Couples Retreat **

In this newest of Vince Vaughn vehicles, the comedy star surrounds himself with a number of familiar faces, mostly to no avail. Vaughn plays Dave, a family man from Chicago who enjoys his life with his children and wife Ronnie (Malin Ackerman). When their friends Jason and Cynthia (Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell) reveal they are contemplating divorce, they persuade their friends to join them on a vacation to Eden, where a tropical paradise is the backdrop to marriage counseling. The two other couples that take the trip include Joey and Lucy (Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis), high school sweethearts that got pregnant and married early, and Shane and Trudy (Faizon Love and Kail Hawk), an unmarried, surely-meant-to-fail pair looking for different things out of life.

The film quickly introduces the characters by showing superficial glimpses into their home lives, but there is not really enough set-up for any future pay-off. There are just too many characters with which to work. When they do make it to the so-called paradise, it’s a surprise to everyone that couples skill-building is mandatory. This is the angle of the film, and the story is meant to focus on the hilarity that could ensue from dysfunctional relationships. But it never quite clicks. The film attempts to be too real when it comes to the relationship stories and then tries to play fun with it. What’s funny about divorce at this point? Why do they need to come to a tropical resort for relationship counseling anyway?

Alas, the film does have its funny moments, especially when Vince Vaughn is on target. The film was written by Jon Favreau and Vaughn, and it was directed by their long-time producer Peter Billingsley (Ralphie in A Christmas Story). Billingsley definitely has a future as a director, and as the years go on it becomes clearer that Favreau is much better as a director than an actor. As for Vaughn, his last three films, including Four Christmases and Fred Claus, have all been safe, mainstream material designed to showcase his comedic talent, but all three have missed the mark. It would be nice to see him vary his roles a bit, as he has been playing the same character for a few years now.

All together, Couples Retreat is exactly what it’s meant to be: a straightforward romantic comedy with some good scenery, some good jokes, and a lot of uncomfortable moments. Most of the time, that’s not enough.