One would think a vacation in Bora Bora, with its romantic jungle getaways and picturesque bungalows built over crystal-clear, blue water, could do nothing but help a couple's relationship — and "Couples Retreat" ultimately proves this assumption exactly right. What isn't right is requiring audience members to sit through two hours of sitcom-variety comedy merely to get confirmation of that supposition. The only surprise "Retreat," the new film from child-actor-turned-director Peter Billingsley, has in store for viewers is its complete waste of comedic talent.
Written by Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau, this battle-of-the-sexes romantic comedy centers around four couples whose problems threaten to overwhelm their relationships.
Jason and Cynthia (Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell) recruit their friends for a group-rate vacation to the renowned Eden Resort in an effort to save their marriage, which is on the rocks because they haven't been able to conceive a child. Dave and Ronnie (Vaughn and Malin Akerman), a seemingly happy, suburban couple with two boys, tag along to support their friends only to discover tension underlying their own marriage. Shane (Faizon Love), who has already split from his wife, brings his shrill, 20-year-old girlfriend Trudy (Kali Hawk) along just to impress her and show her that he's still young.
Joey and Lucy (Favreau and Kristin Davis), the last couple on the retreat, have been sweethearts since high school. Their teenage daughter is about to leave the nest, and thus, like every other married couple in the movie, their marriage is strained. Their reasons for attending the retreat, though, along with clearer reasons for their impending divorce, seem to have been left on the cutting-room floor.
"Retreat" veers back and forth between crude sexual humor, awkward physical comedy and what are supposed to be poignant moments. The couples must endure forced nudity, uncomfortable therapy sessions and a wildly erotic, yet surprisingly comical yoga class, amid other mildly entertaining shenanigans. All activities are presided over by the braided, housecoat-wearing Monsieur Marcel, the "couples' whisperer," a paltry character played by the overqualified French actor Jean Reno.
Don't expect too much in the way of plot development from the film; it is essentially a series of disconnected skits. The only good thing that can be said about "Retreat" is that it milks humor out of these non sequiturs. Most of the scenes are funny, even if they don't ultimately mesh together in any meaningful way. "Retreat" even finds time for an extended Guitar Hero product placement scene, which pits Vaughn against a sleazy hotel manager antagonist.
While the humor scrapes by, the film's acting leaves something to be desired. Typically, Vaughn does not play his character, he plays himself, and the entire cast fails to make their respective loves believable. Still, a few funny lines hit their mark thanks in large part to Vaughn and Favreau. That gives the story just enough comedic weight to tie the haphazard scene progression together.
There is no character development in "Retreat," either. This stems from both the absence of any discernable plot and the atrocious acting. The same paper-thin characters occupy the screen in each scene; they never truly connect with each other. In what seems to be a desperate attempt to make up for the stagnant characters, toward the very end of "Retreat," each character changes radically over the course of one night, experiencing individual epiphanies that make them all more communicative, patient and loving. It's a hasty, lazy attempt at wrapping up the film.
To its credit, "Retreat" is a refreshingly tame chuckle-fest, which elicits lots of laughs without having to resort to the mean-spirited insults that have become the staple of the battle-of-the-sexes genre. The film is a pleasant romantic romp likely to delight, provided one is willing to put one's brain on pause for a couple of hours and just go with the flow — the island way.
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