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Release Date: 14/10/2009
Certificate: 15
Genre: Comedy
Run Time: 113
Director: Peter Billingsley Cast: Vince Vaughan, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell, Faizon Love
Synopsis
Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell and Faizon Love star in Universal Pictures‘ upcoming comedy "Couples Retreat." Based on an original idea of Vaughn‘s, the comedy follows four Midwestern couples who embark on a journey to a tropical island resort. While one of the couples is there to work on their marriage, the other three set out to jet ski, spa and enjoy some fun in the sun. They soon discover that participation in the resort‘s couples therapy is not optional. Suddenly, their group–rate vacation comes at a price. What follows is a hilarious look at real world problems faced by all couples. The film also stars Kali Hawk and Jean Reno.
 Our review by Andrew Dillon - 14/10/2009
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There‘s a worrisome trend appearing in Vince Vaughn‘s CV. Not that it‘s keeping the gargantuan writer/producer/star of "Couples Retreat" awake at nights – his films routinely top the charts and this paradise–set lark is no different having broken the Box Office stateside. However, starting with 2006‘s "The Break–Up", and taking in "Fred Claus" and "Four Christmases", Vaughn has headlined a string of middling and, I dare say, ‘safe‘ comedies.
And we‘re certainly on safe ground here. "Couples Retreat", based on an ‘original‘ idea of Vaughn‘s, sees four couples head off to Eden – an uber resort designed to mend marriages. They were promised paradise and instead got Jean Reno‘s loony love guru putting them through their relationship paces with a series of chucklesome set pieces (ones you‘ve already seen though courtesy of the trailer).
It‘s an unabashed, low concept ensemble comedy whose strength is exactly that – the cast. The material, at times, simply doesn‘t deserve to be spewing forth from the talented heads of Jon Favreau (here co–writing too), Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Malin Ackerman, Kristin Davis and Faizon Love. All have been eminently better but somehow manage to enliven proceedings through sheer presence alone. If Vaughn had not called in so many favours then "Couples Retreat" really would have been one comedy worth running from.
As it stands though this one stays just the right side of watchable with the aforementioned team building exercises, especially the bout of inappropriate Yoga, proving standouts. Vaughn leads from the front and his patter with "Swingers" buddy Favreau and Bateman is reason enough to persist.
So, it‘s another safe mega hit from Vaughn – one that will mildly entertain and appropriately bat away the critics‘ misgivings. But, and you‘ll have to forgive the turn of phrase considering the subject matter, you can‘t help but wish Vaughn would ‘rough‘ us up a bit, be less polite and less ‘water rings‘ about the whole thing. We want "Old School", hell we‘ll even settle for "Wedding Crashers" – we want something a bit more inappropriate!
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