”Couples Retreat” is an all-inclusive laugh vacation, a comedic retreat with Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman at the top of their funnyman game.

A warning though, while there is no frontal nudity, there are a lot of sexual references and innuendos that may not be appropriate for younger audiences.

Another warning, if you see this movie with your wife/girlfriend/date, you may end up discussing any “problems” or “issues” in your relationship.
 

(My spoiler free review)

The sights in Bora Bora are amazing, the cast is really good, and the script is well-written… but as I’ve wrote before, for me the greatness of this movie may be a victim of its marketing campaign – some of the funniest moments are in the trailers and tv spots.

Don’t get me wrong, this movie is funny, and most audiences will be hearing and seeing these jokes for the first time, but there are some jokes that are also predictable… its a good thing this movie also has a story like “The Hangover” and is not just a series of jokes and pranks, but unlike “The Hangover” this movie doesn’t really surprise or create something we haven’t seen before in other comedies.

Vaughn, Bateman, John Favreau, Faizon Love, Malin Ackerman, Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis and the rest of the cast are great… everyone creates a memorable character and the movie delivers a ton of one-liners.

The movie does entertain and does make you laugh, but its not my favorite comedy of the year, it could make my top five… we’ll see with 4 months left… its on the bubble.

FYI – While there are no bloopers during creditrs like some comedies, there is a short scene at the end of the credits.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

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 For all the girly buddy movies I’ve seen over the years, this is the buddy comedy for guys… its a beautiful bromance – Paul Rudd and Jason Segel are hilarious in “I Love You, Man” !!!

I’ll warn you now and get this out of the way, “I Love You, Man” is rated R.   Its filled with guy jokes… raunchy humor… and bodily functions: things that women may not all like… but it delivers on its goal to make you laugh.

And just like “Confessions of a Shopaholic” was a chance for guys to learn something about women and shopping… women can learn a little something about guys and their male friendships in “I Love You, Man”.
 

 (Spoiler-free)

Paul Rudd is Peter… an slightly uptight guy about to get married, who is comfortable around women, but awkward around guys and guy things.  One of the running jokes throughout the movie is that he’s always struggling with trying to come up with nicknames or clever sayings around his guy friends.

Jason Segel is Sydney… a foul-mouthed, straight shooting guy that Peter hopes he can become friends with… and his fiancee hopes might be his best man.

One of the great scenes you may have seen in the trailer is when Peter hosts an open house on the big property he’s trying to sell and as Sydney is people watching, he does play-by-play on one guest’s flatulence.

The movie’s poster tells you everything you need to know: its a great blend of Peter’s slightly uptight awkwardness and Segel’s laid back carefree attitude as the two begin hanging out together for hours just doing guy things.. watching tv, playing games, eating corn dogs, listening to cool music, being goofy, and talking about guy stuff.

This is a comedy, but its also a story that is very accesible and easy to connect to… with all kinds of great buddy moments that are both funny and feel good.

“I Love You, Man” also includes a solid supporting cast.   Rashida Jones (”The Office”) is good as the fiancee, Jaime Pressly and Jon Favreau are surprisingly good as the friend couple, and Andy Samberg (”SNL”) does well as the brother, but J.K. Simmons steals the scenes again (“New in Town”, “Burn After Reading”, “Spider-Man” 1-3) as he delivers some hilarious unexpected lines with a straight face.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

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 Four Christmases is a fun holiday comedy that will have you laughing throughout.

While this Christmas Comedy is a good comedic break from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it won’t make my top 10 favorite Christmas Movies.

The movie is carried by the relationship concept between the main characters of Brad and Kate and their families that most audiences will find relevant and easy to relate to…

 “Four Christmases”

(2008) (rated: PG-13 for some sexual humor and language) (1 hr, 22 min)

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, Jon Favreau, Mary Steenburgen, Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, Kristin Chenoweth, Peter Billingsley, Carol Kane, Colleen Camp

Director: Seth Gordon

Genre: Comedy/Christmas

The Plot: A couple struggle to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas Day.

MY TAKE:

Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) have a mission to avoid their dysfunctional families on Christmas and they nearly pull it off again this time, until fog grounds their flight to Fiji.   As you’ve probably seen in the trailer – they are then forced to spend Christmas with each of their divorced parents and siblings, making four stops in one day, hence the title of the movie.

While this has all the makings of becoming a holiday classic: a couple, holiday travel, dysfunctional families, comedy, a good cast, a fresh concept, it falls a little short along the way.

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