Couples Retreat

This is a moderately entertaining comedy. The truth is that we are currently at one of the low points in film history for comedies in general and romantic comedies in particular (not that I’m saying that this is in any sense a romantic comedy — it isn’t) and by today’s standards, this isn’t all that bad. So while this isn’t all that great, by today’s standards it is actually a tad above average. The plot is simple. A married couple with relationship problems gets a group rate for both them and three of their couple friends to go along with them (which makes no sense internally, because it is repeated several times that the resort has a long waiting list — who the heck would have a group discount when you have a long waiting list?). The cast has some people I like, in particular Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell) as well as some people that I don’t mind, though it also features Vince Vaughan, who I never like, and Jon Favreau, who I sometimes like and sometimes don’t. And can I just add that Kristin Davis looks spectacular?

The film has some decent moments, but not enough of them. The film has too many moments that drag and it has a central premise that leads to conclusions that you pretty much anticipated twenty minutes after it starts. The writing simply isn’t that strong. But like I said, by today’s standards the film is better than average. I’ve wondered about this lately. I think a lot of it is the influence of Jud Apatow on recent film comedy. I enjoyed his two TV series, but his films have been remarkably bland, but have come to dominate the shape of current film comedy. So current film comedy is suffering by an endless string of weak imitations of the Apatow Combine. But I think there is also a staggering lack of creativity at the moment. There are no great comedy directors, no great comedy writers, and no great comedy actors. Not too long ago we had people like Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks (before he shifted to dramatic roles) making lots of good comedies. But there are also some inexplicable group lapses in taste. How else can anyone explain how people like Wil Ferrell and Seth Rogen became stars? One thing is for sure: if in fifty years someone does a list of the one hundred great comedies of all time, few and more probably none will come from today. We are living in the comedic dark ages.

So, is this a good movie? No. Is it a bad movie? No. Is it better than average by today’s standards? Yes. And until Hollywood learns to make decent film comedies again films like this will help fill the void.
Rating: 3 / 5