Based on an original comic idea of Vince Vaughn's, "Couples Retreat" sees a quartet of troubled couples embark on a journey to a tropical island resort in order to mend their ailing relationships.
A great cast and intriguing premise can't save 'Couples Retreat' from buckling into the doldrums of mediocrity, which is a shame, because it had all the right ingredients for a hit. Back in the late 90s / early 00s, comic actors Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau took the indie scene by storm with 'Swingers' (1997); still one of my favourite films and a genuine cult classic, followed up with 'Made' (2001); not as well received but an excellent and consistently funny movie. The pair then went their separate ways; Vaughn finding fame in front of the camera, Favreau faring better behind it. Now it's been over a decade since those "money" cats hit the L.A. club scene, so expectations surrounding their reunion were quite high, but somehow, this unquestionably talented duo have managed to churn out a forgettable, by-the-numbers rom-com that couldn't be any more generic if it tried: Couple on the brink of divorce (Jason Batemen and Kristen Bell--both good) rope their friends into going to a resort / new age marriage counselling trip: Hilarity ensues...or at least that's the idea.
There're a few good one-liners courtesy of Vince Vaughn, a laugh out scene in the sauna / snow room and even some sagely relationship advice towards the end. But there simply aren't enough laughs to warrant it's two hour plus running time; everyone appears to be having fun, though (shot on location in the Polynesian tropics; who wouldn't?) alas, little of that joy is transferred to the audience. As a die hard Vince Vaughn & Jon Favreau fan, I got the impression that this was meant to be their 'She's Having A Baby' (1988) or 'Mr Mom' (1982) but having recently re-viewed those John Hughes classics, it's obvious that they're as far off the mark with 'Couple's Retreat' as Kevin Smith was with 'Jersey Girl'. A well meaning but convoluted film that's nowhere near as insightful or funny as it ought to be. Back to the drawing board.
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Their relationship in danger of dissipating, a couple racing to salvage their marriage invites three other couples to join them at a tropical island resort. Upon arriving at the island paradise to enjoy some carefree fun in the sun, the other couples are disturbed to discover that participation in therapy sessions is mandatory if they hope to remain at the resort.
Comedy co-written by and starring Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau. Four couples go on holiday together to a tropical island resort. While one of the couples has taken the break for the purpose of working on their marriage, the other three are there purely to enjoy the spa, sea and sun. They soon discover, however, that the therapy sessions that come with the holiday package are compulsory rather than voluntary. Consequently, they are forced to participate and, as a result, all the everyday problems faced by each couple are exposed to humorous effect. Jason Bateman, Malin Ackerman and Kristin Davis co-star.
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