Four Midwestern couples 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.
Also Known As:
Untitled (Universal/Vince Vaughn & Jon Favreau Comedy Project)
Production Status: Released
Logline: Four couples attend a retreat on a tropical island to reinvigorate their marriages.
Genres: Comedy
Running Time: 1 hr. 47 min.
Release Date: October 9th, 2009 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content and language.
Distributors:
Universal Pictures
Production Co.:
Wild West Picture Show Productions, Stuber Productions
Studios:
Universal Pictures
Financiers:
Relativity Media
U.S. Box Office: $34,286,740
Filming Locations:
Bora Bora
Los Angeles, California, USA
Bora-Bora, French Polynesia
Produced in: United States
Who's In It: Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Batemen, Faizon Love, Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis, Kali Hawk, Jean Reno
The Basics: So... they go on this couples retreat and have wacky couples therapy sessions. You saw that in the trailer. And didn't it look funny? What they didn't tell you was that, unlike a great 90-minute sitcom--which is what this wants to be--where being funny is all that matters, this movie also wants to make you feel all snuggly for the couples involved. So it halts the bickering and shark attacks and porno yoga for meaningful "will our marriage make it?" stuff. That's not a vacation. That's work.
What's The Deal: The opening credits tell you that Vaughn and Favreau wrote this. So you think, "Okay great. They wrote Swingers and I liked that. Made was funny too." And their pal Faizon Love is in it and their other friend Peter Billingsley directed it (the grown-up kid from A Christmas Story--he's a big film producer now). So you walk in thinking you're safe. But something happened during production. Somebody decided to reign in the now-trademark Vaughn/Favreau arguments, make everyone likeable (even Vaughn, whose entire career is about playing funny jerks), toss in some romantic female yearning about experiencing precious waterfall moments together, and grind the movie to a halt to remind the audience about how good it is to be married and boring.
Which One Is Malin Akerman And Which One Is Kristen Bell Again? Even worse, the only woman who gets to be funny is newcomer Kali Hawk (as Faizon Love's barely legal party girl fling). The rest are angry or uptight or merely nice, with almost no other distinctive traits among them.
When To Watch It: Later, on cable, when it's free(ish) and you can just ignore the parts that don't involve the funny resort staff of cool character actors or the moments when Vaughn and Favreau are off-script and throwing words like knives at each other. That's when it comes alive. They're always the most interesting "couple" in any of their movies, including this one.
And If For Some Reason You Find Yourself Enjoying It All Even After I Told You Not To Go, Then Be Sure To Stay Through The Closing Credits: Because there's another not-all-that-funny bit afterward for you to not really laugh that much at. But I'm glad I stuck around so I could eavesdrop on a non-press member of the audience who, when asked by her viewing companion how she liked the movie, shrugged and said, "I dunno. It was cute I guess." by Movies
The Basics: So... they go on this couples retreat and have wacky couples therapy sessions. You saw that in the trailer. And didn't it look funny? What they didn't tell you was that, unlike a great 90-minute sitcom--which is what this wants to be--where being funny is all that matters, this movie also wants to make you feel all snuggly for the couples involved. So it halts the bickering and shark attacks and porno yoga for meaningful "will our marriage make it?" stuff. That's not a vacation. That's work.
What's The Deal: The opening credits tell you that Vaughn and Favreau wrote this. So you think, "Okay great. They wrote Swingers and I liked that. Made was funny too." And their pal Faizon Love is in it and their other friend Peter Billingsley directed it (the grown-up kid from A Christmas Story--he's a big film producer now). So you walk in thinking you're safe. But something happened during production. Somebody decided to reign in the now-trademark Vaughn/Favreau arguments, make everyone likeable (even Vaughn, whose entire career is about playing funny jerks), toss in some romantic female yearning about experiencing precious waterfall moments together, and grind the movie to a halt to remind the audience about how good it is to be married and boring.
Which One Is Malin Akerman And Which One Is Kristen Bell Again? Even worse, the only woman who gets to be funny is newcomer Kali Hawk (as Faizon Love's barely legal party girl fling). The rest are angry or uptight or merely nice, with almost no other distinctive traits among them.
When To Watch It: Later, on cable, when it's free(ish) and you can just ignore the parts that don't involve the funny resort staff of cool character actors or the moments when Vaughn and Favreau are off-script and throwing words like knives at each other. That's when it comes alive. They're always the most interesting "couple" in any of their movies, including this one.
And If For Some Reason You Find Yourself Enjoying It All Even After I Told You Not To Go, Then Be Sure To Stay Through The Closing Credits: Because there's another not-all-that-funny bit afterward for you to not really laugh that much at. But I'm glad I stuck around so I could eavesdrop on a non-press member of the audience who, when asked by her viewing companion how she liked the movie, shrugged and said, "I dunno. It was cute I guess." by Movies
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