10:39)

Absolutely Dreadful--a Waste of Fey's Talent

How did the divinely talented Tina Fey end up in this dreadful film? Steve Carell is no slouch either yet you'd certainly think he was a no talent boob based on this film. I agree with Australian reviewer Andrew Desmond on this page who says that the film is "absolute rubbish".The premise is all too familiar. A regular ordinary married couple goes out to dinner in New York City on their "date night" where one act, taking someone else's dinner reservation, plunges them into a vast police conspiracy which makes them go on the lam. They flee for their lives through every remaining minute of this dismal farce.Although virtually every name actor is trotted out in a supporting role in this film, the only one who does a good job is Marc Wahlberg. He is the ONLY good thing in this movie as a laid back, sexy, shirtless security expert with hot and cold running women in his apartment 24/7.I think the makers of this film were trying for a modern day version of Neil Simon's OUT OF TOWNERS. It is an insult to that outstanding film to even mention this one in comparison. Whoever wrote this mess is no Neil Simon, that's for sure.

Rick

(2012-04-04 15:51:21)

Funny And Fun Entertainment

This may be the best couple comedy since Sandy Dennis and Jack Lemmon in the original "Out Of Towners". It's not about relationships, but, at the same time, it is.This is a funny, funny movie with outstanding performances and the best casting I've seen in a while. A flat out comedy for grown ups. Nice.

racinGSRstyle

(2012-03-31 06:04:08)

Pretty good as a film, but not as much as a comedy

I don't usually read many reviews on this site, other than theoccasional review showing on a movie's main page. The review on thisone's main page mentions Steve and Tina having a special comedicconnection, that they're two of the funniest people in showbiz, andthat they rival the best comedic duos of all time.Tina Fey may be the funniest woman in showbiz, I dunno, but I think therest is kind of a stretch...although I'm not disputing that either ofthem has their moments.This movie, however, didn't really feel like one of them to me. Don'tget me wrong, I liked this movie. It isn't particularly great...it'sforgettable even. BUT it is still pretty good in all respects: Itdoesn't have a stupid script, bad dialogue, and is a well madeHollywood film. I didn't think this movie was very funny, but mystandards are high. The gag reel from the credits was better than themovie in terms of laughs. That isn't to say that the movie wasn'tamusing, just not laugh out loud so.But as far as a film where a couple wants to have a nice night out andtakes other people's reservations at a hard to get into restaurant onlyto be confused for said people by some seedy elements and crazy anticsensue, it was pretty enjoyable.6.9/10

(2012-03-30 22:31:55)

Good comedy, talented players

A couple in a happy, but routine, marriage decide to go for one of their date nights, and find a way to spice this one up a bit. They do this by going to a swanky downtown restaurant, where they sit in on someone else's dinner reservation. While there, they are confronted by a couple of thugs, who have mistaken them for the couple who had the actual dinner reservation. The couple spends the rest of the evening trying to stay alive while figuring out a way to get out of this mess, while at the same time, dealing with some of their marriage issues. This is an entertaining and very funny film that is buoyed by the talent at hand, not only Steve Carrel and Tina Fey, the a skilled supporting cast, who all bring a smart brand of humor.

nama chakravorty

(2012-03-23 01:27:09)

Decent Flick...

Filmmaker Shawn Levy makes decent cinema in his recent-hit 'DateNight'. Some films promise to entertain you, and this film does deliverwhat it promises. It's not a howlarious fare, but it has it's share ofwonderful moments and top-notch performances by each and every actor,to it's advantage.About a bored married couple from New Jersey, The Fosters, who getinvolved into a hell of a night, due to a mistaken identity crisis.'Date Night' has a series of hilarious moments, a nice concept, and theexecution is perfect. But, there are some flaws in the film. Someplaces, you feel bored. Especially the first 20-minutes. But afterthat, it packs in good-enough entertainment.Shawn Levy's direction is good. Josh Klausner's screenplay picks upafter a few boring scenes in the beginning. Dean Semler'sCinematography is super.Performance wise: Tina Fey is outstanding! She steals the show with aknock-out performance. Her comic timing is truly impeccable! SteveCarell is very good. Mark Wahlberg is lovely in a brief role. JamesFranco & Mila Kunis are terrific in the lone scene they get. Ray Liottais fair. Taraji P. Henson, William Fichtner, Kristen Wiig & Common lendable support.On the whole, Not an ideal 'Date Movie', but worth a watch nonetheless.

frazee-tracy

(2012-03-22 10:50:15)

In the film, "Date Night", Phil, played by Steve Carell, and Claire Foster, played by Tina Fey, are bored, working parents.

Essentially, they are in a rut. Phil decides to take Claire out for anice date night when they hear that a mutual couple friend is gettingdivorced. Not wanting to lose their relationship, they decide to havean exciting date night where they go somewhere they have never beenbefore. For the date night Phil and Claire decide to go to a newpopular seafood restaurant in New York City called Claw. They do nothave reservations and find themselves faced with a very packed placewhen they arrive. They decide to wait at the bar and after hearing aparty's name called multiple times with no response, Phil decides tospeak up and claim the table as their own. They enjoy a nice but surelyoverly expensive meal and at the end they are approached by two men whoask them to silently get up from the table so they do not make a scene.The Foster's assume that the men work for the restaurant and they aregoing to get reprimanded for taking someone else's reservations. Thisis where the night takes a turn for the worse! The two men do not workfor the restaurant and are actually looking for the couple that theoriginal reservations were for. The men are after a certain item andthe Foster's do not have it but these two men are not taking no for ananswer! The rest of the film is filled with hilarious moments andaction as the Foster's evade the two men throughout the whole eveningand into the morning. There are many twists and turns in the plot andwas nothing what I expected from the previews. The main theme of thisfilm is teamwork and communication. Throughout the whole film Phil andClaire have to work together to outsmart, outwit and outlast the twocrooks that are chasing them. One of the major story lines in the filmis how Clair cannot let go enough to trust Phil to make decisions. Thiswhole date night/disaster turns into a learning experience for both ofthem in how they can work as a couple and a team but still are theirown individuals. One scene within the film that really shows howteamwork is essential to the theme is when Claire and Phil are in a carchase and end up getting connected to a cab front bumper to frontbumper. There are times when Claire has to let go of her control andgive it all over to Phil and vice versa. This is a great example ofmarriage and teamwork working together. Even in the most extreme timesof stress it is nice to know that you can have someone else to lean or"take the wheel" for you. Another film that showcases this same type oftheme, the husband and wife just going through the motions together andthen being thrown into a high stress situation where they have to worktogether and communicate would be "True Lies" from 1994 starring ArnoldSchwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis. In this film the plot is a bitdifferent seeing as Schwarzenegger is truly a spy and his wife isthrown in the middle of some drama but the theme itself is still thesame. The lighting in Date Night is essential to the film. Obviously,hence the name, the majority of the film occurs in the night. There aremany scenes where Phil and Claire are out in the street underneath thestreet lights or only lit by the moon. These scenes are very importantto the film. In Phil and Claire's first meeting with the two men whochase them throughout the film it occurs in the middle of the night ina dark alley. The dark lighting on the ominous characters go togethervery well and without them the scene itself would not have had the sameimpact on the viewer. The sound effects that are used in the film add alevel of intensity to certain scenes where they are needed. The carchase scene, that was mentioned earlier, had many different soundeffects. The sirens of the police cars chasing them, the sound of metalcrushing against metal of the two cars stuck together racing down thestreet. The scene was filmed very well, being able to see the reactionsof Phil, Claire and the cab driver during the car chase scene wasmeaningful and hilarious all at the same time. Regardless of how fartwo people are in a relationship, there are times when we all need towork together and that is a common trait of relationships and a corevalue of what is needed to make them work. Phil and Claire might nothave been having the most exciting life before their big date night buthaving the excitement for just one night made them realize that they dowork well together and what they have is worth all of the boring nightstogether eating potato skins and watching movies.

(2012-03-19 08:22:49)

Lots of Laugh Out Loud moments!

Very Very funny, "Date Night", I haven't laughed out loud at a movie like I did with this one in a long time.

(2012-03-18 19:08:11)

Note to Steve Carell - Spares us more bad movies

This review is from: Date Night (Amazon Instant Video) What do you get what when you cross some really connected Hollywood backers, desperate actors who will do anything for a buck and a great PR team? You get Date Night. Notice there were no writers in the equation because the story was a severe after-thought in this time sucking piece of Hollywood garbage. The story was disjointed at best, the tempo swung from somberly serious divorce preaching to whimsical humor in a millisecond and somehow there was the meaningless action story tie-in. Steve Carell is such an obvious money hog that it is a waste of time to see his films. He's shown what he can do, now we need a replacement, he is played out.Don't waste your time with this movie it's not a good comedy, action movie or moral story. The only joke in the movie is on the person who paid to watch this.