Steve Carrell, Tina Fey Go Dutch on the Laughs in ‘Date Night’

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CHICAGO – In this schizophrenic film, Steve Carrell and Tina Fey portray a “normal” couple from New Jersey who somehow become Steve Carrell and Tina Fey once they go on-the-town in New York City during “Date Night.”

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Carell and Fey play Phil and Claire Foster, the only-in-the-movies harried couple with the house that causes real estate drool (but Fey does one scene in her job as a real estate agent that makes fun of this concept). They have a scheduled date night every week, but even that has fallen into a rut. When a couple (Mark Ruffalo & Kristen Wiig) they know announce their separation, it’s time to reevaluate both their passion and their date night.

They roll into New York City from Jersey, where they go to Claw, a hot restaurant in post millennial Manhattan. Shunned of course by the counter people, they are relegated to the $20-a-drink bar. Phil gets an idea when an announced couple doesn’t show – they will take their reservation.

This begins a night of mistaken identity. It seems the people they stole their reservation from also are holding a USB memory stick that contains sensitive information. When threatened by some dirty cops, the couple gets away and seeks some help from one of Claire’s old clients (Mark Wahlberg).

What follows is a riotous night of car chases, shirtlessness (by Wahlberg) and an encounter with the real couple who has the evidence. Date night is about to change their future world.

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Date Night”

Improv Olympians: Steve Carrell as Phil and Tina Fey as Claire in ‘Date Night’ Photo Credit: © Twentieth Century Fox Corp.

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Date Night”