Date Night
DVD Reviews | Aug 12th, 2010
Starring: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, Common, Jimmi Simpson, James Franco, Mila Kunis, Leighton Meester, Taraji P. Henson, Ray Liota, William Fichtner
Written By: Josh Klausner
Directed By: Shawn Levy
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Buy On Amazon.com
It’s a no-brainer that Steve Carell and Tina Fey are two of the biggest stars out there right now. It was only a matter of time before the two starred in a comedy together. Date Night is a fun, silly one night caper through the streets of New York City that doesn’t take itself too seriously. If you’re looking for a fun night out, stay home and watch Date Night instead!
Date Night is about Phil (Steve Carell) and Claire Foster (Tina Fey), a couple from NJ who have 2 children. Their lives are a bit predictable and have become a routine. Work, do parent stuff, eat, sleep, repeat. Their friends are getting divorced left and right and they don’t want to end up like that. They decide they could use a night out in the city and try to go to a fancy, snotty restaurant. The only problem is you have to make a reservation a month in advance. Phil decides to be spontaneous and take someone else’s (The Tripplehorns) reservation.
The night is going as planned until 2 thugs show up at their table and demand they meet them in the alley. That’s never a good sign. They think it’s the restaurant kicking them out but it turns into something a lot more serious. The two henchmen think they are the people they stole the table from, and want some flash drive from them. Being threatened by gunpoint, they go along with everything but later escape in the park. The entire night they are on the run from these guys, and try to get help from a security expert (Mark Wahlberg) and former client of Claire’s. The only way they see it is if they can get the real flash drive from the Tripplehorns and deliver it to the mob boss they are running from, maybe they will come out of this okay.
I honestly didn’t know the plot for Date Night before seeing it, just knew who was in it and that they go on some crazy date night. I was pleasantly surprised with this and ended up liking it a lot. I thought the movie might just be eh, but the likable performances from Carell and Fey make this a must-see comedy! I felt like Michael Scott and Liz Lemon married and going on a date. Only their characters aren’t as annoying and goofy as their TV show characters. I think if other actors played these roles, Date Night wouldn’t have been as good. The plot isn’t exactly believable in some areas but that’s the point, it’s a movie with a implausible plot. Although, there are a lot of believable things that go on with Carell and Fey as a couple like getting into a routine with certain things. I’m sure a lot of people can relate with them a little.
The scenes with Mark Wahlberg were hysterical, because he wasn’t wearing a shirt and it was distracting to Steve Carell’s character. It’s also funny to see how Tina Fey’s character changes when she’s around him. I also liked that there was a ton of other cameo/bit parts featuring many well-known actors. Some people might find that distracting but I didn’t. Acting aside, most of the jokes were funny to me, and I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times.
The DVD extras include a funny gag reel, alternate scenes/takes, behind the scenes featurettes and other things. The gag reel at the end of the movie was really funny, as well as the separate gag reel. The behind the scenes featurettes were excellent I thought, and director Shawn Levy really went into a lot of detail with the shooting. I was just amazed how well people were doing their jobs and knew what to do. My head was spinning watching it, wondering what was going on with all these movie speak and things like that. But it was interesting! Makes you want to work on movies, at least that’s how I felt.
Date Night won’t be liked by all but I found the movie really funny. It had some of that awkward comedy that Steve Carell and Tina Fey are perfect for, but also had some funny dialogue and sight gags as well. I think people with kids will appreciate this, or just couples in general. Just a fun movie to watch at night after work.
Features:
Includes Both Theatrical Version And Extended Version Of The Film
Audio Commentary By Director Shawn Levy (Theatrical Version Only)
Alternate Scenes
Directing Off-Camera Featurette
Directing 301 Featurette
Public Service Announcements
Gag Reel
Video:
Widescreen 2.35:1 Color
Audio:
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC]
SPANISH: Dolby Digital Surround
FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles:
English, Spanish, French
Bottom Line: A funny comedy featuring two of the biggest stars out there right now!
Running Time: 101 mins
Rating: PG-13
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating:
