Couples Retreat
Couples Retreat is released on October 14th
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By Sarah Garrod. |  |
Monday, 12, Oct 2009 05:46
Directed by Peter Billingsley, out October 14th in cinemas, starring Vince Vaughn, Malin Akerman, Jon Favreau, Kristin Davies, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, running time 110 mins.
In a nutshell...
Lazy, low-brow and half-hearted.
What's it all about?
Written by the Swingers duo of Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau (along with Dana Fox) this Universal Pictures release tells of four couples who embark on a bargain trip to an island paradise when one the of the pairs' marriage hits the rocks. But with participation in the unorthodox therapy sessions of the resort compulsory for all visitors, the vacation promises to be a harder holiday than they'd imagined.
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Who's in it?
Writer and producer Vaughn stars as Dave, one half of the seemingly rock-solid couple who journey to Eden West for the retreat, with his other half played by Watchmen actress Malin Akerman. Vaughn's co-writer and Swingers co-star Favreau plays the philandering Joey, with Sex and the City's Kristin Davis starring as his wife with a wandering eye, while Arrested Development star Jason Bateman and Forgetting Sarah Marshall's Kristen Bell play the close-to-divorce Jason and Cynthia. Faizon Love (Shane) and Kali Hawk (Trudy) also star, with support from Jean Reno (Marcel) and British comic actor Peter Serafinowicz (Sctanley).
As an example...
"Do you love it?" - Ronnie
"As much as I can love tile I love it." - Dave
What the others say
"It's hard to imagine that the thoroughly mediocre and paint-by-numbers romantic comedy Couples Retreat was written by the same guy who brought the world Swingers 12 years ago." - Sonny Bunch, Washington Times
"A pleasant romantic romp likely to delight, provided you're willing to put your brain on pause for a couple of hours." - Kam Williams, Sly Fox
So is it any good?
Sitting among an audience in fits of hysterics at some of the most talented comic actors in the business should be an enjoyable, inclusive experience. In the case of Couples Retreat, it's an alienating, despair-filled event in which every new guffaw from the audience makes you wonder how many PR-supplied cocktails it takes to actually be driven to laughter at such a mean-spirited and smug film.
Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau deservedly became stars 12 years ago with the original bromance Swingers, the latter since becoming a talented director with a fine knack for connecting with audiences, the former comfortable to trot out the same exasperated motormouth act in almost every outing since. Their post-Swingers career choices notwithstanding, it's perfectly understandable to expect the pair to combine well when screenwriting together, especially when they've surrounded themselves with such capable co-stars as Emmy winner Bateman and the increasingly impressive Akerman to name but two.
Yet it's an underwhelming and feeble effort all round. There's little of a plot to speak of, more a string of broadly drawn sketches laced with patronising relationship counselling sequences and while the acting quality on board means the dialogue sparkles intermittently, the situations and story contrivances are depressingly forced. Oh, look, it's a scantily clad yoga instructor! Will he cross boundaries with the female members of the group? Yes, yes he will. Look, Jon Favreau's going for a massage, and the masseuse is an attractive lady! What do you think's going to happen? Oh, look, it did. (Sigh).
Close to two hours is also far too long to spend in the company of mostly dislikeable characters - with Davis badly missing the mark with her attempt at a spurned wife - and when the people making the film seem to be having a far better time than the audience watching it - than myself, anyway - then something's up.
In light of its cynical product placement, unnecessary xenophobia and general lack of effort from almost all concerned, it's one of the worst romantic comedies of the decade. And it doesn't even star Jennifer Aniston.
Judging by the audience reaction however, it'll do just fine at the box office. That's even more depressing than a Leonard Cohen marathon listening session.
4/10
Lewis Bazley