"Date Night"

Film Review by Aden Jordan

There should be a general rule of thumb that any movie that opens with "Blitzkrieg Bop" by the Ramones should entitle the theater audience to a full ticket's refund for every man, woman, and child in attendance. I mean, really? The song has been overplayed to death in countless other movies already, and the use of the song in films today quickly signifies to the viewer a general lack of effort and originality on the part of the director. Sure enough, "Date Night" opens with the song and has to be one of the most creativity-free films I've seen in theaters this year.

Tina Fey and Steve Carrell star as the Fosters, a married New Jersey couple with two young children; both husband and wife feeling the strain and stress of work and family obligations. Carell's character, Phil, wants to spice up their marriage, and impulsively takes his wife, Claire, to an upscale restaurant in New York City in the hopes of rekindling lost excitement in their relationship. When the Fosters can't get a table at the chic restaurant they've arrived at, they take another couple's reservation. Apparently, the other couple are two low-level criminals out to blackmail a local crime boss, and two corrupt cops working for the crime lord come to the restaurant under the false (but still understandle) assumption that the Fosters are the blackmailing couple. The Fosters are physically threatened by the corrupt cronies, and suddenly find themselves fending for their life and running from the bad guys.

"Date Night" is entertaining in a kind of stupid, been here and done that way. It's very similar to another Carrell film, "Get Smart", in that both films combine comedy and action in a light-hearted manner that is cute but ultimately a waste of time. Skilled performers including Taraji P. Henson and William Fichtner are given small roles in the service of this bland film. Why even include talent like Henson, Fichtner, and Ray Liotta when they are barely going to be in the film? One of the corrupt cops is played by the rapper Common, which brings to mind another question: why hire a rapper when you can hire, I don't know, a professional actor? "Date Night" also seems to have been partly shot on digital video. Most of the film takes place at night, and the grainy look of DV is constantly on display. This isn't a Michael Mann film, people. We're not watching "Collateral", and trying to replicate the look of those type of serious and intelligent action films just brings greater attention to how trivial a movie like "Date Night" is.

Grade: C