Couples Retreat Review

‘Couples Retreat’ Lacks Chemistry and Cohesion

-----When married couple Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell) fall upon rocky times in their marriage, they turn to their friends with a proposal. Unable to afford a trip to the couples therapy resort Eden, they convince their friends to come along for the half priced group rate. Expecting what is supposed to be a fun filled week in paradise, the six friends instead find themselves subject to intense counseling sessions, shark attacks, and more marital problems than they had before arriving at Eden.

-----The always likable, typically casual Vince Vaughn leads the ensemble as Dave, husband to Ronnie, who is played by Malin Akerman (of this year’s ‘Watchmen’). Vaughn is enjoyable on screen and tries hard to save the film towards its end, but unfortunately the laughs he gets are few, and far from riotous. Malin Akerman is strong as his wife, and the two share some of the films rare chemistry. Playing the couple on the verge of divorce is everyman Jason Bateman and his wife, played by Kristen Bell. These two have such poorly apportioned screen time at such random intervals that audiences never even have a chance to get to know them. Rarely are they in a scene without their friends, and despite their usual comedic talents, they both give very one-note performances here. Like much of the cast, they are neither properly developed nor amply followed up on.

-----Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis play the third couple. The generally funny and agreeably brilliant Director of last year’s hit movie, ‘Iron Man,’ even Favreau struggles to be anything other than gross in ‘Couples Retreat.’ His character is one of the raunchier ones, and seems to holster a compulsion to cheat on his wife, along with partaking in other activities that put the PG-13 rating to the test. He gets a fair amount of screen time here, and has a good scene or two with Vaughn, but Kristin Davis is completely underdeveloped as his wife. It’s as if the audience is expected to assume that she’s the female counterpart of Favreau’s character, and leave it at that. Rounding out the couples are Faizon Love and Kali Hawk. Love, who was especially funny in 2000’s, “The Replacements,” seems out of place here, displaying some of the weakest chemistry among all his costars. Here his character is on the rebound after his divorce; with his new, obnoxious, 20-year-old girlfriend being played adequately by Kali Hawk. No doubt, the entire cast is neutralized by the shortcomings of Director Peter Billingsley and the film’s own misdirection. Many of the couples seem almost interchangeable, and those whom the plot is built on become a mere side note.

-----‘Couples Retreat’ is hardly a terrible movie, but it’s not a very good one either. Many of the missed jokes and generic elements of the script may have been bearable if the all-star cast had any room to breathe. Jumping from scene to scene and couple to couple in a dutiful fashion, the sole purpose of the film seems to be extending and rehashing the trailer. The majority of the movie is just elongated sequences seen in the trailer, many of which weren’t very funny to start with. It’s as if you were watching an early Director’s cut, with all of the soon-to-be deleted scenes thrown in. Sequence after sequence takes pride in its sexual innuendos, few of which rise above your average “that’s what she said” joke.

-----The end-all flaws that omit ‘Couples Retreat’ from being a film worth renting are found behind the camera. The editing is some of the year’s absolute worst. What is normally an invisible aspect of the movie making process for most audiences is instead a blaring annoyance here. Scenes seem to be cut randomly. Vaughn will be in the middle of a joke, and as you’re waiting for the punch line, the film suddenly cuts into the next scene. Part of this is due to the often weak humor, but much of the blame falls on those in the editing room, who inexplicably cut some sequences short while leaving others to arbitrarily linger. On the brighter side of the production nuances are the beautiful locations that ‘Couples Retreat’ was filmed in. As Favreau’s character puts it, “This looks like a screensaver.” Even when you find yourself tired with the plot, the warm beaches and beautiful ocean are sure to provide some solace as the cold fall season sets in.

-----Ultimately, unless you’re offended by the crude humor in the trailer, there’s very little to hate in ‘Couples Retreat.’ With this in mind, there’s pretty much nothing to like either. The cast is wasted, and the laughs and infrequent and mild. There is also some really off-putting pacing throughout the film, with a climax that tries to stretch out over 45 minutes, and consequently ends up cramming events together. At one point the characters are set on a journey; the film then immediately cuts to the conclusion of said trip so as to move things along and get to the necessary plot elements. This further lends to the worthless editing throughout the film. Scenes that could have been classic, including one involving a ‘Guitar Hero’ showdown, are mishandled into nonchalance. It’s a shame to see so much potential wasted on an outing that ranges from mediocre to poor, with every therapy session being as painful for audiences as it is for the protagonists. There is the occasional genuine moment among cast members, but in the end, there are too many superior comedies in the already crowded genre to constitute spending any time or money on the consistently disappointing ‘Couples Retreat.’

Official Trailer