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If there’s one than that all couples
need to keep their relationships strong…
its money. Beyond that, if they can have
an occasional date night, it goes a long
way to keeping the marriage together. But
you need to make sure the date night is
something special, not just the same old
movie and dinner. Be different, be exciting,
be original.
That was the idea that Phil Foster has after
witnessing the marriage of one of his best
friends fall apart. Recognizing his marriage
to Claire was falling prey to boredom, he
opts to plan a “Date Night”
that involves dinner at a very posh restaurant
and hard to get into restaurant. But being
that the Fosters are played by Steve Carell
and Tina Fey, all does not go as planned.
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Once arriving at the restaurant, and realizing
that getting a table is going to be next to impossible,
Phil jumps on the opportunity to hijack a reservation.
Thrilled to have a table and the chance at an
awesome dinner, the night quickly goes awry as
a case of mistaken identity sends the Fosters
into an evening of near death escapes, car chases,
mobsters, bad cops, and a security super guru
(played by Mark Wahlberg).
“Date Night”, on the surface, is
a enjoyably funny movie. There are quite a few
times I found myself laughing out loud, thanks
mostly to the terrific performances by Carell
and Fey. These two are undeniably the funniest
people on TV (and movies), and Fey in particular
proves that not all Saturday Night Live alumni
are untalented hacks with good agents (see: Will
Ferrell). But despite their performances, the
film is rather unevenly written. Most of the premise
is extremely far-fetched, which in itself is not
a problem, but some scenes are so badly written
that they are only saved by how well Carell and
Fey pull them off. But even in some of these sceens,
it is just barely. What I did find surprising,
is that the overrated Mark Wahlberg finally shows
a tiny bit of the talent that his brother Donnie
was actually blessed with.
20th Century Fox recently released “Date
Night” on Bluray, which as expected offer
some nice detail both visually and audibly. The
only troubling issue with the transfer comes from
the fact that most of the scenes take place at
night, and the dark sequences lose some detail
at times. The sound mix works admirably, but it
didn’t feel as though there was enough attention
paid to the over surround sound. The back speakers
did not kick in as often as I would have liked
in order to have that truly immersive experience.
In terms of Special Features, there is the obligatory,
but interesting commentary by director Shawn Levy
as well as a handful of deleted scenes. Featurettes
include “Directing 301”, in which
Levy espouses on his vision of directing, while
“Directing Off-Camera” allows viewers
a bit of a behind the scenes look at Levy at work.
“Disaster Dates” offers stories of
bad dates by members of the cast and crew. Additionally,
there are camera tests by Carell and Fey, a Gag
Reel and some public service announcements. Ahh,
and of course, the Digital Download, which allowed
me to watch the movie a second time on my iPhone
while on a plane to New Orleans.
“Date Night” is not the hysterically
funny comedy I had hoped for, but it is still
definitely well worth watching. Heck I watched
it twice. Carell and Fey are like the Abbott and
Costello of our time and would love to see them
work together again.
Directed by: Shawn Levy
Starring: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg,
Common, Taraji P. Henson
Extras: Audio Commentary by Director Shawn Levy;
Deleted, Alternate and Extended Scenes; Directing
301; Disaster Dates; Directing Off-Camera; Steve
Carell & Tina Fey Camera Tests; Gag Reel;
Public Service Announcements; Digital Copy
Specifications: 1080p Widescreen (2.35:1), DTS-HD
Master Audio 5.1
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 8/10/2010
MPAA Rating: PG-13 & Unrated
http://www.foxdigitalcopy.com
We'll give Date Night (Bluray) a B-.
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