Thursday, May 13, 2010

Date Night: Comedy Mashup

Date Night, currently in theaters, stars two of the most popular comic actors in America: Tina Fey and Steve Carell. These two funny people rub shoulders every Thursday night on NBC (Carell on the The Office, Fey on 30 Rock), but this is our first opportunity to see them share screen-time. Date Night casts the duo as a 40-something couple who are afraid to admit that their marriage is in a rut. When Carell suggests a night out on the town as a respite from their routine, things go drastically awry. The mistaken identity/suburbanites out of their element scenario has been done countless times, so plot-wise this is nothing you haven't seen before. (This script may well have been pitched as The Out-of-Towners meets The In-Laws.) The real draw here is the opportunity to see these two fine comic sensibilities play off each other, and the film succeeds on that level. Fey's notoriously wry wit is a great match for Carell's equally well known aptitude for charming idiocy. Ultimately, they bring a certain amount of tenderness to the relationship they're enacting. Keep an eye out for James Franco and Mila Kunis, who nearly steal the movie with their hilarious bickering. Directed by Shawn Levy (Just Married, Night at the Museum).

Follow the jump for a look at their respective filmographies.


Steve Carell:

The 40-Year-Old Virgin
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Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
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Bewitched
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Bruce Almighty
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Dan in Real Life
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Evan Almighty
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Get Smart
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Knocked Up (cameo)
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Little Miss Sunshine
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Melinda and Melinda
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The Office: Season One
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The Office: Season Two
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The Office: Season Three
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The Office: Season Four
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The Office: Season Five
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Tina Fey:

30 Rock: Season One
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30 Rock: Season Two
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30 Rock: Season Three
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Baby Mama
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The Invention of Lying
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Mean Girls
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