Couples Retreat

Couples Retreat movie review: What we have here is a failure to communicate. Well, that and other problems for a bunch of suburban Chicago couples, including Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell), whose inability to conceive has them contemplating divorce. The solution? Rounding up their friends (Vince Vaughn/Malin Akerman, Jon Favreau/Kristin Davis, Faizon Love/Kali Hawk) and heading to an exotic Bora Bora resort for sun, sand and extensive couples therapy.

The buzz: It's been years since Vaughn ("Four Christmases," "Fred Claus," "The Break Up") delivered a funny movie. But this is a solid cast and Vaughn wrote the script with his ol' pal Favreau ("Swingers"), so this "Retreat" has at least gotta be better than terrible. Probably.

The verdict: Populated with people you would never, ever want to go away with, "Couples Retreat" is far too angry to entertain and about as funny and romantic as a baggage claim. A few laughs come from the sidelines (thanks to John Michael Higgins and Ken Jeong as unusual therapists), but the pain comes from Vaughn and Favreau's smug performances and a script that bounces between annoyingly insincere therapy sessions and wacky, unfunny situations that attempt to lighten the mood. (No dice.) The scenery makes you want to be somewhere other than a movie theater, and the movie has the same effect.

Box office: Despite the negative critical reception, it was a box office success, ranking first for its opening weekend grossing $34,286,740 and becoming Vince Vaughn's highest box office success since 2006's The Break-Up. The film has grossed $109.2 million domestically and $58.8 million in foreign markets for a worldwide total of $168 million.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Official movie site:  Couples Retreat

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