Couples Retreat

Posted on October 16, 2009 at 5:30 pm by rbaglin | Permalink

Out 14th October 2009

–

Couples retreat - but the question is should you too? Well, yes and no…

Is it the best comedy of the year? Honestly, no. Will you still enjoy it? Yes - it is fun, light-hearted and feel-good. It is far from ground-breaking and sadly, in-spite of the comedic cast, not as funny as you would hope but there are still laughs to be had. It is also refreshing to have a film come along that allows you to go to the cinema, get your popcorn, escape for a couple of hours and come out feeling happy.

So what is it all about? Well, meet Dave, Jason, Shane and Joey, four old friends committed to helping each other out. The comedy follows these men and their ‘better-halves’ as they embark on a journey that not all necessarily wanted to embark on. What? I hear you say. Jason and Cynthia (the neurotic ones) convince their friends that in order to save their deteriorating, power-point obsessed marriage their friends must join them on the tropical island resort where couples seek therapy. While one of the couples is there to work on their marriage, the other three set out to jet ski, spa and enjoy some fun in the sun. They soon discover that participation in the resort’s couples therapy is not optional. Suddenly, their group-rate vacation comes at a price. What follows is a hilarious look at real world problems faced by all couples.

Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau and Faizon Love head up the cast and these men alone will give you your money’s worth. If they don’t - remember the crazy Chinese gangster from ‘The Hangover‘? - his five minutes on screen will leave you crying laughing! The ladies; Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis and Malin Akerman are the perfect comedic partners and provide the eye-candy to keep you interested! First-time director Peter Billingsley chose well with his cast and it shows. To be fair you can hardly go wrong if your film was co-written by Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau and Dana Fox (‘What Happens in Vegas‘)… and then shoot it in Bora Bora!

If you’re looking for a deep journey about relationships you are not going to get it here. This film is for those couples who, simply, just want to laugh at the everyday problems couples face and feel safe in the knowledge they are not alone. Don’t be mistaken - this isn’t a slap-stick comedy, Bateman is as dry as a bone and some may think he out-shines Vaughn and Favreau’s famous quick wit, personally - none of them can do any wrong. These men are not your Brad Pitts of the world they are your ‘normal’ guys, which probably helps make them so relatable and more believable when they deliver the ‘moral of the story’. And the moral? We can all learn to love our spouses better. How lovely!

By Rachel Baglin

—

Video on Real.com

—

Jason Bateman & Kristen Bell Interview

—

Peter Billingsley Interview

—

Trailer:

—

Four Clips

—