Suburban Couples Get an Unwanted Dose of Paradise

“Couples Retreat” is billed as a comedy written by Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau and Dana Fox. The director is Peter Billingsley of (Christmas Story) fame although he is all grown up now and has kids of his own. He’s produced other Vaughn and Favreau films and we can safely conclude that all are buddies. The film has other stars we’ve seen in comedic roles such as Jason Bateman (Extract) and Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall). It’s the story of 4 suburban couples that decide to go away on a tropical vacation together in order to help their friends’ failing marriage. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t have too many laughs and is filled with those awkward moments that no one wants to see.

Basically, this is what happens when a weak script tries to compensate itself with a paradise setting. Sorry everyone, no setting can help this film, regardless of the allure of the obscure Tahitian islands that are half way around the world with the beautiful turquoise crystal clear waters where fish swim underneath see-through, peak-window floors in your bedroom or the romantic, thatched-roofed huts. The story just isn’t there.

The beginning of the film does have promise. It brings us to a place in suburban living and raising a family that most can relate to as the couples appear to all be in their thirties. It’s too bad that these comedic, realistic, urban scenes didn’t continue as once the couples step foot on the island, the film is lost.

Vaughn plays a married guy with two adorable boys, who steal the film. His wise-cracking style is in full form although he needs a stronger actress to play opposite him. Malin Akerman, from (Watchmen) & (The Proposal) plays his wife. Frankly, I was surprised she was cast in the film as Vaughn plays better with major stars such as Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston.

If you do decide to go see the film, try and spot all the Chicago paraphernalia and references. Bears napkin, Chicago Cubs mug, Northwestern T-shirt, Chicago vintage shore line poster and Buffalo Grove T-shirt; that might keep you amused and awake. Don’t go because you think you’ll see the beautiful islands of Bora Bora or Tahiti. You’d be better off looking at a screen saver as Faverau refers to when he lands on the island. The beautiful paradise footage is not here. Viewers are subjected to a Hitler-type ‘time management’ guy who has way too much screen time. He’s really creepy and weird. The rock band scene later in the film between he and Vaughn is cheesy and forced. We are also subjected to an inappropriate ‘Fabio guy’ yoga instructor  who works in a Speedo and likes to show off his flexibility in weird sexual poses. Again, not funny, but boring.

I also need to mention two different resorts that are in the film. Eden East is the singles, wild and crazy side and Eden West is the couples, boring and sleepy side. The East side has all twenty-year-olds that looks like a scene out of spring break in Miami. This scene is also very unrealistic because no twenty-year-olds are going to fly half way around the world to party when they can do it in Miami for an eighth of the cost. Again, not sure what the writers are thinking here. I haven’t even mentioned the totally unrealistic shark scene; let’s keep it as you’ve been warned.

 By the end of the film, all you want to do is get off the island and go home.

 *My step son and his wife were on their honeymoon last November in Bora Bora and on their return, while waiting to board the plane to New York, the cast from this film were in the bar. The word still remains that Vaughn is a great guy in person. I wish him much success in his next film as Iam a huge fan.

Sarah Adamson © October 2009