That life is typically boring provides the starting point for each of these movies. I accept that reality. The cool thing about these movies is that they don't demean the boring, domestic life.
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| Poor Phil is a bit intimidated by Claire's buff client. |
Date Night features the most boring couple of all. Stuck in their rut of work, kids, and home, Phil Foster (Steve Carell) decides to take his wife (Tina Fey) out to dinner, not to the usual neighborhood restaurant, but to a trendy hot spot in Manhattan. Of course they can't get a table, but when someone's name is called, Phil decides they'll claim that reservation. Unfortunately, the no-shows have key evidence that the bad guys want to get their hands on, and the Fosters, mistaken for the other couple, can't convince the bad guys that they're just the Fosters from the suburbs. Now, why this other couple, who live in a shabby apartment and appear to be poor, petty criminals, would have a reservation at a trendy, expensive restaurant, and why they would make the reservation in their own names when they're running from the bad guys, I don't know. But it makes for good fun as the Fosters enter the underworld. Guns, fast cars, corrupt politicians, seedy clubs, it all adds up to that fantasy life. When Phil works it all out in the end, he doesn't have to win the girl--he already has her--but he sure is her hero! And he affirms to Claire, "I'd do it again, you know? Us, you, me, the kids, all of it. I'd do it again. I'd choose you every time." Boring wins.
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| "My husband has a gun! And he's shooting it!" |
Killers starts with the beautiful Jen, who recently broke up with her boyfriend, on vacation with her parents. She runs into the buff, handsome Spencer, another American on vacation. A professional assassin, Spencer's unhappiness in his career coincides with his falling for Jen. He decides to quit and take on the boring married life with Jen. Boring wins again! Three years later, with a baby on the way, Spencer's old job comes calling. The boss, who had discouraged Spencer from quitting, wants him to take a job, but Spencer refuses. Inexplicably, people all around him start trying to kill him. He has no choice but to let Jen know about his former life as they run around dodging bullets. That's pretty much the whole movie: dodging bullets and banter between the couple. But in its stark simplicity, Killers is still pretty fun to watch, with silly action sequences and a surprising ending. I was glad because for a little while I was thinking, this is stupid, why are all these people trying to kill him? But they tied it all up nicely. By the way, Tom Selleck is great as Jen's dad. I haven't seen him in anything in forever.
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| This scene was pretty ridiculous, in both senses of the word. |
The most high-octane movie of these 3, Knight and Day, definitely plays up the action, but doesn't skimp on the comedy. Tom Cruise plays himself--OK, I guess he's played this type of role often enough that it seems like he's just playing himself--as a rogue FBI agent who's being hunted by the FBI. He falls in with Cameron Diaz, a boring single girl who restores classic cars. Cruise's hunters think she's his accomplice, and she has to decided whether Cruise is a good guy or a bad guy. The best humor is Cruise's calmly coaching Diaz through their various crises, with Diaz playing the nervous, on-edge blond. Inevitably, the romantic sparks fly and the truth (about who are the good guys and bad guys) wins out.
Sexist? Maybe. Good fun? Absolutely. These three movies provide a great mix of action, comedy, and romance. Bottom line:
Date Night, 2 1/2 starsKillers, 2 1/2 stars
Knight and Day, 3 stars
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