Review of Couples Retreat (2009) by Remote G — 31 Jan 2011

By Mark Downie for remotegoat on 15/10/09.

On the face of it this is an original and inventive story of a couple whose marriage is on the rocks and who have found hope of salvation via a therapy service located on a remote paradise island. The only way they can afford the trip, however, is to get a discounted price by convincing six of their friends (three other couples) to come along, on assurances that the therapy is not mandatory. An interesting premise and a great location, seems interesting and worthy of a viewing you may think! Unfortunately this not-so-subtle tale of how to save your relationship suffers from a shallow script that fails to develop the characters sufficiently to engage the audience, and as a final let-down is unashamedly wrapped in Hollywood 'shmaltz'.

The majority of the film was set on the island of Bora Bora with some stunning vistas during the course of the film; after the initial 'wow' factor this alone was not sufficient to hold my attention and I spent more time deliberating on whether to fetch another ice cream from the foyer to add some interest and enjoyment to my evening. I had no sympathy or empathy towards any of the characters, so as the film progressed I really couldnt care whether they resolved their marital problems or not.

In my experience this was not typical Vince Vaughn material and this attempt at co-writing a script were a big disappointment. The jokes are thin on the ground with the majority being nothing more than mildly amusing at best. Poor Vince - he normally lands such great comedy character roles and manages to deliver some very funny dialogue with a deadpan expression; unfortunately his attempt at a transformation from the fun-loving, wide-boy of his previous films to the responsible and loyal family man failed to convince or impress.

There is no mistaking that this film is aimed squarely at the American market with many references to the restaurant chain 'Applebys' and US TV presenters that are lost or meaningless to the majority of non-US viewers. What started as quite a fun film quickly descended into something I really didn't want to waste any more time on; but sat through in the hope that something may finally redeem it. There were occasionally funny moments and set pieces but these were not, in my opinion, worth the bum-numbing, and increasingly annoying, intervening periods. Marriage therapy? It felt more like I was on a blind date with someone who couldn't be further from my type, but to be polite and not hurt their feelings I had to endure it to the bitter end (whilst making an early mental note to never return their call).