My husband ("The Guv") and I recently made an in-home date night out of screening "Date Night." Right away, the movie struck a familiar chord: the couple, Phil and Claire Foster (played by Steve Carell and Tina Fey), scheduled a regular "date night" with a sitter and find themselves doing the same thing time and time again, eating the same dishes at the same restaurant, blah blah blah boring. Awakened by some friends' marital difficulties, the Fosters decide to make a better go at it and set off on the craziest "date night" you've ever seen. The Guv and I chuckled right away, because we can relate: at least 50%
of the time we schedule a night out, instead of trying a new venue on
our very long list, we retreat to the familiar -- not a bad thing at
all, as we're still enjoying each other's company outside of our
traditional in-home roles, but far less exciting than trying something
new. The Fosters may have scared us off from venturing outside the norm ever, though...
The knock on the movie is just how far-fetched this date gone awry is, but in the midst of the madness are things with which any "old marrieds" can identify: relying on each other's resourcefulness while at the same time realizing how little you know about what your spouse can do once you step outside "the usual." In the movie, there's love in the familiar -- and love in the unfamiliar. Which is better: same-old, same-old, or breaking the mold? Watch the movie to see how the hysterically funny Carell/Fey team come out on the other side.
In the spirit of the movie, I have to share the Guv's and my "date night" gone awry tale: Back in New Jersey, with two young kids at home, the Guv and I hired a sitter and decided to enjoy an Italian dinner at a familiar place in our town -- a nice place, dimly-lit and cozy. I wore my new cashmere sweater and a leather jacket, warming up from a chilly fall night as we sat down and enjoyed some drinks before dinner. The Guv took a swig of his beverage and suddenly coughed, absolutely covering me with Diet Coke... my new cashmere sweater, my jacket, my hair, my face -- covered. As we were in a booth open to the rest of the room, the restaurant instantly became silent, and then the little girl sitting at a table near us said, "Mommy! That man just spit on that woman!" Her eyes throwing daggers our way, the mom took the little girl from the table, saying "let's take a walk away from here for a minute," and sending the manager to our table. He also suspected trouble, and I don't think he bought my husband's true answer that the whole thing was an accident -- the Guv was recovering from a cold, and the mess couldn't be helped. I'm pretty sure I had steam coming out of my ears, which didn't help our situation. We remained for dinner, and I think my only words were: "What would you have done if this were a business dinner?" The Guv insists the same thing would've happened to someone else. Who's to say? We never ate there again. (In fact, we moved across the country to escape the sordid tales!)
Thanks to 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, I have TWO copies of "Date Night" on DVD to give away. For a double entry, tell me YOUR "date night" stories. The drawing will be conducted on Sunday, September 5 at 9 am PDT. (That's noon EDT for my East Coast friends.) I'll contact winners that day. If winners haven't responsed by Wednesday, September 8, alternates will be chosen. DVDs are sent directly to you from Fox.
Thanks for entering -- good luck!
Disclaimer: My family received a free copy of "Date Night" from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. I did not commit to reviewing this movie positively and have not been compensated otherwise for this review. I'm grateful to Fox for providing me the opportunity to give movies away to my readers -- thanks!
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