“Couples Retreat” (Comedy/Romance: 1 hour, 53 minutes); Starring: Vince Vaughn, Malin Akerman, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Faizon Love, Jon Favreau, Kristin Davis, and Jean Reno; Director: Peter Billingsley; Rated: PG-13 (Sexual innuendo, crude and sexual humor, mild language and brief violence)
Movie Review: As a single person, complaining couples are not the entertainment one would like to see. Such a situation is the case with “Couples Retreat,” a comedy written by stars Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, who is also a producer.
This tolerable comedy becomes a somewhat agreeable romance as the relationships of four couples are revealed while on a couples retreat on an exotic island. The couples complain, argue and find themselves in very precarious situations — a yoga scene goes on far too long, ruining the scene’s jokes. Actor Billingsley directs, his second time helming a production. He allows his cast to run amok, a condition of directing your boss (Vaughn).
Even more, the story is forced. The characters all do the “right thing,” even when it appears their actions are too easily resolvable. An example is Jennifer (Tasha Smith, in a very petite role), the estranged wife of Shane (the token black guy role played by Faizon), telling her husband that it took sleeping with multiple men and partying some everywhere to realize he was the best thing for her. Immediately, he takes her back, seemingly with no reservations.
The wives are smart, beautiful and genuine. The men are goofy husbands. The wives should drop their zeroes and get with heroes. As to why the women seem more serious than their male counterparts, the answer is not because the plot demands such. Women are typically less funny in comedies due to sexist prejudices of men in moviedom. Movie producers, who value the almighty box-office dollar, think of women as the less funny of the sexes as dictated by ticket sales. Therefore, the comedic lines belong to the men in this film, while the women are given the grounded, less humorous lines, making them appear much smarter than their men.
Comedies rarely make total sense, but they contain laughs. Despite some flubbed lines and over-the-top characters, “Retreat” has its moments. Some scenes are good, smart humor, and other moments are tragically funny because the scenes are goofily under par. Either way, it provides a few laughs.
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