Review: Couples Retreat

Couples Retreat offers a well liked cast in a package that seems carefully constructed to appeal to as many people as possible. The plot is centered on four couples that head to an island resort for vacation only to find out that couples counseling is required. The pairs are all in different stages in their relationships but are challenged by the process and what it means to them with some more accepting than others.

Laced with cliches and predictable developments, Couples Retreat brings nothing new to the table. It goes for the cheap jokes or awkward situations and thinks that it is being clever in the process. The supporting characters are pretty much caricatures, they’re what you’d expect given they’ve been seen in other movies before. All that being said it is a relatively inoffensive movie that will connect with the date crowd and succeeds in generating at least a few laughs. The problem is you don’t feel all that good about them.

There will certainly be those out there who enjoy watching the cast interact. Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau co-wrote the movie and star together but they don’t have the same chemistry displayed as in Swingers or Made. Jason Bateman, Malin Akerman, and Kristen Bell all do admirable jobs but don’t have that much to work with here. The whole movie has a fractured feel which prevents the audience from feeling a strong connection with them or any of their character development.

The middle third of the movie felt as though it was just a splicing together of various random scenes simply to display comedic situations. There was little flow or progression made. It was actually jarring because a few of the scenes were literally just a few seconds long. It would cut to a character who would make an observation or one-liner and then it would be on to something completely unrelated maybe even to the next day. I suppose the desire was to keep connected with all four of the couples even when they were separated however it just came across feeling forced. Unfortunately they were able to include multiple scenes of Jon Favreau showing off his chest and having it rubbed in the belief that it was somehow funny.

Spoiler warning, though given the predictability it won’t really be a spoiler. Of course in the end everyone figures things out on their own and find again what they always loved in their respective partners. It was all completed in such a very convenient and immediate manner. But by that point you expect nothing else.

Interestingly the most genuine laughs come from the youngest son of Vaughn’s character in the movie. I actually heard several “awes” coming from the crowd at my showing because of his cute factor every time he appeared on screen. He ended up stealing the movie despite only being in a couple scenes early and then at the end.

Couples Retreat is a mildly amusing and harmless movie but never achieves anything more than just that. It is disappointing that after a wave of creative and challenging comedies in recent years that this one wastes a talented cast and takes the easy way out of everything.

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