"DATE NIGHT" (2010) (Steve Carell, Tina Fey) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Mild Extreme Mild Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Heavy Minor Heavy Moderate Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy None Moderate Moderate Moderate QUICK TAKE: Action/Comedy: After taking the dinner reservation of others who never showed up at a fancy restaurant, a husband and wife have their goal of a fun date night in the Big Apple turn into something more adventurous than planned when they're mistaken for the other couple and then end up on the run from mobsters, corrupt cops and more who want something they don't have. PLOT: Phil (STEVE CARELL) and Claire Foster (TINA FEY) are an unassuming, married couple whose one break -- from tax consulting, selling real estate and raising their young kids -- is the occasional date night by themselves. After learning some friends are getting divorced, they decide to liven up their evening a bit and head from the Jersey 'burbs into Manhattan to have dinner at the Big Apple's trendiest restaurant. Unfortunately, they don't have reservations, but upon realizing the Tripplehorns are not answering their seating call, Phil decides to pretend that he and Claire are them and thus get the highly coveted table. When Armstrong (JIMMI SIMPSON) and Collins (COMMON) show up to escort them outside, the Fosters think it's about taking that reservation. When a gun is pulled, however, and the two thugs demand they give up a stolen computer thumb drive, the couple realizes they're in a different sort of trouble. Barely escaping with their lives, they first try getting help from Det. Arroyo (TARAJI P. HENSON) but then learn the thugs are actually cops. They then meet one of Claire's former clients, Holbrooke (MARK WAHLBERG), a buff ex-special ops type turned security consultant. With his help, they eventually find the "Tripplehorns" who are really just the bohemian pairing of Taste (JAMES FRANCO) and Whippit (MILE KUNIS) who planned on blackmailing District Attorney Frank Crenshaw (WILLIAM FICHTNER) and/or local mobster Joe Miletto (RAY LIOTTA) with the contents of that computer drive. Realizing they have to get their hands on that to get the goons off their backs, the husband and wife end up on an adventurous and dangerous date night they soon won't forget. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of Carell, Fey and/or anyone else in the cast, or action-comedies in general, they might be interested. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For sexual and crude content throughout, language, some violence and a drug reference. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: STEVE CARELL plays a married tax consultant who wants his date night with his wife to be special, and thus pretends they're another couple that hasn't shown up for their restaurant reservation. By doing so (where they drink wine), he unknowingly puts their lives in danger as they must then contend with corrupt cops, government officials and a mobster. He uses some profanity (one instance briefly strong) and discusses his marriage with Claire when they're not on the run or having to pretend and act like people they're not. TINA FEY plays his wife, a real estate agent who's too harried and tired from that job and home life raising kids to be romantic with Phil. She goes along with his initial ruse and must then contend with all of the above. She briefly drinks and uses some profanity. MARK WAHLBERG plays a former special ops military guy turned security consultant who helps the Fosters, is in a sexual relationship with a foreigner, and has a thing about always being shirtless. TARAJI P. HENSON plays a local police detective who doesn't believe the Fosters are the people others are reporting them to be. JIMMI SIMPSON and COMMON play what initially appear to be simple thugs who threaten the Fosters, but turn out to be corrupt cops who are after the couple for most of the film, including repeatedly trying to kill them. WILLIAM FICHTNER plays the District Attorney who turns out to be a closet sexual pervert who's also corrupt in his dealings with mob figure Miletto. RAY LIOTTA plays the mob figure who uses his power and corruption to control aspects of the New York police department and District Attorney's office. He uses some profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this comedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word (and a few derivations thereof), while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Sexually related dialogue is present in various scenes, as is sexual material (played both straight, such as scantily clad members of both sexes cavorting in a club, as well as for exaggerated comedy, including pelvic thrusting and mock intercourse). Other scantily clad women are also seen, as is a buff man who's always shirtless. Violence consists of people being shot at by goons in several scenes and some brief hitting, while there's also an adventurous car chase and some slapstick style material. That and some moments of potential peril might be unsettling and/or tense for some viewers, but much of that material is played somewhat lightly and/or for comedy. Some of that and other behavior might be enticing for kids to imitate, while various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes. Drinking occurs in various scenes and there's one drug-related comment (about nitrous oxide). Crude humor and some related comments are occasionally made, while tense family material is also present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that from flashing police lights. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some camera movement from time to time in the film, including some handheld near the end. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Miscellaneous people drink in a restaurant where Claire may have wine. Various people have wine at a book reading. One of Phil's friends has a beer. Claire has wine. Miscellaneous people drink in restaurant as well as its bar where Phil tries ordering two glasses of wine but is ignored by the bartender. Later, he and Claire have wine with dinner, and when Armstrong and Collins show up to escort them out, Phil guzzles his down. During some playful restaurant commentary about others, Claire says one woman is getting drunk for what's coming later, saying the man is into nasty stuff and will call her by his or her mom's name (or something along those lines). Phil vomits twice on the street in Manhattan from nerves (having just had a perilous encounter with Armstrong and Collins, including gunfire). Claire then worriedly asks if he was shot (presumably from the unseen red color), but Phil says it's just the cabernet he had earlier. Miletto has a bottle of champagne or wine on the table by him. Whippit says her name is based on inhaling nitrous oxide. Armstrong lies to Det. Arroyo that he and Collins were out for beers when Phil and Claire suddenly started shooting at them. Miscellaneous people drink in a club where Crenshaw has a drink in front of him. BLOOD/GORE Phil and Claire make a game of commentating about what others in restaurants are actually thinking. During one such moment, Claire voices one woman saying she's going to go home and "fart into a shoebox." Spotting Claire putting in her mouth guard while getting into bed, Phil realizes that probably means no sex and comments on that. She says no, that they could and remove the slobber-dripping mouth guard, but they then hem and haw about whether to proceed, ultimately not doing anything. She says that's good, as the potato skins they had for dinner have made her gassy. At a book reading, a particular work is discussed, including about the young girl menstruating and having her first period under Taliban rule. One woman gets defensive about this toward Phil, and after he leaves, Claire asks if she's having her period and the woman says yes. Elsewhere, that woman's husband comments on that with Phil. Phil vomits twice on the street in Manhattan from nerves (having just had a perilous encounter with Armstrong and Collins, including gunfire). Claire then worriedly asks if he was shot (presumably from the unseen red color), but Phil says it's just the cabernet he had earlier. As they hurriedly call their babysitter from Manhattan, Claire complains, "Oh my God, this phone smells like urine." Claire complains (in general) about her life of having to wash food and boogers off her. Phil licks a stripper pole and nearly gags, with Claire telling him not to get sick (he doesn't). Phil jokes about the aforementioned book and the character going off to menstruate in peace. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE All of the criminals and corrupt cops and government figures obviously have bad attitudes, especially those who try to kill Phil and Claire. Phil and Claire make a game of commentating about what others in restaurants are actually thinking. Claire admits to lying to her real estate clients about the low amount of time it takes to drive into the city. The maître d' in a high demand restaurant becomes progressively ruder to Phil and Claire when they try to get a table. Determined to be seated in that restaurant and without a reservation, Phil hears a name being called out repeatedly for a table. When no one answers, Phil says they're the Tripplehorns and takes the table. SPOILER ALERT: We learn that Armstrong and Collins are actually cops. The couple's babysitter pushes for more "overtime" money from them despite Phil and Claire obviously being in distress on the phone (calling them "suckers" after she gets off the line). Claire asks for Phil's suit jacket, balls it around her fist, and then punches through a glass door (to break into an office to find a former client's address). Phil and Claire use a fire escape to enter a couple's apartment without their permission. Armstrong lies to Det. Arroyo that he and Collins were out for beers when Phil and Claire suddenly started shooting at them. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed here and under "Violence" may be unsettling and/or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material, but much of it's played lightly to varying and/or for comedy. Phil and Claire go into an alley from a restaurant, thinking Armstrong and Collins work for the restaurant and are kicking them out for taking someone else's reservation (who didn't show up). Armstrong knocks the doggy bag from Claire's hand and then pulls his handgun and aims it close to both Phil and Claire's faces. They then take the couple to Central Park at night where Phil is trying to bluff about the stolen thumb drive that the thugs are after. The two hold their handguns on the couple, and shoot a lock to open a door. Inside the boat house, Phil has Claire lead the goons aside. He then slowly pulls out an oar and knocks Collins to the floor with that. He misses Armstrong with the same, but does hit a post that causes a small boat or something similar to fall on Armstrong. They then try to escape in a motorboat, with the goons then shooting at the couple as they slowly cross a lake (the shots hit the water near them, but miss hitting them). As Claire and Phil try to tell Det. Arroyo about their encounter with Armstrong and Collins, they then spot the two thugs in the police station. When the car they're driving locks front bumpers with a cab during a car chase, Phil climbs out from his car, over the hoods, and into the cab to take over driving (with the vehicles in motion). After the vehicles separate, Phil has no brakes and drives into a river, but is okay. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns: Carried and/or used to threaten and attempt to shoot others. See "Violence" for details. We see an old pistol on display in Holbrooke's place. Armstrong and Collins hold their guns on Phil and Claire. Miletto pulls his handgun, followed by others doing the same, resulting in a standoff that ends when the police arrive and aim their weapons at all of those people. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "F you, mother-fer" (said just like that), "Will you, for the love of God, put on a f*cking shirt?" "Too scared sh*t-less," "Sh*t my pants," "That is some bullsh*t," "This sh*t ends now," "Long D*ck Dong," "Why don't you zip your vagina, Raymond Burr?" "Forget about the back door" (referring to anal sex), "Look at your boobs!" "I can't stop looking at your boobs," "Pop that cootchie," "Kind of pulled a boner here," "You zip your vagina," "Shut up," "Hello, my peeps," "What up?" "Walk among the birds," "We're super-duper busy," "You are a freak," "Bitch" (man and woman), "I'm getting seriously pissed off," "How the hell did this happen?" "Oh my God, this phone smells like urine," "Suckers," "Oh my God, who are you?" "Let's shirt up," "You're good with your instruments," "Screw Holbrooke," "He is super hot," "I am just a dork," "You think I like sounding like a total bitch?" "Look at this bitch," "Start talking whore," "What the hell /are you doing here/is going on up here?" "Zip your face," "You dumb ass," "You're just a G*ddamn criminal mastermind," "Shut the holes" (mouths), "Don't call be a bitch, whore," "This gun sucks," "On snap," "Move your ass," "Yeah, ass-bag," "Toots" and "You zip it, Skippy." The action and other stunts might be enticing for some kids to try to imitate. One or both of Claire and Phil's kids jump hard on them in bed, to get them up. Phil and Claire make a game of commentating about what others in restaurants are actually thinking. Determined to be seated in a high-demand restaurant and without a reservation, Phil hears a name being called out repeatedly for a table. When no one answers, Phil says they're the Tripplehorns and they take the table. Trying to look hip to pretend they were with a famous recording artist, Phil returns to a restaurant wearing his suit jacket backwards. Claire asks for Phil's suit jacket, balls it around her fist, and then punches through a glass door (to break into an office to find a former client's address). Phil and Claire use a fire escape to enter a couple's apartment without their permission. A man has many tattoos. When the car they're driving locks front bumpers with a cab during a car chase, Phil climbs out from his car, over the hoods, and into the cab to take over driving (with both vehicles in motion). JUMP SCENES As Phil and Claire are seated in Holbrooke's car, the back window is suddenly shot out. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of suspenseful, ominous and action-oriented music is heard in the film, some of it done lightly and/or playfully. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) A song in a sex club has lyrics about "touch me" and "feel me," while we couldn't make out others that may or may not be sexual in nature. PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word (while 4 more are used as "F You" and 2 are partially used with "mother"), 5 "s" words, 1 slang term for sex ("do it"), 2 slang terms for female genitals ("cootchie"), 2 for breasts ("boobs"), 1 slang term for male genitals ("d*ck"), 5 asses (1 used with "hole"), 3 damns, 3 hells, 29 uses of "Oh my God," 4 of "Oh God," 3 of "My God," 2 of "Jesus" and 1 use each of "God" and "G-damn." SEX/NUDITY About tax money they'll now be getting, one of Phil's clients tells her husband/boyfriend that when they go on vacation they could "do it" on the beach twenty times. Spotting Claire putting in her mouth guard while getting into bed, Phil realizes that probably means no sex and comments on that. She says no, that they could, but they then hem and haw about whether to proceed, including her saying they could keep it uptown (or something sounding like that) and do the "fast version," but nothing ultimately happens. Claire and some other women show varying amounts of cleavage at a book reading. One of Phil's friends incorrectly refers to a character from "Sixteen Candles" as "Long D*ck Dong." Claire's friend, who's splitting with her husband, states her dream is taking off her top and making it with three guys. Claire is shocked, saying that's her nightmare. The other woman then complains that with her husband it's sex in the same position twice a week. Claire checks about that number (thinking it's high), with the woman admitting that it's low. Claire adjusts her breasts (that are not actually seen) in her dress. We see miscellaneous cleavage. During more restaurant commentary about others, Claire says one woman is getting drunk for what's coming later, saying the man is into nasty stuff and will call her by his or her mom's name (or something along those lines). We see miscellaneous cleavage. Hoping they might run into anyone in Central Park at night to save them from Armstrong and Collins who are taking them there, Phil says maybe some closeted gay men will be there. Desperate for an excuse to get away from Armstrong and Collins who've taken them to Central Park at night, Claire tells Phil they could say that he needs intra-penis medicine. Later, when confronted by the thugs, Claire tries using that excuse, making various comments about Phil's penis (causing both thugs to look down at Phil's clothed crotch). Claire shows cleavage in her cocktail dress in various scenes. Claire lights up (not cigarette related) when Holbrooke (her former client) opens the door, all buff and shirtless. When she states she guesses his place is popular with the ladies, he says he does all right. She then replies, "I bet you do all kinds of right." Moments later, his foreign girlfriend comes down the stairs in just her panties and his shirt and asks in broken English, "You two make sex with us?" Phil and Claire say no, with her then telling Holbrooke (in subtitles) that she's happy they're not as they look old and weak. Later, and seeing him manipulating his computer technology, Claire states, "You're good with your instruments." When Armstrong and Collins buzz on the intercom, Phil uses a deep voice to impersonate Holbrooke and state that he's having sex and will be down in a minute. We see some old stone figurines in Holbrooke's place that show non-explicit bare breasts. As they discuss their marriage, Claire tells Phil it's not like she has a gross sex fantasy. Phil says everyone does, and that hers is Holbrooke while his is Cyndi Lauper. A person tells Phil, "Why don't you zip your vagina, Raymond Burr?" prompting Phil to say he doesn't know how to respond to that. A couple (Taste and Whippit) complain about each other, with the man (whose shirt is open) saying she complained about him getting the wrong nipple clamps, with her saying they hurt her. The man then complains about their sex life, including repeatedly saying you can "forget about the back door" (presumably referring to anal sex). The woman then talks of her past when she was a stripper who turned tricks. As they then race to pack their stuff, the man tells the woman to forget the latex (although we don't know exactly what that pertains to). Right before they exit through the window, the two then passionately kiss while clothed and standing (prompting Phil to ask Claire if she saw how the man was tonguing her). We see photos of Crenshaw with a hooker, and Phil later comments on that being of the woman servicing Crenshaw. Claire says she doesn't want to get "whacked off" by the bad guys (not realizing the sexual term she used), but Phil says that's not going to happen (referring to her term). We see Holbrooke shirtless again, while his girlfriend is seen standing with just a sheet around her. Phil then comments that Holbrooke's girlfriend is so hot it's like looking through a shimmery jet engine. Claire poses as a hooker and Phil as her pimp in order to get into a club to try to get to Crenshaw. Inside the club, scantily clad members of both sexes cavort with and caress each other (while some sexually related songs are heard). Phil then notices Claire's enhanced chest and says "Look at your boobs" and "I can't stop looking at your boobs," while she makes a joking reference to a sexual position to him while pretending to be the hooker. She's in some sexy lingerie and comments that it was the only one long enough to cover her C-section scars. A doorman then tells both to look up into a camera and informs them that Crenshaw wants to see both of them, prompting Claire to say that the pervert has an eye for him. Phil then tells her to "pop that cootchie" and she repeats part of that phrase as both enter the next room. Inside there, several scantily clad women are fawning over a seated Crenshaw, while others do their things around a stripper pole and another suggestively licks a large lollipop. Crenshaw then wants Phil and Claire to perform for him (Claire says she thinks he wants them to have sex, but says they should do the fast version), so they try but are quite awkward and stiff moving about the stripper pole (he's clothed, she's still in her hooker lingerie, all played for laughs). That includes Phil being behind her and doing some mock pelvic thrusting, and then humping the floor by himself. The two also exaggeratedly flick their tongues at each other, close; he licks the stripper pole but then nearly gags; and the two then do stiff robot movements, including more thrusting motions. Claire then tells Crenshaw they have something he wants (not meant sexually), and he excitedly says he knows they do, but that ends when they reveal their true (nonsexual) intentions. Repeating what he earlier heard, Phil tells Miletto, "You zip your vagina." Phil and Claire passionately kiss, standing and clothed, upon returning home. They then end up on the lawn, with him on top of her, with more kissing and such (during the end credits). He then rolls off her, with both looking exhausted, but no sex is seen (if it occurs) and both are still clothed. During the outtakes, we see several scenes of Phil using a deep voice to say over an intercom that he's busy having sex. In another scene, Claire does more commentating about others in a restaurant, including imitating one saying she's going to go home and look at her vagina with a hand mirror. There are also lines about working a stripper pole, including down to a nub. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Phil learns from his friend that the guy and his wife are splitting up (saying they're nothing more now than "excellent roommates"), and that man's wife then discusses the same with Claire (and is okay with the split). Claire and Phil worry about their kids back home after they realize the goons now have their home address. Phil tells the babysitter (on the phone) to get the kids out of the house right away. Phil is jealous of how Claire lit up (not cigarette related) upon seeing Holbrooke and doesn't do that for him. She denies that, but then complains about all of the work she has to do around the house and with the family, followed by him saying she should trust him to handle some of that. He also wonders if she ever wants to leave him, and she says no, although she'd like some quiet time alone. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Relationships (particularly marriages) and how to keep the spark in them. The repercussions of pretending to be someone you're not. Corruption among government figures and/or the police. VIOLENCE Claire accidentally bumps her legs on drawers that have been left open in the house. Phil and Claire go into an alley from a restaurant, thinking Armstrong and Collins work for the restaurant and are kicking them out for taking someone else's reservation (who didn't show up). Armstrong knocks the doggy bag from Claire's hand and then pulls his handgun and aims it close to both Phil and Claire's faces. They then take the couple to Central Park at night where Phil is trying to bluff about the stolen thumb drive that the thugs are after. The two hold their handguns on the couple, and shoot a lock to open a door. Inside the boat house, Phil has Claire lead the goons aside. He then slowly pulls out an oar and knocks Collins to the floor with that. He misses Armstrong with the same, but does hit a post that causes a small boat or something similar to fall on Armstrong. They then try to escape in a motorboat, with the goons then shooting at the couple as they slowly cross a lake (the shots hit the water near them, but miss hitting them). Phil and Claire accidentally run face-first into glass doors. Claire asks for Phil's suit jacket, balls it around her fist, and then punches through a glass door (to break into an office to find a former client's address). Claire accidentally runs into open file cabinet drawers. After entering a couple's apartment to search for the missing thumb drive, Phil and Claire encounter that couple, with the man punching Phil in the neck. In response, Phil pulls the old pistol he stole from Holbrooke's place and aims that at the man. As Phil and Claire are seated in Holbrooke's car, the back window is suddenly shot out. We then see Armstrong and Collins firing more shots at them, so Phil tries shooting the old pistol he stole from Holbrooke's place back at them, but it misfires. He then blasts the car out of there, but they drive into a cab, resulting in the airbags hitting Phil and Claire. The bumpers of their car and the cabbie's are stuck (nose to nose), and they then take off that way as Armstrong and Collins fire at them again. They crash into various other cars during the chase, followed by many cop cars crashing into each other. The two cars become separated when a van t-bones them, but the cab has no brakes. The cabbie then jumps out of the moving cab, with Phil (now in the cab) then crashing into the river (but he gets out safely). Reviewed April 6, 2010 / Posted April 9, 2010

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

All Rights Reserved,
©1996-2012 Screen It, Inc.