COUPLES RETREAT Movie Review

COUPLES RETREAT Movie Review

Alright, let's play a quick game of "Would You Rather?" Would you rather be stuck in a maximum security prison with Val Kilmer as your cellmate, or stuck on a tropical island paradise with Vince Vaughn telling jokes for two hours? This is "Movie Night"!

*theme song plays*

Hello, and welcome to "Movie Night", the weekly movie discussion show brought to you by the fine people here at ideo Productions. Hello, I'm Jonathan Paula, I'm your host. Our first film tonight is the 2009 comedy vehicle starring Vince Vaughn.

"Couples Retreat", which, despite some early negative reviews and misleading trailers, earned over $170 million worldwide when it was released last October, nearly 3 times its reported budget.

Shot almost entirely on the island of Bora Bora, "Couples Retreat" is the story of four middle-aged couples, all at individual crossroads in their lives, who agree to a group vacation at a tropical paradise on the fictional island resort of Eden.

Unfortunately, in order to enjoy the 8-person discount, all of the couples must participate in some mandatory counseling sessions, and this, of course, is where the comedy is, apparently, SUPPOSED to ensue.

Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, and Jason Batemen headline this all-star cast of comedy regulars, putting together some unfortunately bland performances that we've seen from all of them a dozen times before.

The only real fresh and original aspect of this film is the outlining plot itself: forced couples' therapy on a tropical paradise, which is an intriguing and potentially winning formula.

Sadly, however, the movie fails to really capitalize on this humorous concept, with many aspects of the film just muddling along and feeling too much like actual therapy, rather than a comedy movie.

The first twenty minutes of the film are really the best here. The establishing scenes of each of the four couples are arguably the funniest scenes in the film.

Almost all of the remaining funny parts of this film are the ones you already saw in the trailer, which, given the massive promotion for this film and its DVD release last week, can only make you laugh so many times.

However, a seemingly random and persistent reference to working out a struggling relationship at an Applebee's made me laugh a few times.

Far too serious at times and unrealistic at other times, this comedy movie honestly feels like anything but for most of its 113-minute runtime.

Some clever gags and funny deliveries from the great cast will make you laugh, but these moments are far and few between, ultimately resulting in a sub-par movie, overall. Well, that's what I thought of the movie "Couples Retreat."

Now, let's see what you guys had to say in the YouTube comments. MMistler wrote... (reads MMistler's comment)

Jon: sij97 wrote... (reads sij97's comment)

Alright, let's go ahead and fire up the Rate-o-Matic, to see how "Couples Retreat" ranked.

A "bad" and a "good"! While I laughed at times and enjoyed some of the characters and scenes, far too much of this movie failed to entertain me like a good comedy film really ought to. I have to rank it a "3".

While some of you agreed with me, others seemed to really love this film, praising Vince Vaughn's always hilarious performance and the large supporting cast. You scored it an average of "6."

Well, enough about tropical paradises and Vince Vaughn. Let's do a complete 180 and examine life in a hardened correctional facility. "Felon" is a 2008 drama starring Stephen Dorf and Val Kilmer.

I'm sure most of you had never heard of this movie until it was recently recommended to you last week. As often is the case with little-known films, however, "Felon" is a real delight.

Dorf plays Wade Porter, who, after protecting his family from a burglary, is sentenced to jail on involuntary manslaughter charges. After getting in a scuffle and a mix-up his first day at prison, his sentence is escalated.

Porter finds himself in the most brutal and isolated section of the prison, known as "The Shoe." His cellmate happens to be a veteran of the jail system, John Smith, an infamous multiple-murder with a heart of gold, played stoically by Val Kilmer.

The film starts off very strong, with relatable and believable characters who find themselves in a worst-case scenario when family man Porter is sent to prison.

The engrossing plot, the realistic violence, and the dialogue kept me captivated in nearly every scene. Immediately, though, the movie draws comparison to the granddaddy of all prison films, "Shawshank Redemption"...

...For its strikingly similar plot-arcs and, of course, the prison setting. Obviously, this film is no "Shawshank Redemption", but the comparison to previous prison films actually helps this movie strive.

Director Ric Roman Waugh is astutely aware of the type of film he's creating, and he throws several curveballs our way to make sure that "Felon" stands out from the pack.

The primary focus of the movie is Porter's situation in prison and his relationship with his wife, played by Marisol Nichols, who will only wait so long for him on the outside.

"Felon" is a very intimate movie that ultimately is a character study about how much and how long an individual can endure. Dorf, Nichols, and Kilmer all do an absolutely fantastic job of bringing their characters to life and making them memorable.

Opposition in the film comes from the sadistic and menacing prison guards, which creates for some excellent villains you'll love to hate and root against.

On the filmmaking and editing side of things, "Felon" does a great job of pulling us into the environment with some expert use of sight and sound.

Although the ending of this film may be be a bit too "Hollywood" for some folks, the basic plot of this movie is apparently based on real-world events, so I can't really knock the movie too much there.

My only real complaint with this otherwise fantastic film is that some of the supporting cast, although well-developed and well-acted, felt awfully formulaic and strikingly similar to many of the typical prison characters we've seen in many movies before.

Anyway, that's what I thought of "Felon." Now, let's see what you had to say in the YouTube comments. Cortez7 wrote... (reads Cortez7's comment)

Jon: juliantorres89 wrote... (reads juliantorres89's comment)

Alright, now, let's fire up the Rate-o-Matic, to see how you and I ranked the movie "Felon."

An "8" and a "9"! I really enjoyed this film, and while it wasn't the greatest prison movie ever made, I honestly couldn't find much about it that I didn't like. I have to score it a "great."

You guys were also very captivated by this film, praising the dramatic action and realistic character portrayal, scoring it an "awesome."

Well, that does it for tonight's movies. Let's take a look at what you guys have been saying about recent movies on Twitter.

Jon: MacSirloin Tweeted... (reads MacSirloin's Tweet)

Jon: maliawilldance Tweeted... (reads maliawilldance's Tweet)

Remember, if you're going to the movies this weekend, make sure to submit your review via Twitter, to have it possibly featured on an upcoming episode. That does it for this week. Now, let's take a look at next week's special episode, "10 for 10."

In rapid-fire fashion, next week, I'll be highlighting my top 10 favorite movies of all-time and explaining to you why I think they deserve an "amazing 10" on the Rate-o-Matic. You'll just have to wait until next week to see what these movies are.

But in the meantime, post a comment below and let me know what some of your perfect-"10" movies are. Until then, my name is Jonathan Paula. Thanks for watching "Movie Night." Goodnight!

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