Review: Couples Retreat

Couples Retreat starts off fun and cute and makes you want to stay with it forever. Then it turns into typical Hollywood drivel, slams the door in your face and makes you never want to see it again. It’s not unlike a bad relationship — there are a few enjoyable moments but overall your memories of it are negative.

When Jason and Cynthia (Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell) reveal they are close to divorce they ask their friends to go on vacation with them to a couples resort called Eden. Eden offers scuba lessons, jet skiing, beautiful waterfalls and…couples skill building. Hesitant at first, the group eventually agrees to go. We soon find out that each couple has varying degrees of issues themselves.

Dave and Ronnie (Vince Vaughn and Malin Akerman) are the typical married-with-two-kids suburbanite couple. They work too much during the week and focus on their house reno on the weekends instead of having fun together. Joey and Lucy (Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis) were teenage sweethearts who had a kid and got hitched right out of high school. They now hate each other and cheat every chance they get. Shane (Faizon Love) is already divorced and dating 20-year-old Trudy (Kali Hawk). Needless to say they are not a very serious (or stable) couple. Besides Jason and Cynthia they all seem fine until they arrive at Eden and their problems start to surface.

Written by Favreau, Vaughn and Dana Fox (who also wrote What Happens in Vegas) it almost feels like they were trying to make a grown-up version of Swingers, but with Favreau and Vaughn switching roles (Favreau’s the jerk, Vaughn’s the more caring guy). Unfortunately no one wants to see that because it ruins the moment in time Swingers lives in. Coming off of last year’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall and 2007’s The Heartbreak Kid (both set in exotic locations and featuring some of the same cast) Couples Retreat is a destination we’ve already been to.

As far as acting is concerned the male performances were all lacklustre. Vaughn plays the same tired role we’ve seen him do in Old School – funny husband/father who speaks what’s on his mind. Favreau is grating and awkward and proves he’s better behind the camera than in front. Bateman needs to take some time off from acting because he is getting downright annoying (this is his fifth movie this year). Love does generate some laughs but he was much funnier as the store manager in Elf.

Surprisingly the main female leads all have strong, meaningful roles and the actresses handle them well. Akerman and Bell are fresh and down-to-earth and although I can’t help but see Davis as Charlotte from Sex and the City she is quite funny and lively (much better than her other big screen attempts). Smaller parts from Peter Serafinowicz, Jean Reno and Carlos Ponce help keep the film moving too.

This is Peter Billingsley’s first feature film as a director. You might remember him as the kid who will shoot his eye out in the classic holiday movie A Christmas Story. He’s appeared in and produced a few big films over the years and he shows a lot of promise as a director. I think with a stronger script this could have been a much better film and I don’t blame him or his talent for the outcome. Hopefully his next film will be better. As for Couples Retreat there are many better options on DVD with similar themes and cast.

On a side note – if I ever see another Guitar Hero showdown in a movie I will walk out.

** out of 5 stars

Rated PG-13
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Malin Ackerman, Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis
Directed by: Peter Billingsley
Official Site IMDb

brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com

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Top image: Vince Vaughn and Malin Ackerman in Couples Retreat. Courtesy Universal Pictures.