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When a visitor arrives in Eden in "Couples Retreat," he marvels that the place looks like a screensaver. He's not kidding.
The real star of this comedy (with more drama than the preview would lead you to believe) is the five-star resort in Bora Bora doubling as the main backdrop. It's breathtaking although it cannot make up for a movie that seemed designed to be the perfect date-night choice for married couples in their 30s but goes astray.
It starts off slow but strong, thanks to Vince Vaughn and Malin Akerman, but then shows flashes of its original R rating, edited to a PG-13 -- with double entendres, suggestive content and scenes that are lopped off or sloppily edited -- and seems determined to deliver unrealistic reconciliations. (I would have said happy endings, but that phrase coyly appears in a spa scene.)
Peter Billingsley, a producer whose acting credits include Ralphie in the now-classic "A Christmas Story," makes the leap from producing to directing with this story about four couples who leave the snowy Midwest for a week at a remote resort called Eden.
- Starring: Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau.
- Rating: PG-13 on appeal for sexual content and language.
- Web site: 'Couples Retreat'
One of the pairs, Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell), declare this trip may be the only way to save their marriage. They can receive counseling while their pals luxuriate in paradise, but they need them to get the affordable group rate.
Dave and Ronnie (Vaughn and Akerman), happily married parents of two boys, along with former high school sweethearts Joey and Lucy (Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis) and the divorced Shane and his new girlfriend (Faizon Love and Kali Hawk) go along for the ride but find their vacation isn't what they envisioned.
Written by Vaughn, Favreau and Dana Fox ("What Happens in Vegas," "The Wedding Date"), "Couples Retreat" is designed to represent various phases of relationships and contentment.
Of course in this case, all the women have bodies like models and the men ... well, they range from average to beefy to candidate for "The Biggest Loser," setting up a sharp contrast with a hunky yoga instructor.
Most of the laughs come courtesy of Vaughn, who does his patented fast-talking patter, while Bateman's character oozes sincerity and preparation, down to his PowerPoint presentations and adherence to rules.
Favreau gets the raunchiest moments, and Love has to drop trou and try to placate a young girlfriend. French actor Jean Reno turns up as a couples guru who lays down the law to the visiting Americans.
The movie twists and turns and tarries during its 107 minutes, which feels like two hours, and its product placement is either obvious or annoyingly aggressive.
The group of eight seems believable as longtime friends (and one newcomer) who share a history. Its message about the joys and challenges of marriage is nicely old-fashioned but feels calculated to please a target audience that's now been tossed to the sharks and the teens drawn by the chum of the PG-13 rating.
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