As a chronically single woman in her mid-20s living in the Magic City, I have kind of lost my faith in relationships.
I have seen many different kinds of relationships; most of them toxic. I’ve dated liars, cheaters, jerks, nymphos, sadists and the in-betweens.
I don’t know many married couples where both parties are faithful. I have slim hope for my generation to get it right where our parents failed.
Knowing the way things play out on “Maury Povich,’’ I believe that my generation’s dilemma is more of a baby daddy/mama type of situation. So how does a woman who wants to have fun but not do jello shots every weekend meet a man who is single, available, good to his mother but not obsessive, faithful, honest and trustworthy in a time where cheating is big business and has come to be accepted?
Do you see now why I have lost faith in relationships? It can be frustrating.
Relationships that are good, bad and indifferent are the topic of the latest Vince Vaughn flick, Couples Retreat. Vaughn does seem to tap into the benefits of monogamy, and is making quite a bit of money doing it. Good for him. We need more guy-friendly films about monogamy. But there I go, getting ahead of myself.
Couples Retreat is about four couples in different stages of life, dealing with different issues. Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell) are getting a divorce. Joey (Jon Favreau) and Lucy (Kristin Davis) are counting the months until their daughter goes away to Stanford University so they can get a divorce. Dave (Vaughn) and Ronnie (Malin Akerman) are weathering his career and her home project of remodeling their house. Shane (Faizon Love) is trying to get over his divorce from Jennifer (Tasha Smith) by dating a 20-year-old named Trudy (Kali Hawk).
Jason and Cynthia talk the other three couples via PowerPoint into going on a Couples Retreat to save their marriage. When they arrive at the Eden Resort, we, the audience, find out that Jason and Cynthia aren’t the only couple with serious issues. At the resort, all four couples are forced to address their issues and fix them.
I really love the script written by Favreau, Dana Fox and Vaughn. They found a fun way to describe the ins and outs of relationships; they take work.
The forced couples counseling is a riot, but it makes the audience members think about their own relationships. The comedy is a plus. My favorite characters of the entire film are Robert (Gattlin Griffith) and Kevin (Colin Baiocchi), who play Dave and Ronnie’s sons. They are so cute and real. They also provide a lot of comedy for the film.
I also think director Peter Billingsley did a superb job. The location of the Eden Resort is awesomely beautiful. The water alone is gorgeous. Billingsley also let Favreau and Vaughn be themselves, and allowed the comedy to come naturally. Both men are quite funny.
I like how the movie showed that couples–even perfect couples–have problems, but they can work through them. They also showed men wanting to be with their wives and wanting to be married and settled. That’s not something I see every day on the screen or in reality.
Couples Retreat presents a model of how couples should treat each other. It promotes making a relationship work, rather than walking away from it when things get rocky; for better or for worse.
Thanks to Favreau, Fox, and Vaughn, I have a renewed sense of hope in relationships; especially mankind. I now believe again.
KAliciaG@Aol.com
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