I am a huge fan Steve Carell (from Anchorman to 40 Year Old Virgin to The Office, etc.) and Tina Fey (SNL and 30 Rock) and I thought this mash-up of comedic geniuses was...well...genius. I thought the combo was cute and funny in their own natural ways. They have such subtle ways to make people laugh sometimes. Outrageous often, but humbly charming more often. I feel like the world was waiting for this combo to come together for the longest time.
So why wasn't it good?
Was it too much of a good thing? Was the plot a little too ridiculous to be taken semi-serious? Did it lack the star power it needed to pull off a silly comedy like this? I think the answer lies in the writer and director. (Sorry guys.) The fact that a movie starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey AND Mark Wahlberg could be so disappointing is just too much of a bummer to stand. The director is Shawn Levy and his most successful movies have been: The Night at the Museum (s), The Pink Panther, Cheaper By the Dozen, and Just Married. Does anyone see a trend here? These movies, while mostly cute and funny, are not great movies. I think Peter Hedges' Dan in Real Life was leaps and bounds better than Date Night. And the writer! The writer's name is Josh Klausner and he is best known for writing these movies: Shrek 3, Shrek: Forever After, The Fourth Floor (no idea about this movie), and lastly, Date Night. That's it. I think it's fairly apparent that Steve and Tina had their way with ad-libbing and improv throughout the movie.
No offense to Shawn and Josh, but I would've thought their skills and past works would have nothing to do with a grown-up comedy like this one. I'm sorry if it's cold and/or offensive, but it must be said. A comedy with this cast and with this much potential is just too valuable to screw up into a weird, awkward kid movie that they made for grown-ups. It just doesn't cut it.
But good will come from this sad disappointment. Certain scenes of the movie will continue to make me laugh randomly throughout this week. The head-on collision with Grant Holbrooke's nice Audi into the trashy NYC taxi and their rants and screams, and the movie's constant, purely-funny conversations. The dancing in a strip club with Steve and Tina! Too good!
The movie was funny. How could it not be funny? But it lacked some very important pieces which would have elevated this movie to one of the funniest date night movies ever. But instead, it got sloppy.
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