Meet Phil and Claire Foster, just your average suburban married couple with kids and ordinary lives. The Fosters are played by two sitcom heavyweights, Steve Carell ("The Office") and Tina Fey ("30 Rock"). Phil and Claire have fallen into a rut in their marriage lately and barely notice each other anymore. Desperate to spice up their relationship - and spurred by their mutual friends' separation - the Fosters decide to go out for a romantic night on the town at a trendy Manhattan eatery. Problem is, they don't have reservations so they pretend to be the Tripplehorn party in order to steal their table. Little do Phil and Claire know that the couple they are impersonating are wanted for blackmail by some of the most dangerous people in town. "Date Night" is a brilliant, heartfelt comedy that meshes crazy, action-packed hijinks with touching, real moments that help keep the story grounded. Why didn't anyone think of pairing Carell and Fey together before? The two have a natural chemistry and rapport that makes them completely believable as a long-time couple. These two actors riff on the most mundane aspects of married life (one such rant by Claire is especially hilarious as she sarcastically marvels at the routine of putting her kids into their pajamas every night) as if they are taking pages straight from their own lives. The cameos by James Franco, Ray Liotta, and William Fichtner are unexpected and genius, but none more so than the appearance of a shirtless (and slightly sweaty), post-coital Mark Wahlberg. It's not every day that a comedy, let alone an action comedy, is able to pull off being funny and also capture any semblance of genuine poignancy. I guess that just proves that "Date Night" is full of great surprises.
4 out of 5 stars
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