Phil
Foster
(Steve
Carell)
is
a
tax
consultant.
Wife
Claire
(Tina
Fey)
is
a
realtor.
Between
their
jobs,
two
young
children,
and
all
the
other
daily
responsibilities
that
go
into
a
day-to-day
life,
the
two
of
them
can
barely
muster
up
enough
energy
to
go
out
by
themselves
once
a
week
for
dinner
at
a
nearby
steakhouse.
When
friends
Haley
(Kristen
Wiig)
and
Brad
(Mark
Ruffalo)
announce
they
are
getting
a
divorce,
no
longer
romantic
partners
so
much
as
great
roommates,
it
hits
home
for
the
Fosters.
Have
they,
too,
lost
their
spark?
For
their
next
date
night,
they
raise
the
ante,
getting
dressed
up
and
heading
into
Manhattan
to
dine
at
Claw,
a
chic,
upscale
seafood
restaurant
so
snooty
the
hosts
answer
the
phone
with
"You're
welcome."
Desperate
for
a
table
but
without
reservations,
they
decide
to
take
that
of
the
nowhere-to-be-found
Tripplehorns.
Before
their
meal
is
over,
Phil
and
Claire
are
mistaken
for
the
missing
diners
and
running
for
their
lives
from
a
couple
of
thugs
(Jimmi
Simpson
and
Common)
who
want
a
flash
drive
with
incriminating
evidence
exposing
DA
Frank
Crenshaw's
(William
Fichtner)
dirty
dealings
with
the
mob.
Date
Night
is
that
rare
high-concept
action-comedy
that
not
only
earns
every
one
of
its
fairly
consistent
big
laughs,
but
also
provides
a
certain
amount
of
pathos,
too.
Amidst
the
zany
plot
turns
and
one
of
the
most
surprisingly
creative
car
chases
ever
put
to
film
is
a
connective
and
universal
reality
that
audiences
will
be
able
to
identify
with.
This
is
no
more
the
circumstance
than
in
the
relationship
between
its
two
lead
characters,
an
overworked
couple
hoping
to
put
some
spice
and
excitement
back
into
their
marriage.
Playing
them,
Steve
Carel
and
Tina
Fey
are
about
as
perfect
as
an
onscreen
pairing
can
get,
their
impeccable
improvisational
skills
matched
only
by
their
honesty
as
performers.
Director
Shawn
Levy
clearly
knows
when
he
has
two
actors
that
know
funny
and
he
lets
them
do
their
thing
then
picks
the
best
bits,
which
allows
for
some
incredibly
strong
laughs.
Not
all
of
it
works
and
sometimes
it
gets
a
little
silly,
but
Carell
and
Fey
have
a
way
of
making
even
the
silliest
moments.
There's
still
plenty
of
room
for
others
in
the
cast
to
get
laughs,
whether
it's
a
shirtless
Mark
Wahlberg,
who
plays
up
the
gag
so
splendidly,
he
gets
a
laugh
every
time
he
shows
up
to
open
his
door
sans
shirt,
or
James
Franco
and
Mila
Kunis
as
a
very
different
couple
from
the
Fosters.
The
moments
of
the
movie
that
don't
work
as
well
are
when
it
gets
into
the
actual
crime-thriller
aspect
of
the
story.
Few
of
the
actors
playing
thugs
and
gangsters
are
particularly
effective
at
being
threatening,
even
Ray
Liotta,
typecast
as
the
mob
boss
behind
the
overall
plot.
Date
Night
is
not
a
perfect
film
but
the
chemistry
between
the
leads
and
Levy"s
suddenly
sure
and
steady
hand
delivers
a
superb,
uproarious
comedy.
Starring:
Steve
Carrell,
Tina
Fey,
Mark
Wahlberg,
Taraji
P.
Henson,
Jimmi
Simpson,
Common,
Ray
Liotta,
James
Franco
and
Mila
Kunis