A comedy centered around four couples who settle into a tropical-island resort for a vacation. While one of the couples is there to work on the marriage, the others fail to realize that participation in the resort's therapy sessions is not optional.
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Rick and Fred, two husbands who are having difficulty in their marriages, are given a Hall Pass by their wives: for one week, they can do whatever they want.
Dave is a married man with two kids and a loving wife , and Mitch is a single man who is at the prime of his sexual life. One fateful night while Mitch and Dave are peeing in a fountain when lightning strikes and they switch bodies.
While trying to avoid the clichés of Hollywood romantic comedies, Dylan and Jamie soon discover however that adding the act of sex to their friendship does lead to complications.
Director:
Will Gluck
Stars:
Justin Timberlake,
Mila Kunis,
Patricia Clarkson
High-strung father-to-be Peter Highman is forced to hitch a ride with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay on a road trip in order to make it to his child's birth on time.
Director:
Todd Phillips
Stars:
Robert Downey Jr.,
Zach Galifianakis,
Michelle Monaghan
Two years after the bachelor party in Las Vegas, Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug jet to Thailand for Stu's wedding. Stu's plan for a subdued pre-wedding brunch, however, goes seriously awry.
Director:
Todd Phillips
Stars:
Bradley Cooper,
Ed Helms,
Zach Galifianakis
A high school slacker who's rejected by every school he applies to opts to create his own institution of higher learning, the South Harmon Institute of Technology, on a rundown piece of property near his hometown.
A middle-aged husband's life changes dramatically when his wife asks him for a divorce. He seeks to rediscover his manhood with the help of a newfound friend, Jacob, learning to pick up girls at bars.
Dave and Ronnie, Jason and Cynthia, and Joey and Lucy are close. The group used to include Shane and Jennifer, but they divorced and she's gone. Jason and Cynthia announce that their marriage is in trouble, and they beg their friends (and Shane's young girlfriend) to join them on a couples' retreat, at the package rate, on a tropical island. The others reluctantly agree, planning to play while Jason and Cynthia work on their marriage with an island psychologist. To everyone's surprise, the package is inflexible: each couple must participate in the couples' exercises. Soon fault lines appear in all four relationships. What's in store for each couple? Written by
<jhailey@hotmail.com>
A controversy arose when the UK posters were released and black actors Faizon Love and Kali Hawk had been removed. Universal claimed the change was to highlight actors who were more recognizable by UK audiences, but apologized for any offense and changed plans to use the modified poster in other countries. See more »
Goofs
When Shane is over at Eden East trying to find Trudie, he is telling his ex-wife "I got a lot of friends because, I'm the way I am", but his mouth is not moving. See more »
I'm unsure what is more worrying, that Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau starred in such a mediocre comedy or the fact that they wrote it. Good friends and regular collaborators Vaughn and Favreau have had mixed results in their working partnership: Swingers is a bona-fide cult classic which tore up the indie circuit back in 1996; Made was a disappointment to all those expecting Swingers 2; The Break-Up was a successful guilty pleasure and Four Holidays (Four Christmases in the US) flopped massively at the US box-office. Where does Retreat fit in? Somewhere near Four Holidays but at least they didn't also write that.
The target audience was obviously never decided upon as the humour seems to cater for everyone. One minute there are mature, real life moments that firmly fit into the "funny because it's true" category, the next there are gags revolving around untimely erections and masturbation that would be right at home in American Pie. Done in the right way and on their own either of these forms of comedy can be brilliant, however mixing them together makes for a muddled experience. There are a few hilarious scenes the yoga session undoubtedly the most memorable just nowhere near enough.
Of the cast Vaughn and Akerman come out best, their natural chemistry and adroit comic timing going a long way to keeping the movie afloat. The others don't fare so well. Favreau needs to leave the acting business and focus on writing and directing, it is practically impossible for him to be amusing on screen. Bateman, Bell, Davis and Love all fail to ever get us laughing, whilst the extended cameo from Jean Reno is possibly the worst stuff the experienced Frenchman has ever put on celluloid.
If you are looking for an easy comedy with fabulous locations (and women) then this might do the trick, but I definitely could not recommend spending your had earned cash to see this at the cinema. DVD bargain bins beckon.
2 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic)
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I'm unsure what is more worrying, that Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau starred in such a mediocre comedy or the fact that they wrote it. Good friends and regular collaborators Vaughn and Favreau have had mixed results in their working partnership: Swingers is a bona-fide cult classic which tore up the indie circuit back in 1996; Made was a disappointment to all those expecting Swingers 2; The Break-Up was a successful guilty pleasure and Four Holidays (Four Christmases in the US) flopped massively at the US box-office. Where does Retreat fit in? Somewhere near Four Holidays but at least they didn't also write that.
The target audience was obviously never decided upon as the humour seems to cater for everyone. One minute there are mature, real life moments that firmly fit into the "funny because it's true" category, the next there are gags revolving around untimely erections and masturbation that would be right at home in American Pie. Done in the right way and on their own either of these forms of comedy can be brilliant, however mixing them together makes for a muddled experience. There are a few hilarious scenes the yoga session undoubtedly the most memorable just nowhere near enough.
Of the cast Vaughn and Akerman come out best, their natural chemistry and adroit comic timing going a long way to keeping the movie afloat. The others don't fare so well. Favreau needs to leave the acting business and focus on writing and directing, it is practically impossible for him to be amusing on screen. Bateman, Bell, Davis and Love all fail to ever get us laughing, whilst the extended cameo from Jean Reno is possibly the worst stuff the experienced Frenchman has ever put on celluloid.
If you are looking for an easy comedy with fabulous locations (and women) then this might do the trick, but I definitely could not recommend spending your had earned cash to see this at the cinema. DVD bargain bins beckon.
2 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 - Classic)