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This He Said/She Said is a bit of a Two-fer for our small reader base given that we missed last month. We hadn't had much free time this spring and missed many movies we wanted to see. Life was getting in the way...

It's ironic, then, that our first choice of a movie to review is Date Night, the film starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell. They play Claire and Phil Foster, a couple from New Jersey. They have two kids, who wake them up at 5 a.m. with knees to the stomach, and the lives of adults filled with lists of responsibilities. They treat themselves to dinner on date nights at local eateries where they play the couple's game of dissecting other couple's circumstances. In a fit of spontaneity, one night they decide to put on their best clothes and venture out to a new, hot restaurant in Manhattan without a reservation. The only way to obtain a table is for them to "steal" another the reservation of another couple - the Tripplehorns.

All goes well as the Fosters enjoy their special evening until two intimidating men appear at their table and request to have a conversation outside. Taken to the alley, the two men demand a mysterious flash drive. Completely baffled, the Fosters explain that they are not actually the Tripplehorns but the Fosters. After a quick scene of hijinks, which sets off the rest of the comedic tone of the movie, the Fosters escape. Thus, the set-up for Date Night is complete and Fey and Carell are free to be unleashed in a sort of anti- Mr. & Mrs. Smith story.

In the hands of less capable actors and writers, Date Night would likely fail under the flaws that permeate the movie. From the moment the movie opens, the set-up is stale, typical and belabored. Its leaden heavy-handiness is wielded with the finesse of a hammer to the face. As it progresses, it often stops in the middle of the hilarity to deliver more exposition on the dangers of not being Carpe Diem enough. The worst example is when the Fosters again escape from their pursuers in a exotic sports car and Phil literally pulls over to expound on their lives.

It's these odd, pace killing bits that weigh the movie down, as the creative team is so clearly intent on delivering the idea that adults in committed relationships also need to focus on maintaining the youthful spark (have no fear, Caroline and I do this with movie dates and the subsequent writing of movie reviews and modeling some of our adventures after Nick and Nora Charles...minus the murders and detective work).

But there's plenty to enjoy in this movie as well. As mentioned, Fey and Carell are marvelous, Fey especially. She's never afraid to be on the wrong end of a joke. While fans of hers will slide easily into her self-deprecating punch lines, she also veers into less familiar territory as she plays a character who is the antithesis of Liz Lemon, her character from the hit show 30 Rock. Carell is also quite funny while playing a slightly more familiar character. Yet, his fans will not be disappointed.

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