MyRating: YYDirector: Shawn Levy
Cast: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, Taraji P. Henson, Jimmi Simpson, William Fichtner, Ray Liota, James Franco, Mila Kunis
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sexual and crude content throughout, language, some violence and a drug reference
Phil and Claire Foster (Carell & Fey) are a typical of majority couple who have been married for several years, having two kids, working hard and coming home exhausted at night, too tired to make out. They love each other but they live a routine and boring life. But they have a routine date night, a night when they leave their children at home with a babysitter and hang out with each other by having dinners, watching movies and joking about other unknown couples they see at their dates.
When another couple, their best friends, shockingly tells them that they are planning a divorce, Phil and Claire realizes one thing, that a so called ordinary life can also destroy a relationship. So, Phil decides to spice up their marriage. He does something different when their next date night comes, by driving into the city to have dinner in one populer and expensive restaurant. However, they could not get seats there since the place was fully reserved even from a month before. Do not want to give up, they wait, and when they hear a waiter calling a couple named Tripplehorns who happens to not show up, they do the silliest mistake in their life by admitting that they are the Tripplehorns, so that they could get the table.
Everything becomes interesting when two hit men approach them while they are having dinner and rudely ask them to step outside the restaurant. At that time, Phil and Claire realizes that they have stolen the identity from a completely wrong couple, as the Tripplehorns happens to have stolen something very valuable from a notorious mobster boss (Liotta), and they are asked to give the thing back. Do not have it with them, Phil and Claire know that they have to run for their lives or be killed. So their adventure begins, as they run around the Manhattan that night to stay alive, while trying to figure out how to solve their problems. The only way is to find the real Tripplehorns and get the thing the mob wants, before they will find themselves inside a body bag, below the Manhattan river.
Steve Carell and Tina Fey are two big names in comedy and together they should become a guarantee for a box office success. And I find myself grow to like Steve Carell each day, as I think he is funny, even when he is not trying too hard to be funny. However, I found out that this movie was not as funny as I thought it would. It actually has an interesting premise, a misfit couple finds themselves being chased by the mob, and I can see both Carell & Fey did everything they could in their capacities, which are being funny. And they were likeable in this movie. If I might say, I think it was the script that did not work very well.
I know a taste for comedy is something that may different from one person to another. Some people may thing that one movie is very funny, but others will think that the movie is just okay. After all, reviewing and valueing a movie is very subjective, depends on his/her feelings towards the movie. And for me, this movie is not very funny, even though it tried hard to be funny. The script was not good enough and seemed to be just circle around. The humors are dry with too many physical slapsticks. There are funny moments though, but I found myself only had a few laughs through out the movie.
The cameos are interesting. Besides Ray Liotta as the mob boss, Mark Wahlberg appears cool as a security expert who seems to not like wearing a shirt, showing his macho and muscular body. James Franco and Mila Kunis were also guite enjoying their parts as the real Tripplehorns, with their funny dialog and debate.
I expected this movie to be hilarious, but it turned out not. I don't consider this as a bad movie, but a mediocre comedy. (MJ)
