Lest any of you think I only review art house fillums, I give you the broad comedy. Couples Retreat is a collaboration between Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn and former child actor Peter Billingsley (A Christmas Story). Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell play a type-A marrieds who convince their friends to go on a New Age sojourn to a beautiful secluded island. Faizon Love, Favreau and Vaughn bring their respective partners and take part in the typical doughy regular-guy meets clueless esoteric hardbody routine. And let me tell you, it is doughy. You know it's a bad sign when the four male leads strip and Jason Bateman looks like the Adonis.
The dialogue is what we have come to expect from any Frat Pack flick-snappy, snarky and perfectly hip. Or at least it was hip in 2005. I am a huge fan of Vaughn and Favreau. Both have excellent comic timing and a great sense of how to move a scene forward. But I couldn't help feeling like I was watching a 50 million-dollar excuse for them to hang at the Bora Bora Four Seasons.
All of the women in the cast (Bell, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis and Kali Hawk) are relegated to being "the girl" in each of their story lines and contribute little to what makes any scene watchable. Each actress looks fabulous- fit and radiant, as if they spent months dieting and exercising. Why then, do the men look like they purposely tried to do the opposite? Vince Vaughn looks like he ate Trent from Swingers, and I find it impossible to believe that Faizon Love was able to be insured for the movie, given the extreme probability he could have collapsed and killed the best boy.
So, to my Comment. I have crossed my own personal Rubicon with being able to tolerate the schizophrenic feelings in this culture regarding weight. The same woman who criticizes Britney Spears for her considerable Fritos penchant probably has a few addictions of her own. If the nationwide obesity problem is any indication, she very may well have trouble fitting into her husband's Sansabelt pants. However, while fat actresses are a no-go, fat actors seem to be magically delicious. I'm reminded of rotund comedian Kevin James being asked once how funny he was. James pointed to his ridiculously hot Latina wife and said "You see that-that's how funny I am". Well that's actually hysterical, so bravo Kevin James. But the point is, how are the terrorists going to embrace our swimmin' pools and movie stars if we can't even treat our ladies right?
Couples Retreat is not a bad movie, nor is it good. It almost strives to be an out-of-shape, modestly funny, average-looking guy. Is that what's wrong with us? Is Couples Retreat a metaphor for American culture? Maybe. But it was probably just a good way for Vince to avoid the Chicago winter.
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Shades of A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis, here’s a local reviewer who can write with the top dogs, slick without being slippery; that is to say when the prose gets edgy the bon mots say more about the film than the ego of the reviewer. I get that she’s “been there” as an aspiring actress – there’s insight in her commentary that goes beyond the surface. That she didn’t make it into the credits is a disappointment but it keeps the “done that” cynicism at bay; she sets the bar high when she doles out the stars. Looking forward to more from the Wright Report.
ReplyDeleteH. Englander