Issue Date: 10/19/09
Beat a hasty 'Retreat' from terrible comedy
1 star out of 4
By Christina Parker
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Although the film was No. 1 in the box office last week, followed by "Zombieland" and "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," most of its fame can be attributed to the fact that most people eat up cheesy comedies and have proven time and again they will watch anything for a laugh.
Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau share screen writing duties and star in this exotic comedy, while another pal, Peter Billingsley (child star of "A Christmas Story") directs.
Also joining them are Jason (Jason Bateman) and Shane (Faizon Love), with their lovely wives and girlfriend, Ronnie (Malin Akerman, Cynthia (Kristen Bell), Lucy (Kristen Davis) and Trudy (Kali Hawk), who awkwardly plays Love's bimbo girlfriend who is young enough to be his daughter.
The film's location is nothing short of gorgeous, complete with turquoise waters, luscious green palms, colorful tropical fish and pristine waterfalls. All of the perfect tropical atmosphere can make a viewer wonder if "Couples Retreat" is less film than it is an excuse for friends to go on vacation in Bora Bora. It begins to feel like you're paying to watch a bunch of Hollywood stars enjoy themselves in paradise.
The whole reason behind escaping to this couple counseling paradise is because Bateman and Bell's characters can't get pregnant and so they need couple's therapy.
Audiences will wonder why on earth anyone would spend a bunch of money to go on a tropical getaway to solve this sort of problem. That's what fertility practices are for. Frankly, any couple who shares their problems to their closest friends by means of a PowerPoint presentation has other issues they should be solving first.
Sure, the film brought on some laughs, but it's nothing that audiences haven't chuckled at before. It's kind of like a 5-year-old syndrome. I'm sure most can remember when they used to laugh every time they heard the word "poop" or "butt." That is what the film is counting on.
When in doubt, throw in a few "penis" jokes and uncomfortable gay conversations between two guy friends. The truth is Speedos are only funny for so long and spelling a man's name "Sctanely" but pronouncing it "Stanley" doesn't make a movie any funnier. Sure, it may bring a smirk, but this is only because it makes no sense and you find yourself smiling because you can't figure out where the heck it came from.
In the end, the movie became a jumble of unfunny attempts at humor with a bunch of unorganized and unrelated scenes. For example, one in particular-which took up a good chunk of the film- had to do with two grown men battling at "Guitar Hero." It will leave the viewer wondering: Who thought that scene would be a relevant addition to the movie?
The trailers did a good job at showing a few good bits of the movie, but that was pretty much all of them. It seems that the reason this movie got somuch hype was the cast. You would expect much more from Vaughn. But this movie proves that doing work together with your best friends just doesn't turn out well.
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