Date Night (2010) * * *

Directed by: Shawn Levy

Starring: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, Ray Liotta

Phil and Claire Foster are not unlike any other suburban married couple with kids who wake them up with kneedrops at 5:00 am. They spend so much time on their kids, jobs, and house that they rarely have time for each other. They are so tired at the end of their day that they are too tired to make love and even too tired to fight over not having it. "I could rally" says Claire, in a poor attempt to get herself in the mood. They look at their friends who are splitting up because they only have sex twice a week, something the Fosters would consider a pipe dream.

So when they go on a "date night" in Manhattan and attempt to get a table at a trendy restaurant named Claw (in which the host answers the phone, 'Claw, you're welcome.'), the adventure that follows is very much a break from the mundane.  Without giving away plot points, the Fosters can't get a table as a walk-in, so they pose as a couple who made a reservation to get in.   Turns out, the couple they are pretending to be is sought after by thugs and a case of mistaken identity turns into one dangerous situation after another.

But since this is an action comedy, you know things will turn out okay for the Fosters. Date Night is elevated by the sheer likability of Carell and Fey.   They're nice, square people caught in an unlikely series of events, so they're easy to root for.   But even with all of the craziness that surrounds them, they remain grounded and believable.   Carell and Fey don't turn into James Bond types who can instinctively adapt to any situation.   When they steal a sports car, they hardly know how to operate it. And I laughed at their attempts to get away from the cops in a motorboat.

I was entertained and amused by Date Night.   It won't be one of the 10 Best Picture nominees this year and anyone associated with it can sleep in the morning the Oscar nominations are announced, but it works well for what it is.    Its goals aren't any loftier, but that is ok.