Couples Retreat [M]

When a group of friends are roped into going on a package holiday, they think that it’s just a week of sunbathing, jet skies and all around fun. However, when they arrive in “Eden” they discover that they’ve signed up for an obscure couples counselling holiday. As each couple endures more therapy, the counsellors find problems with their relationships that they never knew they had. 

In short, this movie tried… and failed. It had a fine cast, and a sort of decent story, but halfway through it just seemed to lose it completely. Filled with great scenery, romance, and comedy, Couples Retreat was a film that started out with potential, but lost it halfway through. 

When a group of friends get roped into going on a package holiday, they think that they’re in for a week of sunbathing, jet skies, and all around fun. However, when they arrive in “Eden” they discover that what they’ve signed up for is a week of obscure and eccentric intensive couples counselling. As each couple endure more therapy, the counsellors problems with their relationships that they never realised they had. 

Couples Retreat had a fine story. It started out with potential. But somewhere on the road, it lost its way. I can’t say that the script was an asset in any way, and I have to admit that the only thing mildly interesting about this flop of a film was the David Bowie song, Modern Love, that was used during the opening credits. Throughout the entire thing, I did not laugh once. I’m sorry to be blunt, but… this film just did not work. Alright, I’ll admit that there was some nice, heartfelt closure towards the end, but that’s not enough to balance out the other 90 minutes of the film. 

Starring Vince Vaughn, Kristen Bell, Faizon Love, Jason Bateman, Malin Akerman, Jon Favreau, Kristin Davis, Kali Hawk, Tasha Smith, Carols Ponce, Peter Serafinowicz, and Jean Reno, Couples Retreat was a massive flop of a film. I’ll admit the scenery was very nice, but that’s about it. Filled with strange humour, “romance” counselling, sharks, and a very intimate yoga instructor, it began with potential, and then completely lost it. No desires to add it to the collection.