Would you hire a babysitter to watch Date Night?

Last Thursday, Jet and I enjoyed another movie night with our good friend Joriben Zaballa at Podium. After an irritating exchange of confusing instructions from a girl in the organizing committee and a ho-hum mini game led by two female DJs who were anything but funny, we settled and enjoyed 20th Century Fox’s Date Night starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey.

I’ve never been a fan of Steve Carell. I mean, I’m not particularly fond of him in the way I’m ga-ga over Jim Carrey (despite his not being able to deviate from “The Mask” image). In the same manner that Jim Carrey’s face keeps on contorting even with the simple sighs and oohs and ahhs, Carell can’t make his face move. Think poker face, people, but he sure can make it work.

Now, Tina Fey is a different story. The mere fact that she wrote Mean Girls puts her on the top of my list. She’s not a bad actress too. Not great, but not horrible either. She’s okay.

Date Night’s linear storyline happens in the span of, let’s say 12 hours? Phil and Claire Foster is a simple couple from New Jersey whose married and family life can put you to sleep in a rock concert. They dine at the same “family” restaurant week after week. They make the same “what’s the story” conversations. They order the same dishes from the same menu, go home, go through the same bedtime routines, and debate whether they should do the long or short version of fooling around.

So one night, they decide to dress up and dine at the busiest restaurant in NY and try to change their routine. Since they have no reservations and getting a table at 7pm is impossible, they assume the identities of another couple. A case of mistaken identity gets them into a wild goose chase with bad cops and an oversexed district attorney. With the help of a retired private investigator who refuses…for the love of God…to put on a shirt, they hurdle throughout Manhattan to put the bad cops and the corrupt officials in jail so they can get back to their normal life.

The film is funny but what I like about it is that it questions how a relationship can go from yowza to ho-hum, particularly a married couple. When the Fosters met the real Triplehorns, perhaps they saw in them what most people would call young love—the kind that gets you packing and ready to leave your “home” and get on that great big adventure. The kind that will make you engage in a French Kiss fest amidst strangers, and the kind that could make you jump out the window with nothing but each other.

I guess all the added responsibilities of being married can pull all those romantic rendezvous on hold because real life sets in—getting a decent job, earning a sizable income, building a home, deciding to have a baby and all that. The flame slowly fades away…

A lot of women can also relate to Fey’s character. Claire Foster is the kind of woman who looks after everything and ends up having no time for herself. The kind who gets so caught up in the events and lives of other people that she eventually forget to “light up” for her own husband. In short, she’s the “martial law” kind of woman who doesn’t let anyone else plan for her.

In the film, girls can be reminded of how trusting your partner can make you see a new facet of his personality and how they can surprise you if you only give them a chance. This is the part that I love best.

Another thing, a night in the city or in any unusual place can be very good for the soul. I read in a book once that travelling or visiting a new place heightens all your senses and makes you feel alive compared to how you slog through your day in the same environment. So the next time you date, why not try a different place?

Back to the question, would you hire a babysitter to watch Date Night on the big screen? Maybe yes, maybe no. If you’re a married couple who needs a good whack in the head to rekindle the spark, I suggest you call Leighton Meester and have her look after you kids. But if you’re a young couple itching to see a great film, go for Clash of the Titans instead.

Date Night is a good movie. It’s funny and it’s entertaining. It’s not great, but it’s not bad either.

Thanks to Mae Vecina from 20th Century FOX for inviting us.

Cheers!