Date Night
2010 · Directed by Shawn Levy
Original language: English
- comedy
- action
- adventure
The story
Phil and Claire Foster fear that their mild-mannered relationship may be falling into a stale rut. During their weekly date night, their dinner reservation leads to their being mistaken for a couple of thieves—and now a number of unsavoury characters want Phil and Claire killed.
What it’s like
Bright, mid-range studio comedy in the look of a 2010 Hollywood release: even overhead light in restaurant interiors, glossy digital sheen, saturated nighttime Manhattan streetscapes full of yellow cab headlights and wet asphalt reflections, and plenty of wide two-shots that let Steve Carell and Tina Fey's faces do the work. Camera stays fairly conventional, with quick cuts and handheld jostling during the chase sequences, and the score is a bouncy, cheerful orchestral-pop bed that keeps the mood light even when the plot turns hectic. The vibe is warm, breezy and slightly frantic, a comfortable Friday-night comedy to put on with friends or in a relaxed evening when you want to laugh without thinking too hard. Its arc follows a couple who feel their marriage has gone flat and rediscover their affection through absurd danger, with the banter and physical gags carrying the emotional beats. The violence is cartoonish and mostly bloodless, with brief gunfire, car crashes and fistfights played for laughs; there is some mild profanity and suggestive humour but no real gore or sexual content. It suits people who want an easy, funny, low-stakes thriller-comedy about a long-married couple finding their spark again.
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