Writer: Brandon Dickerson (Screenplay)
Starring: David Arquette, Amy Acker, Adan Canto, June Squibb, Nicole Elliott, Daniel Ross Owens
Plot: With his marriage and career against the ropes, dejected author Jack Spencer travels with his wife, Amanda, to an isolated glamping retreat in search of a spark. When a surprise double booking finds their private retreat anything but private, Jack spins into a comedic exploration of love, lost dreams, small-town-wisdom, and friendship with a miniature donkey to get over himself before he loses all he holds dear.
Tagline – Love the one yurt with.
Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Basic Comedy
Story: Couples Vacation starts when struggling author Jack (Arquette) takes his wife Amanda (Acker) on a vacation away form the kids, to put their marriage back together or deciding whether or not to call it quits, searching for a future that can keep them together.
Things seems like they are both happy to stay together, but Amanda needs Jack to start taking life more seriously for their children, though he is scared to give up his own dreams.
Thoughts on Couples Vacation
Characters – Jack had one of the most popular books, only following up his success has been difficult for him, with his latest books being dubbed failures, facing becoming distant from his wife and daughters and financial problems, he just doesn’t want to give up on his dream of being a successful author, the holiday he takes with his wife is meant to help put things back together, only they seem to make tings worse with his unwillingness to change. Amanda is the wife that just wants Jack to take a safe job to keep the roof over their heads, she is growing inpatient with Jack and is prepared to move away from him, the holiday is meant to bring them closer, though she does get her head turned by the hunky owner of the resort. Nate is the man that runs the resort, he does capture the attention of the women in the resort, while making it feel like a laidback location. Jude is the older lady that teaches Jack the most important lesson in life.
Performances – David Arquette does try his hand at a more serious movie, though he does get to do his whacky side too, it does show him struggling to connect the two though, which doesn’t make it that interesting to see his arc, which is the key to the film. Amy Acker does well in the unhappier wife, that still turns head, she does need to be more grounded which comes through the film. Adan Canto is fine as the hunky resort owner that is meant to be here to try and seduce the guests.
Story – The story here follows a married couple that go on a couple vacation to help sort out their problems and learn what made them fall in love in the first place. We do get the marriage in problems that mostly focus on the fact Jack isn’t willing to get a secure job after years of failure to become a successful author. We see how this latest problems are what has caused the rift and will need to be sorted if they are to stay together. This does show temptation which could come in the directions too. This is a story that plays by the books about needing to put life together before it is too late, but offers very little new.
Comedy/Romance – The comedy in the film is mostly David Arquette making a bit of a fool of himself, though it doesn’t quite click, with the romance being about the marriage not going the way the couple had planned.
Settings – The film is set in the camping location which is meant to show a quiet life away from the busy failures behind them.
Scene of the Movie – The singing.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The endless no signal line.
Final Thoughts – This is a basic comedy that shows how hard following dreams can be while keeping a marriage together, the comedy doesn’t hit hard enough to get enough laughs.
Overall: Simply Comedy.