Couples Retreat Review

Couples Retreat once again reunites Swingers stars Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn but there's little that's "money" about this so-so romantic comedy. Rather, it comes across as one of those films where the actors appear to be having a better time than the audience (and since it's set in a tropical paradise, who can blame them?). Co-written by Vaughn and Favreau, with some help from Dana Fox (What Happens In Vegas..., the film feels like an excuse for the boys to write themselves into a cheap luxury holiday.

The premise is neat enough. After eight years together, Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell) are beginning to fall apart, primarily due to the pressures of trying to conceive. They decide to make a last-ditch attempt at rescuing their marriage on an island paradise called Eden. But to be able to afford it, they need to take the group package with their friends. So along come video game designer Dave (Vince Vaughn) and Ronnie (Malin Akerman), the recently divorced Shane (Faizon Love) and his new 20-year-old squeeze, and long-term husband-and-wife Joey (Joey Favreau) and Lucy (Kristin Davis).

When they arrive, they soon discover that there's trouble in paradise. While Eden East is for singles to party, Eden West - where they are all staying - is for couples to engage in "skill building". Led by the renowned 'Couples Whisperer' Monsieur Marcel (Jean Reno), they are taken into therapy sessions where all their problems begin to spill out. It soon emerges that Joey and Lucy, who got married straight out of high school, resent each other, while Dave and Ronnie take each other for granted. As for Shane, well, he clearly hasn't got over his marriage.