Must-see-TV leads Steve Carell (The Office) and Tina Fey (30 Rock) team up in this night-out-gone-wrong comedy as a bored Jersey couple seeking to put some romance back into their marriage. The book club’s not the solution, and though many of their friends are separating because just being “excellent roommates” doesn’t cut it, Phil and Claire decide to try the traditional method of the title.
But since this is a Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum) film, they should be careful what they wish for. The Fosters’ dinner goes awry when Phil poaches another couple’s reservation — after which, mobsters, mistaken identities, and a shirtless Mark Wahlberg add to the chaos.
Such screwball antics worked for Martin Scorsese in After Hours, but Levy, despite the wit and chemistry of his leads and a killer line-up of cameos (James Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Mila Kunis), manages to make the whole thing feel like a one-season sit-com crammed onto a DVD.
