Darkmatters Review: Date Night

Date Night (15)

Dir. Shawn Levy

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Hi honey, let’s go out on a Date Night… We can go eat at that fancy new restaurant, spend some quality time together – who knows where the night might end?

For decent couple the Fosters, Phil (Steve Carrel) and Claire (Tina Fey), the idea is that a date night could bring some excitement back into their relationship which is suffering due to the pressures of work, childcare and supporting their friends. They get far more than they bargained for when they take another couple's reservation at a high rolling restaurant and become the unwitting targets of corrupt cops with a death wish. From that moment Date Night lurches into a pleasing madcap comedy action adventure which is light and fluffy but also very watchable.

Director Shawn ‘Night At The Museum’ Levy’ has lots of fun bringing copious shootouts, car chases and general mayhem – all the while delivering regular laugh out loud moments. Carrel and Fey are both very funny and they bring this film to life, making it much better than it has any right to be with their sharp ad-libbing. They are ably assisted by the likes of Mark Wahlberg as Holbrooke – a black ops specialist who has some handy hardware that might just give the Fosters a fighting chance to survive the night.

All of the supporting cast are quality actually with Ray Liotta hamming it up nicely as a mobster, Mark Ruffalo and Kristen Wiig as a couple going through a break up and even the lovely Leighton ‘Gossip Girl’ Meester as the Foster’s babysitter.

There are a several stand out scenes that you’ll likely remember for some time – pick of the bunch though has to be a strip club where the intrepid couple have to pole dance for a dodgy DA Frank Crenshaw (a suitably slimy William Fichtner). You might never watch Peter Crouch’s robot dance in the same way again!?

Date Night might be inconsequential fluff but it is top quality inconsequential fluff and it should be your first choice for a date movie if looking for something with a good mix of fun and action. It might even bring you closer to your nearest and dearest as it is impossible to miss the heavy handed ‘love is worth fighting for’ message.

"Tina Fey - funny and sexy too!?"

UNSEEN DELETED SCENE:

The Fosters run into Mr & Mrs Smith and inadvertently kill them thinking that they are part of the gang trying to get them…


Darkmatters rating: ööööööö7 (7 middle age married couple issues out of 10)

Darkmatters quick reference guide: Action 7 / Style 7 / Babes 6 / Comedy 7 / Horror 3 / Spiritual Enlightenment 3