Couples is so formulaic, so fake and relentlessly bland, it’s hard to care if any of these pairings get a divorce, drown or are eaten by sharks. It has neither the ring of truth nor the fun of fantasy.
Couples Retreat (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:144
Fresh:17
Rotten:127
Average Rating:3.6/10
Consensus: Despite a talented cast and some reliably pleasant interplay between Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, Couples Retreat leaves viewers stranded in an arid, mirthless comedy.
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] on appeal for sexual content and language.
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:14-10-2009
Synopsis: Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell and Faizon Love star in Universal Pictures' upcoming comedy Couples Retreat. Based on an original idea of... Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell and Faizon Love star in Universal Pictures' upcoming comedy Couples Retreat. Based on an original idea of Vaughn's, the comedy follows four Midwestern couples who embark on a journey to a tropical island resort. While one of the couples is there to work on their marriage, the other three set out to jet ski, spa and enjoy some fun in the sun. They soon discover that participation in the resorts couples therapy is not optional. Suddenly, their group-rate vacation comes at a price. What follows is a hilarious look at real world problems faced by all couples. The film also stars Kali Hawk and Jean Reno. --© Universal Pictures [More]
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Kristen Bell, Jason Bateman, Malin Akerman
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Kristen Bell, Jason Bateman, Malin Akerman, Jon Favreau, Kristin Davis
Director: Peter Billingsley
Director: Peter Billingsley
Screenwriter: Jon Favreau
Studio: Universal Pictures
Reviews for Couples Retreat
Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, wrote the witless script, so have only themselves to blame.
The debutant director is done no favours by a screenplay from Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau which gives him little to play with and them few chances to shine as actors.
Three of the four principal guys in this comedy are well over 15 stone - making them clinically obese by their body mass indexes. They need to lose weight not lessons in "couples skills building."
Expectations of farce are stymied by long stretches of mid-life navel gazing.
Rather like an unsuitable partner, Couples Retreat starts out fun before gradually getting annoying and then becoming downright aggravating. While it's not the worst film ever, there are times when it feels as irritating as sunburn.
It is this vanity, this overweening self-regard, that makes Couples Retreat such a chore to sit through.
A loo book written by Pol Pot would have more laughs than this chillingly unfunny, cynically prefabricated non-comedy.
The only thing that will keep your attention for the duration is the stunning Tahitian scenery that acts the films setting. On reflection this is probably what swayed most of the cast to sign up to this inane guff of a film in the first place.
Entertainment on a par with sitting through your neighbours' holiday slideshow.
Universal’s latest is merely adequate, and will likely be best enjoyed by the happily indulgent and mildly inebriated.
About as much fun as having a holiday ruined by bickering, self-involved couples, this is one romcom you really should retreat from.
A comedy deserving to be buried up to its head in sand, drizzled in cooking oil and then left to fry until crispy.
Sadly for us though, Favreau and Vaughn are likely to continue their profitable relationship for some time to come.
If it were a send-up of couples therapy and its absurd language the film would at least be about something, but it hasn't even that much intelligence.
The script for this comedy is so half-baked that we begin to wonder why it was made at all. Not only is it resolutely unfunny, but it never dips beneath a superficial examination of relationship cliches.
Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau further damage their credibility (though not their bank balances) with another lazy, underwritten comedy.
Latest News for Couples Retreat
November 18, 2009:
Universal Causes Couples Controversy ![]()
Wanting to narrow the visual focus on its poster for "Couples Retreat," Universal decided to erase a pair of the film's stars...and now they're dealing with the fallout. More...
October 12, 2009:
Watch RT This Week on Current TV
This week, The Rotten Tomatoes Show will be looking at the movies that opened over the weekend, with help from you (the Rotten Tomatoes community), the Current TV community, and... More...
October 11, 2009:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Couples Rule the Charts
Couples ruled the box office as Universal's Couples Retreat took top honors at the box office this weekend. But the real story was the low-budget horror entry from Paramount,... More...
October 09, 2009:
Couples Retreat Could Brighten Universal's Fall ![]()
It's been buried beneath an avalanche of negative reviews, but as the only film opening in wide release this weekend, "Couples Retreat" still stands to post some decent numbers... More...
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