Couples Retreat: BD Review
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Page 1 of 3 Universal / 2009 / 113 Minutes / Rated PG-13 / Street Date: February 9, 2010 
I know it's a loaded question and doesn't take into consideration the vast quantity of decisions, ideas and dumb luck that go into making a successful film, but I have to admit that around nearly every corner of Couples Retreat I asked myself: Can it really be that hard? Look at the pedigree this couples-friendly (duh) comedy comes with: A Vince Vaughn/Jon Favreau reunion (it eases the pain of realizing Swingers is almost fifteen years old), gorgeous scenery and even beautiful ladies (Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis), and a high-concept comedy plot shape that just could not be any more rich - three couples in various states of 'togetherness' head to a beach resort to work through some issues. This is gold, people - comic gold.
Yet while Couples Retreat ends up being a more-than-capable comedy - there's a reason it was a big hit - this writer couldn't help but feel let down by the whole affair. There are moments aplenty here - shit, put Vaughn and Jason Bateman in a room together and you'll plumb at least a handful of laughs out of it - but I can't stop thinking about what might have been. This could have been a Big Chill-esque tropical romp, a movie with both dum-dum jokes and a nice, multi-faceted romantic arc to flush things out. Don't get me wrong: Movies like Couples Retreat are just fine - they cleanse the palette when watching every once in a while. But there is such good fodder here, as well as comic talent to spare, that I can't help but wonder what kind of movie Couples Retreat might have been if it wasn't made on auto-pilot. I mean, come on: Can it really be that hard? |
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