If Hollywood was to hold an Olympics for acting, its most difficult event would undeniably be comedy, as there is nothing rarer among actors than perfect comedic timing. But for the few masters of this skill, there would be an ultimate competition called ?Drawing hilarity from a categorically unfunny script.? And Tina Fey and Steve Carell would be its champions. Amidst clich? conflicts and overly hyperbolized metaphors, Fey?s and Carell?s unique senses of humor made Date Night, a film which would have flopped under any other two actors, likeable and entertaining.
Date Night features Fey (30 Rock, Baby Mama) and Carell (The Office, 40 Year Old Virgin) as Claire and Phil Foster, an average middle-aged married couple looking to reignite the spark through an exciting night out in New York City. They snag an unclaimed reservation at hot spot Claw, and are mistaken for the blackmailers whose reservation they took, launching them onto a night-long race to escape the mob boss and dirty cops chasing them. This mad dash, however, serves as the secondary plot to Date Night?s primary conflict: the dim spark of marriages across New Jersey. The Foster?s ?life-threatening? encounter, predictably enough, acts as couple?s therapy; apparently all of their pet peeves and frustrations are ones that can be metaphorically represented by a high-speed chase or gun fight.
Fey and Carell, however, had perfect chemistry in every scene, from their living room to a seedy club. Although their exchanges were consistently funny, it was the most casual ones, without gun shots and screeching tires in the background, that were the most amusing. As the credits rolled, bloopers from scenes throughout the film showed how much the script was actually filled in with improv from Fey and Carell. In each outtake, the comedians experimented with different lines, most of which were funnier than the ones that made it into the film. It would have been more effective to take out the New York storyline altogether, allowing Fey and Carell to play off each other and resolve their marital issues within their own town. With neighbors like Mark Ruffalo (13 Going on 30, Shutter Island) and Kristin Wiig (Saturday Night Live, Whip It), who were woefully underused, why was a trip beyond the neighborhood even necessary?
The New York storyline flowed smoothly from unlikely to ridiculous to absolutely absurd, ending up with the Fosters taking matters into their own hands and fighting back against the gangsters hunting them. Sure, watching a movie inherently requires a suspension of disbelief, but the Foster?s journey takes them beyond anything possible in the realm of broken marriages and middle-aged monotony. This is why Fey and Carell were so essential to Date Night. Their mutual ability to embrace the ridiculous with both levity and sarcasm kept the film rooted in what few elements of reality were still in play during the final scenes, preventing the poorly-constructed plot from destroying their characters.
But fear not; Fey and Carell not only brought their A-game, but also some of the traits that have made their TV characters famous. From Liz Lemon?s willingness to eat food, even straight off the ground, to Michael Scott?s inability to plan anything in advance, these reminders highlighted how unoriginal Date Night?s script is. Even Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl, Killer Movie) made an appearance as a babysitter with a Blair Waldolf-esque personality, and Mark Wahlberg (The Lovely Bones, The Departed) spent the film shirtless, reliving his days as Marky Mark.
The supporting cast also included James Franco (Milk, Pineapple Express) and Mila Kunis (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, That 70s Show), who played the blackmailers whom Fey and Carell are mistaken for. Franco and Kunis were vastly underused, appearing in only one brief scene, and receiving some of the worst lines in the film. As shown by both of their impressive resum?s, these two actors are capable of handling comedic material. Giving them even several lines of well-written dialogue would have taken a load off of Fey and Carell, the only recipients of decent jokes.
On an irrelevant note, the most unclear aspect of Date Night has to be its target audience. The underlying message of the film was about marriage and the importance of partnership, while the rest of the story consisted of slapstick comedy and over-the-top antics. The film, therefore, really isn?t aimed at anyone.
All in all, Date Night is a fun adventure, primarily reliant on the premise of a responsible Michael Scott on the run with a married Liz Lemon.