Entertainment
This 88-Minute Comedy With Peak Tina Fey & Steve Carell Is About to Become the Perfect Weekend Rewatch
From the 2000s through the early 2010s, Steve Carell was America’s comedy king. He was ever-present across the entire genre, whether on television with his defining role as Michael Scott on The Office, or on the big screen in everything from Anchorman to Crazy, Stupid, Love, and Despicable Me. One of his most unexpected co-stars, however, was Mark Wahlberg. At the time, the Oscar nominee remained best known for his more dramatic thriller roles like The Departed and The Fighter. In 2010, however, he leaned into his own humorous side not once, but twice, most notably sharing the screen with Will Ferrell in the beloved buddy comedy, The Other Guys, while also joining Carell and Tina Fey for the less-heralded Date Night.
Directed by Deadpool & Wolverine helmer Shawn Levy, Date Night serves as the perfect vehicle to unite Carell, Fey, and Wahlberg by combining an action movie and a rom-com in one package. The Office and 30 Rock stars play married couple Phil and Claire Foster, who fear the spark has been lost from their marriage. To shake things up, they plan a night out at the hottest restaurant in Manhattan, only to be thrust into the most unforgettable night of their lives when they claim another couple’s reservation. In taking the place of said couple, they also become the targets of a group of armed thugs in search of a flash drive, beginning a chaotic chase across the city. Wahlberg enters the picture as security agent Holbrooke Grant, who helps the couple handle a situation that they are very clearly in over their heads with, and looks good while doing it.
Fittingly, Date Night has the making of a great date night movie with its mix of riotous and memorable lines, like Carell’s much-quoted “kill shot” bit, suspense, and newfound spark between the Fosters in their perilous situation. It also just became even easier for HBO Max subscribers to watch, as it’s now available to stream on the platform as part of a wave of new additions for March. Carell, Fey, and Wahlberg are joined in the rom-com by a star-studded cast that also features Taraji P. Henson, Common, Jimmi Simpson, William Fichtner, Leighton Meester, Mark Ruffalo, Kristen Wiig, Mila Kunis, and more. At the time of its release, it garnered a respectable $152.3 million at the box office, though reviews were a bit more mixed. However, most critics had high praise for the starring duo’s comedy chops and chemistry.
Steve Carell Will Soon Return to Television With a Complete Reinvention
Carell recently reunited with Fey for the Netflix comedy series The Four Seasons to critical acclaim last year in a return to television. 2026 will see his small-screen efforts continue, with the upcoming HBO dramedy series Rooster from Shrinking creator Bill Lawrence and co-showrunner Matt Tarses. He plays Greg Russo, a noted novelist who finds himself sucked into the world of academia after visiting a campus for a reading. Complicating matters is that his daughter (Charly Clive) is a professor there, forcing the duo to confront their rocky relationship. Also starring Danielle Deadwyler, Phil Dunster, John C. McGinley, and Lauren Tsai, the show will premiere next weekend on March 8, with episodes joining Date Night on the HBO Max catalog thereafter.
Date Night checks into HBO Max on March 1. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on all the biggest titles coming to and leaving streaming.
- Release Date
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April 8, 2010
- Runtime
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88 minutes