Phil and Claire Foster (Steve Carell and Tina Fey) are a typical couple in charge of a typical family. They have boring jobs, kids to deal with, and the nagging irritants ("You have never closed a drawer in your life!") all couples face... eventually. They are mostly worn down, spend their days looking forward to sleep the way they used to look forward to... well, other things. Even their nights out are boring.
Finally, Phil decides it's time to change. Spurred on by the news that a close friend couple are divorcing, basically over boredom, Phil takes Claire to a fancy restaurant. Unable to get a table, they steal a reservation. Two thugs enter, and assume the Fosters are the people whose names they've assumed for culinary purposes, and hilarity ensues.
Thrown into a wild criminal plot, the Fosters are suddenly on the run in New York City, and they quickly discover that two cops are doing the chasing. Mistaken for a couple who has stolen a flash drive with incriminating evidence on it, our unlikely heroes have nowhere to turn, no idea what to do, and have a babysitter waiting for them.
With equal parts mortal peril, high-speed chases, and routine bickering, the film aims to blend a curious mixture of anti-rom-com comedy and something akin to what we might once have called "zany antics." The result is a viewing experience that is hard to settle into, and since it can't seem to decide on fun, funny, or charming, it never gets far with any of them. There is clearly a "keep 'em guessing" theory at play here, built around a speedy development which aids the idea, and that isn't a bad thing, but once we're running, we jump whole genres and it's unclear how the audience is expected to deal with the shifts.
It's actually a fine enough way to spend an evening, but so much of it is average and routine that there is almost some meta effort going on. Here is the standard play at showing a couple who are growing bored and complacent in their marriage. There are your dirty cops and gangster from the one-dimensional character cupboard. Slap on some chase scene and confrontation stickers, and Shazam.
It's hard to place too much blame here on director Shawn Levy, but this overly easy paycheck for all concerned has a lot more in common with Just Married and Cheaper by the Dozen than it does with the Night at the Museum Shawn Levy we were probably hoping for.
On the other hand, I suppose there is something to be said for the familiar, and we probably stick around long enough to settle into a routine for some reason. So there's that.
Rating: 
The release is billed as an extended edition, with some twelve minutes or so of deleted scenes woven in as a viewing option.
The Blu-Ray is packed with features, but the majority of them turn out to be deleted scenes and bloopers, no matter how many categories we try to make out of them. You get all manner of deleted and extended scenes, and some of them are pretty good. As you may expect, none of them exactly turn the tide on the feature we're left with. The gag reel is as good as you would hope with Carell and Fey on board.
The Date Night PSAs (one of which is below) are a good bit of fun, but aren't exactly the sort of thing purchasers are probably ticking off as adding a lot of value. On the other hand, two quick bonuses, Disaster Dates with the Cast, and Steve and Tina Camera Tests are well worth a look. They're pretty self-explanatory, and more fun than much of the film.
Finally, fans of the film will enjoy Directing 301 with Shawn Levy, as well as the director's audio commentary track, even if film buffs may raise an eyebrow. The Directing featurette is a pretty standard behind-the-scenes effort with Levy acting as host. Combined with the very quick Directing Off Camera, he attempts to provide some insight to his directing style. Do with that what you will.
In the end, a pretty solid release of an average movie. You're likely to enjoy yourself to some degree, and in a couple of months you can watch it for the first time all over again.
Own it on Blu-Ray and DVD today!
Win it!
Warning! I only have the standard version available for giveaway. The contest is for the standard version. You have been warned.
Leave a comment below, and you are automatically entered to win. U.S. only. Winner will be randomly selected September 1st.
Single-Disc DVD Special Features
* Gag reel
* Extended Car Chase
* Directing Off Camera
* Date Night PSAs (three versions)
* Directing 301 with Shawn Levy
* Audio Commentary with Shawn Levy
RU?
© 2010, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.
About Marc Eastman
Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.
Twitter | Facebook | More Posts (1450)
Pingback: Tweets that mention Date Night Blu-Ray Review And Giveaway | Are You Screening? -- Topsy.com