Date Night - Gangster for a Night - Extended Version DVD

Film: After spending two nights at the museum with Ben Stiller, director Shawn Levy is drawn to the streets of New York for his next late-night trip. Joined by comedy stars Tina Fey ("30 Rock") and Steve Carell ("The Office","Virgin (40), Male Seeks..."), Levy invites viewers on an amusing and fast-paced "Date Night" that's wonderfully old-fashioned movie fun in the best sense of the word.

Phil (Carell) and Claire Foster (Fey) have a marriage that, while filled with mutual love and respect, has long since run out of steam when it comes to passion. Even the weekly tradition of a date at the local hangout has become a tired tradition. But when the parents of two children see a couple friend's relationship fall apart, Phil decides to deviate from tradition on their next date and take his wife out to a new trendy place in town. But initial anticipation is soon followed by disillusionment when Phil and Claire discover that without a reservation, they'll likely have to spend the evening at the crowded bar. But when a couple's reservation is called out and they don't show up, the Fosters spontaneously pretend to be those Tripplehorns - a fatal mistake, because before dessert is even served, the staid suburban couple is already embroiled in an adventure that could cost them far more than the classy dinner.

"Date Night" follows a very familiar pattern, followed especially in 80s films like "Blind Date" with Bruce Willis, "Headlong into the Night" with Jeff Goldblum or "The Night of Adventures" with Elisabeth Shue. So Shawn Levy's comedy is really not original. And in some moments the film is not really good. There are good templates simply not used or successful scenes simply overused until every form of humor has been squeezed out of them. However, as many less successful aspects there are, the scenes that do work are thankfully outnumbered.

The fact that so many moments succeed and are able to amuse the viewer, however, is not because of the script or the staging, but because of the actors. Tina Fey and Steve Carell are not for nothing among the greats of the current American comedy scene. It's true that their talent is rarely used to its full potential, but even the fraction of their skills used here is enough to put you in a good mood and make you forget some of the script's weaknesses. Also, a real surprise is Mark Wahlberg, who completes his small supporting role entirely bare-chested. Since Wahlberg approaches his role with a certain seriousness, he manages to draw the greatest comedic benefit for the film from this very fact. So then, the scenes in which his character appears are undoubtedly among the highlights of the comedy.

So, all things considered, "Date Night" is not a great movie, and maybe not even a really good one. But nice, entertaining entertainment with a certain 80s charm, likeable main characters and some really funny scenes the viewer gets here in any case. And for a relaxed DVD evening without any intellectual claim this is quite enough. Worth seeing!

The Extendet Version: In a nearly 13 minutes longer version "Date Night" appears on DVD. The Extendet version is still a little more racy, than the theatrical version, in some short places also a little more frivolous and - at least in the original English version, also funnier. While 13 minutes is a whole lot of new material in itself, it blends in so seamlessly with the theatrical version that it's hardly noticeable.

Picture + Sound: "Date Night - Gangster for a Night" is Shawn Levy's first film that he shot with a digital camera. This is also evident in the DVD's picture quality, which is pleasing with a very sharp, absolutely clean image, good contrast and a rich color mix. The sound is dominated by the music and dialogue in many scenes, but the action scenes and car chases also feature very well-mixed sound effects. Overall, a very good technical realization.

Extras: In addition to a few alternate takes and fun outtakes, the DVD has two featurettes to offer: "An Ordinary Day of Shooting" follows director Shawn Levy and his team for just under 22 minutes as they shoot in New York. The whole thing is pleasantly light on commercials, informative, but also amusing. "The Art of Directing" is a short statement by the director about one of his very special techniques he established when working with child actors, and which he also used here with Steve Carell and Tina Fey. Short, but worth watching!

In addition, there's the trailer for the film. A few additional extras are still to be found on the Blu-Ray.

Conclusion: "Date Night - Gangster for a night" is a nice comedy, which can please especially in the original English sound and can score with two good-humored main actors. The DVD is technically very well implemented and also has a few nice, entertaining extras to offer. All that makes this disc: thoroughly recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp