Date Night

Date Night casts Steve Carell and Tina Fey as Phil and Claire Foster, a happily married couple who encounter a series of life-threatening obstacles after deviating from the usual routine of their weekly night out. There’s little doubt that Date Night fares best in its opening half hour, as the palpable chemistry between Carell and Fey is undoubtedly heightened by the ease with which the actors slip into their respective characters. The film, which initially resembles a sitcom both in its reliance on one-liners and in its decidedly uncinematic visual style, slowly but surely wears out its welcome, however, as the affable vibe inevitably gives way to an emphasis on increasingly over-the-top action sequences – which wouldn’t be quite so problematic had such moments been infused with even an ounce of real excitement by director Shawn Levy. But the filmmaker’s ongoing difficulties in offering up authentic thrills ensures that the charisma of the stars is ultimately rendered moot, with the viewer’s dwindling interest the most obvious casualty of Date Night‘s progressively erratic atmosphere. The steady cavalcade of cameo appearances, coupled with the inclusion of a few genuinely funny comedic set-pieces, prevents the movie from becoming an all-out bore, admittedly, yet it’s worth noting that both Carell and Fey’s small-screen work is, by and large, far more entertaining than anything within Date Night‘s appreciatively short running time.

** out of ****