‘Date Night’ (2010) Review

Date Night Synopsis: In New York City, a case of mistaken identity turns a bored married couple’s attempt at a glamorous and romantic evening into something more thrilling and dangerous.

As tends to happen with couples who are married with children, Phil and Claire Foster (Steve Carrell and Tina Fey) are in a bit of a romantic rut. With two kids and two full-time jobs in New Jersey, they’re exhausted but still try to have “date night” at least once a week. Date night seems to consist of eating at the same restaurant where they either discuss the kids or make a game by checking out other couples and trying to speculate on their story. When some friends (Kristen Wiig and Mark Ruffalo) announce they’re getting divorced, Phil and Claire worry that they may find themselves in the same boat eventually.

So to spice things up, Phil takes Claire into the city to eat at a trendy new restaurant called Claw (you’re welcome). The restaurant is pretentious and overpriced, which means getting a reservation is impossible. They decide to wait at the bar to see if anything opens up, and when Phil hears the hostess call repeatedly for the Triplehorns, he announces that he and Claire are the Triplehorns, and the two are promptly seated. Well, from there, things take a turn. As dinner winds down, two menacing men approach the table and demand Phil and Claire follow them outside.

Assuming they were busted for stealing a reservation, the couple complies but quickly realizes that a case of mistaken identity has the two goons thinking they’re the Triplehorns, a couple who has been blackmailing their boss with some unknown content on a flash drive. And thus begins a series of events where Phil and Claire must track down the real Triplehorns, find the flash drive, and return it before they end up dead.

Given the similarities between the films, it’s probably no surprise that I watched this so soon after The Lovebirds. I wanted to see if Date Night held up in my memory as being the funnier of the two “unsuspecting couple getting caught up in crime and murder!”-movies (yes, I know Date Night is only one of a few films that The Lovebirds borrowed from, but it felt the most similar to me at the time). Turns out, I was right!

Like Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae, I also think Tina Fey and Steve Carrell were the perfect leads for this film. They have some pretty fantastic chemistry and are both comedic legends – is it too early to say that? – so they could carry every scene they were in without issue. Mark Wahlberg has a few amusing moments as a shirtless security expert who helps out Phil and Claire, but most of the supporting humor comes from brief cameos from James Franco, Mila Kunis, Nick Kroll, and JB Smoove. You also get Jon Bernthal pre-The Walking Dead playing “Young Man” at the movie’s beginning!

Date Night is a fun mix of action, comedy, and romance. Not all jokes will bring a chuckle, but there’s still plenty of humor and heart to make up for it. It might feel like a lot is going on plot-wise, at least with the flash drive, but it’s not important enough to try and follow. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Also, the outtakes are amazing.

I suppose the next time my husband and I feel like we’re going through the motions, we must steal a reservation and see where the night takes us. Not only will it trigger the adventure we so desperately need, but it will also help us put our marriage into perspective!

Watched: 05/30/20
Notable Song: (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson