Critics Consensus

Critics Consensus: Date Night Is An OK Night on The Town

Plus, guess Letters to God's Tomatometer!

by Tim Ryan | April 8, 2010 | Comments

This week at the movies, we’ve got a wild night on the town (Date Night, starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey) and some supernatural snail-mail (Letters to God, starring Tanner Maguire and Jeffrey S. Johnson). What do the critics have to say?

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Date Night

Steve Carell and Tina Fey are two very funny people. So it seems like a no-brainer that a comedy featuring the two of them as a married couple out on the town would be a can’t-miss proposition, right? Well, sort of: critics say Date Night is best when its two stars are riffing off each other, and adrift when it focuses on its caper elements. Our heroes are a bored New Jersey couple that gets all gussied up for a trek to Manhattan – and, after a case of mistaken identity, find themselves on the run from assorted underworld characters. The pundits say Carell and Fey have tangible chemistry, and there are some excellent turns from various supporting players (including Mark Wahlberg, Taraji P. Henson, and James Franco), but ultimately, the action movie clichés push the comedic elements to the side. (Check out this week’s Total Recall, in which we count down Carell’s best-reviewed movies.)

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Letters to God

It remains to be seen if the Christian-themed drama Letters to God will warm hearts and jerk tears, since it was barely screened for critics prior to its release. Letters to God is the tale of an eight-year-old suffering from terminal cancer who writes missives to the Almighty – an act that inspires a down-on-his-luck postal worker to change his life. Kids, time to Guess that Tomatometer!

Also opening this week in limited release:

The Misfortunates, a coming-of-age dramedy about a young man growing up in a wildly dysfunctional Belgian family, is at 100 percent.
The Aussie import The Square, a thriller about a man who becomes entangled in an adulterous affair, is at 96 percent.
Women Without Men, a drama about four Iranian women set during the era when the Shah seized power, is at 80 percent.
When You’re Strange: A Film About the Doors, a documentary about the Lizard King and his associates, is at 58 percent.
Who Do You Love, a musical bio of the legendary blues label Chess Records, is at 45 percent.
After.Life, starring Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci in a drama about a young woman on the cusp of death who attempts to revive herself, is at 31 percent.