Rated PG-13 on appeal for sexual content and language.
Directed by Peter Billingsley
Starring Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman and Faizon Love
Hilarious…and Pro-marriage!
Recently Sherwood Pictures has made two pro-marriage films (Facing the Giants and Fireproof). But let’s be honest, they were made by Christians for Christians and a little on the cheesy side. But I never expected to get a pro-marriage film when I first saw the previews for Couples Retreat. Nope I pretty much thought, “Here we go, some more of the trash that Hollywood is pumping out like it’s free.”
Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau have made some memorable films together (Swingers and Made). Whether or not he is teamed up with Favreau, Vaughn usually plays the morally bankrupt womanizer. But this time he is the moral compass for his group of friends. He is an average guy who has an average job who loves his wife and kids.
His friends, on the other hand, are struggling to say the least. Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia’s (Kristen Bell) marriage is more like a reasonably efficient business contract. Joey (Jon Favreau) and Lucy (Kristin Davis) can barely stand to look at each other, and they’re just biding time until their teenage daughter leaves the nest. Shane’s (Faizon Love) wife has already left him, and he’s now hanging with a 20-year-old oversexed dynamo who calls him “Daddy.”
When Jason and Sylvia announce via a PowerPoint presentation that they are contemplating divorce and giving their marriage one last chance – a couples retreat on an island called Eden run by the famous “couples whisperer” Marcel (Jean Reno). The catch…the only way they can afford it is if everyone goes so they can take advantage of the fantastic “group rate.”
The cast includes some of the funniest and most talented actors around and they are all hilarious in this one. They were all so much fun to watch but what I really enjoyed most was how realistic they all were. You get the sense that their characters are based on real people with real problems who really love each other. You also get the feeling they had way too much fun making this movie.
Couples Retreat offers some surprisingly appropriate thoughts and advice on marriage. Like when Joey tells Dave that he’s so self-absorbed he can’t see why his wife absolutely adores him. Then Dave returns the favor, telling Joey that he’s got to be willing to work on his marriage—that it’s a two-way street, “not a highway and a bike path.” The parents in the group show themselves to be reasonably patient and loving with their children, offering occasional bits of parental wisdom as they go along. When Joey’s teenage daughter tries to leave the house wearing short shorts and a revealing top, he tells her to change. “Know your value,” he tells her. “And if he can’t see that, he doesn’t deserve you.”
But before you get too excited, understand that it is still a PG-13 comedy with plenty of jokes that cross the inappropriate line. It shouldn’t surprise you to know that sex is the biggest topic of conversation, and although there is no nudity (except for when we see Faizon’s butt) there is plenty of skin and skimpy outfits.
In one particular scene Dave tells his wife “We don’t ’got a problem…We got a million problems.” He then adds, “Most married people do. It’s part of the territory. Marriage is never problem-free, so the important thing is to fix what you can, deal with what you can’t and stay true to that commitment to each other.” Great message, great cast, a ton of laughs…Couples Retreat is “Theater Worthy” for sure.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Kids? No. Married couples? Yes.
Side Note:
As said above, we don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
