Trouble in Paradise: "Couples Retreat" Brings the laughs

‘Couples Retreat” is the perfect movie to go see if you’re in the mood for laughter. While this movie pokes fun at the complexities of relationships, it also provides the viewers with an interesting plot line and good acting. Directed and written by Vince Vaughn, ‘Couples” Retreat” is a movie centered on the fate of four couples whose marriages are far from perfect.
Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell) have been the perfect power couple for as long as any of their friends can remember. So when they announce that they are on the brink of getting a divorce, everyone is shocked and willing to go to a couples resort in order to help save their friends’ marriage. But the other three couples are unaware that the couples counseling is not optional and that they will all be forced to take a closer look at their marriages. Here the comedy truly begins because none of the other couples believe that they need any improvement in their lives. The inevitable outcome is that they quickly realize their own marriages are as close to collapsing as Jason and Cynthia’s.
Vince Vaughn plays the character of Dave a workaholic father of two young boys married to a frazzled stay-at-home Mom, Ronnie (Malin Akerman). Day after day, the couple speeds through their activities and responsibilities so quickly that they’ve failed to realize just how little they communicate. When they arrive on the island, they are just as angry as the others when they learn that they will have to attend therapy sessions. But once they meet with their counselor, Dave and Ronnie are even more surprised to hear that their marital situation isn’t working.
Meanwhile, Lucy (Kristin Davis) and Joey (Jon Favreau) are in a very different situation. They both absolutely detest one another but are unwilling to get a divorce partly for the sake of their daughter and partly for the sake of their reputation. All her life, Lucy has worked hard at supporting her family while her husband seemed to do nothing. Both were looking forward to going to the island and spending as little time together as possible. So when they learned they would be forced to be in the same room for several hours a day, neither one of them was particularly happy.
Finally there is Shane (Faizon Love) and Trudy (Kali Hawk) who are not married and who, 15 minutes into the movie, prove to the audience that they should never marry. Shane, after being left by his wife, clearly goes through a mid-life crisis and starts dating Trudy, who is practically a teenager. He thinks that being with her will make him feel young again and allow him to forget about how much his wife hurt him in the past. When they go to therapy sessions, however, all Trudy talks about is how much she wants to go drinking while Shane can only discuss his ex-wife.
Trouble in paradise is a main theme of this movie as four couples explore the ups and downs of their relationships. While some relationships are clearly worth fighting for, others are not and the decision to keep trying or to simply walk away is never an easy one to make. Vaughn manages to present to his audience the brutal truths about love camouflaged beneath a layer of hilarity. True, at parts, the movie was a bit slow moving but, for the majority of the film, there was never a dull moment. The acting was brilliant and the casting was perfect, especially the role of Lucy (Kristin Davis). The neurotic temperament of Jason, childish behavior of Trudy, Ronnie and Dave’s denial, Cynthia’s pent up frustration, Lucy’s pessimistic attitude, Shane’s immaturity and Joey’s complete lack of respect all mold together to create scene after scene of comical dialogue.
While there are corny moments in Couples Retreat it is, overall, an excellent movie to go see with your friends. As the stories of the four couples unfold, the audience will feel a connection with the characters, as Vaughn cleverly portrays solid examples of what makes up a relationship.
Leonard is a member of
the class of 2013.