The Freak's Rating: B- : I think nearly everyone has been in a relationship that has turned stale. Should a relationship head this way, your job is to reignite that spark! In Date Night, a couple who has hit this low attempts to do just that, falling into nearly every bad thing that could happen to them while they try to find that spark.
Entering a comedy, expectations as a critic are low...and most of the time have to be. It is rare that a comedy such as Austin Powers or The Big Lebowski come along and defy expectations for the genre. For the most part, comedies are formulaic. Due to that, they are forgiven a number of cinematic qualities. The cast and the filmmakers likely are just looking for laughs. If the film creates them, it succeeds.
Date Night perfectly sums up a marriage in the first 10 minutes of the film. The minutia of a marriage is nicely showcased and the lack of spark is easily understood. Sadly the remainder of the film is rather bland, following a fairly easy to predict formula that has few surprises along the way. There are some entertaining cameos here, especially Mark Wahlberg's, and that add enough fuel to the fire to keep you interested. Also thrown in are easily forgettable enemies and a horrific performance by Ray Liotta.
Carell and Fey make it easy to relate to their characters throughout, and the film is entertaining enough to garner some public appreciation. Thankfully these two stick to their characters and don't outperform one another, making some moments even funnier. There is enough here to give a slight recommendation, primarily aimed at 30 Rock/The Office fans, but the lack of originality will likely keep me from a repeat visit.
