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It’s already Monday and I’m still talking about the weekend. I met with fellow programmer Ryan at Festival mall last Saturday for Mongolian Buffet lunch and to watch a movie.

We were shocked to see that prices in the Cineplex there had gone up to P150, even though there was no renovation of the theaters to justify if like the other malls did. It simply wasn’t worth it anymore.

Anyway, luckily in two of the SM malls one ride away (one to the south and one to the west) the same movie I wanted was showing.

Date Night is just the latest in an old brainchild of Hollywood producers to combine the lead stars of two independently successful sitcoms in order to draw both their current fan bases. I don’t remember any other examples right now, but I believe this has been done since the eighties.

Sometimes it is plain exploitative, and the material is well beneath either star. This is not the case here.

The roles given both Tina Fey and Steve Carell were not old hat for them: a married couple caught in the routine of suburban life.

They have one night away from it all a week, but even that has become tiresomely doldrums, except for this rather mean game they have of coming up with stories about the lives of fellow diners. The one time they want to spice it up after hearing of some friends’ impending divorce, wackiness ensues.

The action is standard Hollywood: car chases, car crashes, running away from gunfire, but that’s just fodder for the demographics; it’s the reactions of these mundane people to these situations that pay for the ticket price.

The film allows the couple to explore all facets of their comedy, as a boring husband and wife not willing to stir things up and give in to the spouse, as two ordinary people faced with possible death by violence, faced by possible infidelity of the wife (one of the priceless scenes in the movie where I just want to put the film on slow just to savor both of their wordless expressions), a truly True Lies inspired moment where they have to show just how badass and kinky they are (earning me another explicit content post warning, I bet) and their improvisational genius in the outtakes.

They even handle the required CSI aspect of how the two lead characters find needed information, Mark Wahlberg’s security expert, well with comedic effects without making him take all of the action from the couple.

Some people have said that what doesn’t make this film perfect is attempting to answer the question, and badly, “who is going to pay for all the stuff they wrecked?” but really, except for Hollywood Tough a book about police undercover I read recently by A-Team creator Steven J. Cannell, it was only the second time that I have heard budget or reimbursement being mentioned in an action movie.

What also made the movie are the cameos, although most of them are already in the trailer, it was still precious, such as the babysitter, the divorcing friends, the district attorney and the local mob boss.

But it was the wrap up that did me in, the tenderness behind the simple words uttered before they went back to their normal lives, except that things are now forever changed, for the better.

Will there be a Second Date Night? I certainly hope so. Am already thinking of ways they can reprise the roles.