Date Night

I didn't do a post about "Did You Hear About The Morgans?" because the previews looked corny enough for us not to see it in the theater. We saw it on pay-per-view at Mom's over Easter weekend. And it was much better than I expected, a perfectly passable fun time! Mainly it was Hugh Grant's character that won it for me. He's got this British-mumbly way of delivering punch lines and it seemed that the script was written with this directly in mind. I'd recommend DVRing it, or renting it if you'd like a date night in.

Speaking of which... the reason I bring up the Morgans movie is that likewise, my movie excitement pulse was mostly neutral in similar fashion as I previewed "Date Night" starring Steve Carrell and Tina Fey. I loved Carrell in Get Smart (own it) and in most everything else. And Fey is a gifted comedy writer and actor herself.

Still, I wasn't planning to take it in but for an unlikely recommendation. While flipping radio stations and landing on a Chicago sports talk show, I hear two pack-a-day couch jockeys talking about what a great movie this was. When guys who are paid to bemoan every real and imagined fault... take two minutes to rave about a romantic comedy? I had a hunch that this could be the next "Morgans."

Home run!

The high-level story line is vanilla: boring married couple decides to be "exciting" by taking someone else's restaurant reservation, and in doing so stumbles into the middle of a crime. But gags come alive in all shapes and sizes. There's Carrell and Fey sizing up other diners across the room and making up fake dialogue. The recurring Mark Wahlberg character, or should I say caricature (to say any more would tip off too much). The physical comedy of people walking into stuff. And a side-splitting, tear-jerking scene involving a taxi cab. And as Hidden Bloggers know I require, a happy ending for all.

I think we'd go see this one again in the theaters. All it would take is, say, a brother and sister-in-law to take us up on it. :)