MOVIE REVIEWS: The film pairing of TV titans Steve Carell and Tina Fey should have been a 'Date Night' to remember. Instead, it lacks any real comic 'za-za-zu.' But the dynamic duo of Kristen Stewart and, especially, Dakota Fanning in 'The Runaways' offers plenty of riot grrrl swagger and is now in national release.
In retrospect, chances are we all probably heard the palm slaps in the conference room that spawned the creation of "Date Night." The prospects offered by pairing up Steve Carrel and Tina Fey, two of comedy's most vibrant and influential talents, are enough to make any studio executive push their mothers into traffic for a hit. Yet, despite these actors' best efforts, how is it that neither manages to elevate "Date Night" beyond merely adequate?
Love and relationships have had quite a pummeling at the cinema this year. After the emo vibe of "Remember Me" and "Dear John" to the raucous banality of "The Bounty Hunter" and "Valentine's Day," couples are going to start skipping the movie after dinner if quality doesn't improve at the multiplex. In "Date Night," Carell and Fey are Phil and Claire Foster, an amiable pair that's starting to chafe against the doldrums of marriage. When they decide to go into New York for dinner, their impulsive decision to commandeer another couple's reservation leads to an expected adventure.
If you've seen the trailer, all the plot and more is revealed so, yes, a string of expensive set pieces comprise the rest of the film that only get bigger and more numbing as it races to the 90 minute mark. Add a flurry of all-star supporting players from the good (Mark Wahlberg, Kristen Wiig) to the bad and ugly (James Franco and Mila Kunis, for shame), all that's left are the infinitely funnier ad-libs over the end credits of the movie that could have been.
The main problem with "Date Night" is its utter conventionality. Directed with all the nuance of a sledgehammer by Shawn Levy ("Night at the Museum"), you can't help but feel that Carrel and Fey are just itching to break free from a really pedestrian script. Instead, they often give into virtuosic mugging and snarky line readings that will probably still elicit the requisite laughs from audiences with non-discriminating tastes. That leaves precious little for fans of the urbane and insidiously clever material Fey and Carell solidified their iconic status with in "30 Rock" and "The Office."
(By the way, what is it with this endless jawboning in the film industry that marriage is such a tomb? Given the state of celebrity fidelity of late, what's wrong with a positive image for a change? Seriously, movies like "Date Night" make Tyler Perry's recent "Why Did I Get Married, Too?" seem positively profound.)
DATE NIGHT (20th Century Fox)
Directed by: Shawn Levy
Cast: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, Taraji P. Henson
Rating: PG-13 (Violence/Profanity/Sexual Situations/Drug Content)
With "Date Night" dominating the weekend's scant list of new releases, try to give "The Runaways" a spin. Now expanding into its national release, this hotly anticipated biopic on the infamous 1970s all-girl rock band is one of the season's most entertaining films.
Not all of the band offered to release the rights to their stories, which explains why the film focuses most on Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, warts and all. But, given the intensity both Kristen Stewart (as Jett) and Dakota Fanning (as Currie) tear into their roles, why quibble with the particulars?
Beautifully rendered in terms of period and attitude by director Floria Sigismondi, "The Runaways" rocks out with its heart out in great style. For Stewart, the film better represents her abilities than "The Twilight Saga." But Fanning is a marvel in a grown-up performance that rips away any shred of the term "child star," emerging as a leading lady of striking depth and versatility.
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THE RUNAWAYS (Apparition) -- Four Stars
Directed by: Floria Sigismondi
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon, Scout Taylor-Compton, Brett Cullen
Rating: R (Not For Children/Profanity/Drug Content/Youth Substance Use)
"Date Night" and "The Runaways" are now playing citywide. L.A. moviegoers can click on Fandango or MovieTickets for ticket and theater information.
Keep reading the Personalities page on Examiner.com for the latest movie reviews & box office updates, plus celebrity & industry news.
Rock out with "The Runaways" in this music video for "Cherry Bomb" as featured in the film starring Kristen Stewart & Dakota Fanning.
Comments
Hey! Good see your reviews again! You could tell from the trailer that "Date Night" was going to be a whiffer. Bummer for Tina Fey. But good to know about "The Runaways." I wasn't sure about that one, but I think I will check it out.
I still think you can't go wrong with Steve Carell and Tina Fey. I'm going to check it out anyway.
I agree with you. Dakota Fanning rox in "The Runaways."
But can you drive a taxi in NYC backwards?? I don't think so...Mr. Tripplehorn! It had its funny moments and what is "za-za-zu" anyway? i don't think you have any either. But I will give it to you on the Runaways! I liked it very much and thought it was great.
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