Lock Up The Kids And Join Steve and Tina For A Wild Ride In DATE NIGHT

I have to admit I am probably extremely biased towards this movie due to the fact that I think Tina Fey is a comedic genius. The woman sure knows how to write a great comedy (see 30 Rock if you don’t believe me. Come on who else can write lines for characters like “I’m going to make you a mixed tape you like Phil Collins,” “I have two ears and a heart don’t I?” So I went into this movie with biased opinion towards Fey but come on she is fantastic. If you don’t like her tell someone who cares, because I sure as shit don’t, and Carell is just plain funny. I don’t know what it is about this man, but he cracks me up just looking at his face. And I mean that in a nice way. At first I didn’t like this man in movies. I found him extremely annoying in Anchorman, and thought Evan Almighty was just plain bad. I know lots of people like those movies, but for me that didn’t really register on my radar. Then I saw movies such as Little Miss Sunshine, Dan in Real Life, 40 Year Old Virgin and even Get Smart and I thought there is something about this guy which embodies the everyday guy, but with a sense of humour. Anyway, when I heard they made this movie I thought all my Christmas’s had come all at once. The chemistry between these two actors needs to be bottled and shown to other actors about how they should portray married couples in movies. I just pray that major studios take note. This movie made a bucketload of money at the box office. Take note Hollywood: looks and major lead actors does not necessarily equal box office guarantee. Its chemistry and comedic genius as well as an extremely funny script delivered with great enthusiasm by its lead that does. Let me begin with this fantastic screwball comedy.


Claire and Phil Foster (Steve Carell and Tina Fey) are bored with their marriage. Every week they have date night, where they go to the same restaurant and have the same meal and see a movie. Course they still love each other. They laugh and make fun of other couples pretending to make up stories about them. They no longer have relations and are starting to lose their romantic chemistry. At their weekly meeting of their book club, they are surprised to hear that their friends are getting a divorce even when their marriage seems better then the Foster’s. It is time for a change and Claire knows this. She decides to put on her best dress and as her friend says, “Learn how to fly,” telling Phil that she wants to change it up and leave their life in New Jersey and go into Manhatten for dinner for their Date Night. What happens next is when the movie hits its stride. Phil decides to take Claire to the restaurant of her dreams called Claw which is impossible to get a reservation at. Being from New Jersey Phil thinks he can waltz in and get a table. He is delusional to the fact that they need to book months in advance to get a table. They are told that it is not going to happen and to wait at the bar and they may get a table. When one of the waitresses starts calling out, “Triplehorn” Phil gets the brilliant idea to just take someone else’s reservation (a joke that keeps coming back and back time and time again, very funny, you will get what I mean when you watch the movie) As they are enjoying their dinner and noticing the prices, (classic line by Fey, “With prices like this for crab, it better sing and dance and introduce me to the Little Mermaid,” told you she is on the mark with her comedy) their night starts to become a date night like they have not experienced, (in more ways then one) All of a sudden two men appear at their table and instruct them to get up and leave with them. The happy married couple feel that they have been found out, but instead are forced outside where they harassed by the two men, who point guns on them and force them to answer the question, “where is the flash drive” (In case you are wondering a flash drive it what Australian’s call a USB stick just so you are clear about what I am talking about) Okay, I am not going to go into too much detail as this is a new release and I don’t want to destroy the story for you before you can enjoy what ensures ahead. So I am just going to summarise what now happens, but please know that this is one funny movie and I insist you watch it. Apparently these two agents work for Joe Moletto (played to perfection by Ray Liotta, I don’t think he is acting against type as we all know Ray Liotta is one bad ass man and the director plays this off well) and on this USB stick is incriminating photos of the DA of New York. As they finally escape the two henchmen in a hilarious way, finding I swear the slowest boat I have ever seen on film, they have to think how they are going to get through this.

As any normal person would do they go to the police, only to spot the bad guys in the police station. What’s this? The two bad men are actually undercover cops. What are they to do? They have no idea what to do until Claire remembers that she knows a man who she once showed property too (oh I forgot to mention Claire is a real estate agent and Phil is accountant, sorry my bad) and they hunt him down as she knows he will be able to help them. Enter Holbrooke played to perfection by Mark Wahlberg who knows why he is in the movie and enjoys making fun of himself as he spends all his scenes without a shirt (Mark Wahlberg used to model for Calvin Klein and never wore a shirt, I know the ladies will know all about this and if you don’t have you been living under a rock?) I know Tina Fey does as she asks Holbrook, “You must be doing well with the ladies,” to which Holbrook reply’s “I do alright,” to which Fey replies “I bet you do all kinds of alright” Watch Fey’s face closely. To me a true comedian can make you laugh just with her face. To me this is one scene I can never stop laughing hysterically at. Holbrook helps them out and they are on their way to find the real Triplehorns.

Enter the Triplehorns played with comedic genius by James Franco and Mila Kunis. In my opinion, these are two actors who deserve a lot more praise for their work in movies. Have you seen Franco in Milk? Brilliant. I don’t know how he could not have been nominated for an Oscar. Kunis just keeps on impressing. I never thought that she was very talented in “That 70’s Show,” but after watching her in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I knew this girl had a lot of talent. The scenes with the Triplehorns and the Fosters is pure comedic screwball fun. The director lets his actors go and you can tell that many of the lines have been ad libbed as you can tell by the actors faces.

Okay I am not going to spoil the movie for you anymore but I am going to summarise why I think this movie works so well. Fey and Carrell ( I can’t praise them enough as you may have noticed) prove that they can headline a movie and with the right material can make a movie that married couples, couples in general and anyone who just love these two will enjoy and take a second and go “I’ve been there. I’ve definitely felt that way.” I think having two actors that many people can relate to makes this film work. These two actors look like regular people and if I didn’t know better could actually be married in real life. The directing by Shawn Levy is spot on as he has done with previous movies, (Night at the Museum, Cheaper by the Dozen, Just Married) the man knows how to let his actors embrace their comedic side and just have fun in their roles. They know they are not making an Oscar worthy film, but who cares. I would rather watch this on repeat then some of the Best Film winners, (I’m not going to name names). The supporting cast is top notch. Even though they are big names, they are just happy to play the supporting cast and bring to the table lots of laughs without letting their egos get in the way of Fey and Carell’s movie. I must also mention that this movie is not long at all. It runs for 87minutes and not once did I find myself looking for the remote. The movie never stops and even throws in a car chase scene that is now in my favourite car chase scenes of all time. Trust me it’s a good one, which you will be rolling around in laughter watching. As I said when I started this blog, movies are meant to be fun. You are meant to sit back and enjoy them without taking it too seriously. Come on Fey running around in a dress for half the movie without it ripping, I dare to say with some of the scenes she is in it’s a bit far fetched. But that is what movies are about. I hope to see these two do more movies together. It is about time more people pick up on the fact that these two actors are comedic gold and I sure would watch another movie with them in it than some of the other dribble that big name actors churn out in the year that reviewers rave about. All in all I give this movie 8.5 out of 10. So strap yourself in and enjoy the ride with the Fosters.