Movie Summary of Couples Retreat by Michael the Moviegoer.
COUPLES RETREAT = **
“A Lost Resort”
It’s been 13 years since Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau starred in “Swingers”. Since then, Vaughn has become a movie star while Favreau has become an A-list director following the success of last year’s “Iron Man”. It’s a welcome treat to see them back together playing verbal volleyball in a comedy about relationships and sex. If only they were as funny in “Couples Retreat” as they are in “Swingers”.
Though “Couples Retreat” does have several funny moments (nearly all of which are in the preview trailer) it spends far too much time on serious matters, much more than most comedies would risk. At times I felt like someone had switched the channel and we were suddenly watching Woody Allen’s “Interiors”!
What “Couples Retreat” needs is a more balanced mix between humor and pathos. The film deals with four couples in dysfunctional relationships who take a holiday at an island resort run by a sort of “Love Guru” played by Jean Reno. Each couple have their own set of issues (sub-plots) with the most entertaining belonging to Vaughn and his wife played by Malin Akerman (from “The Heartbreak Kid” and this year’s “Watchmen”).
The picture-postcard paradise which “looks like a screensaver” is supposed to be heaven, but if you hate bad CGI effects in movies, this place will look more like hell to you. The water is unrealistically blue like only a computer can do. Although it more closely resembles that blue toilet bowl water.
If you’re a fan of the actors in this cast, then you might enjoy these two hours with them. But you’ll also probably wish the movie was better than it is.
DVD Double Feature: The 1996 indie film “Swingers” launched the careers Vaughn and Favreau as well as Heather Graham and its director Doug Liman who would follow it up by directing “The Bourne Identity”. In “Swingers” Vaughn is a fast-talking ladies man trying to help his shy buddy Favreau with getting women. At the heart of the film is a road trip to Las Vegas which is outrageously funny. If you’ve ever wished for a sequel for these characters, sadly “Couples Retreat” is not it.
Michael The Moviegoer
