COUPLES RETREAT (2009)

Directed By: Peter Billingsly
Written By: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn & Dana Fox
Cinematography By: Eric Edwards
Editor: Dan Lebental

Cast: Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Faizon Love, Jason Bateman, Malin Ackerman, Kristin Davis, Kali Hawk, Kristen Bell, Tasha Smith, Carlos Ponce, Jean Reno, Tamuera Morrison, Peter Serafinowicz, Ken Jeong, Amy Hill, Alexis Knapp, Dana Fox
Dave and Ronnie, Jason and Cynthia, and Joey and Lucy are close. The group used to include Shane and Jennifer, but they divorced and she's gone. Jason and Cynthia announce that their marriage is in trouble, and they beg their friends (and Shane's young girlfriend) to join them on a couples' retreat, at the package rate, on a tropical island. The others reluctantly agree, planning to play while Jason and Cynthia work on their marriage with an island psychologist. To everyone's surprise, the package is inflexible: each couple must participate in the couples' exercises. Soon fault lines appear in all four relationships. What's in store for each couple?

Not as horrible as I thought it would be but still pretty bad. It did make me laugh a few times ,but that was it.

I don’t believe this was the reunion of the writing skills of Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn the public was waiting for. Though it does represent where each might be in their midlife at the moment. Just as SWINGERS showed where they were in their mid 20’s.

Since Vince Vaughn helped write and produce the film. He gave himself the best role of the men. He is the character who has the most stable marriage.

The film is fairly simplistic and amusing and should please most viewers. I had problems with the film being so simple there were never any real obstacles thrown in anyone’s path. The Answers were fairly simple, communicate more, Appreciate each other.

In the trailer for this film they show both Jon Favreau’s and Kristin Davis’s characters indulge in affairs. In the film they claim they had one, Just to hurt each other, but I believe if they kept in the scenes of infidelity. It would show it wasn’t the first time they had affairs and if certain friends knew it but kept it from their spouses and other friends it would at least cause a dramatic event and the film and make everyone question their trust in each other. It would have also allowed the film to open up about serious subjects such as fidelity communication, loyalty to friends and family. All these other issues that could have given this film a little substance and made it more relatable to the audience. Instead it goes on with a few jokes and a predictable plot which makes it running time feel like wasted time. The affairs were probably cut out to make the film more lighthearted and the characters likeable. After all it is supposed to be a comedy and more of a popcorn film with less drama. That might be why the film is so short cutting out the scenes and plot line left little to work with and shoot around. It could have also not have had a pleasant happy ending to that storyline and might have made the film a little too real for the studio and filmmakers.

Kristen Bell look’s too young for her role in this film. It would have been funnier if she played Faizon Love’s younger girlfriend as a mismatch. In the movie she is played quite annoyingly by Kali Hawk. As some sort of young hoochie-mama.

It seems all of the staff of this resort they travel to are all comedic characters waiting to break out and have something to do. They all seem to want their own spin off’s or storyline. They seemed more focused on stealing scenes instead of just playing their role.

It showcases the resort and the landscape so much it feels like Adam Sandler’s movie “JUST GO WITH IT” where it looks they had more fun traveling and staying at this location then they did actually making the film and making sure it was good. --Considering the talent the film also should have been funnier

GRADE: F