Some people could seriously get away with standing in front of a camera and reading names from the phone book and it would still be more entertaining than most of what passes as Hollywood entertainment these days. Two of those names just happen to be Steve Carell (NBC's The Office) and Tina Fey (NBC's 30 Rock) and they now star together in Date Night.
These two are bona fide comedic juggernauts. Why no one has paired them up before is anyone’s guess. Thankfully, the stars have aligned and while it may not be the best comedy ever made, at least the two stars are able to keep it afloat. That’s not saying they don’t get a little help from some very funny friends.
Shawn Levy is far from known as a top notch director. With a resume consisting of Big Fat Liar, Just Married, the first of the Cheaper by the Dozen and Pink Panther remakes, along with the both Night at the Museums, we aren’t talking high brow art here. What he does do is bring home money for his parent studio, Twentieth Century Fox.
While Josh Klausner’s resume is far shorter than director Levy’s, it is attached to one film that’s brought home the bacon - Shrek the Third - and another that surely will - Shrek Forever After. With Fey and Carell in the leads, however, I’m not exactly sure how much of Klausner’s original dialogue was left intact. As I mentioned before, Fey and Carell can get away with saying the most ridiculous of lines and wring any ounce of funny you could possibly imagine.
Phil (Carell) and Claire (Fey) Foster lead an average, everyday life. Every morning their kids demand breakfast at 5:45 a.m. and it’s off to the races. Phil is a tax lawyer whose clients would rather spend their $600 tax refunds on a weekend getaway and Claire is a real estate agent who agrees with buyers that the price still might come down more instead of nailing the sale.
At the end of the day they’re both even too tired to enjoy their forced date nights out together. While they may have fun swapping made up stories about the couples at the other tables, they find themselves missing the sparks and romance that everyone but them seem to be enjoying. And as Claire puts it, she’s gonna “go home and fart into a pillow.”
Article comments
1 - Jon
No matter what, any movie with either Tina Fey or Steve Carroll is bound to be hilarious. But having both is as good as you can get. I'll definitely be seeing this.