NMR: Date Night

Technically, I saw this on Amazon's on demand service since Netflix's crappy deal prevents them from having this film available to rent until next month, but I digress. This film found a way of bringing together a dream team of Steve Carell and Tina Fey - both of whom are well suited for this movie since they are not only funny, but down to Earth enough to be believable as a surburbanite couple struggling to keep their marriage fresh. Their presence is what makes this film worth seeing. I particularly enjoyed any of the scenes that found them away from the manic activity and having some hilarious and/or touching moments. There are a few scenes where the leads pretend what's going on with other couples' dinner conversations that are very funny. I could watch a whole movie of them doing those type of riffs. The surrounding story is a bit goofy and far-fetched at times, but you go along with it not just for the leads, but for many of the supporting players as well like James Franco, Mila Kunis, and Mark Wahlberg, who all appear to be having a blast making the movie. This is no classic, but it's an excellent film for rental that is likely to have a lot of replay value. Rating: ***1/2