Reel Critic:

Take four obviously mismatched couples, send them to a tropical retreat, and subject them to every new age pseudo psychological intervention possible, and you have the foundation for a hilarious comedy. At least this is what the producer and writer Vince Vaughn must have thought when he received the green light for “Couples Retreat,” a completely pedestrian new release.

“Couples Retreat” stars Vince Vaughn as Dave, a workaholic video game salesman, and Malin Akerman as his devoted wife, Ronnie. The couple share a cluttered suburban house with their two sons. Dave is preoccupied with work and is somewhat exasperated with Ronnie’s constant pestering regarding some remodeling work.

One night they are approached by their friends Jason (Jason Bateman) and his wife, Cynthia (Kristen Bell), who announce they are on the verge of divorce following a prolonged failure to conceive. As a last resort they have decided to spend a week at Eden, a tropical resort where they will undergo couples counseling and bonding activities.

However, the only way they can afford to go is with the special group rate they have negotiated for four couples. In addition to Dave and Ronnie, they also hit up mutual friends Joey (Jon Favreau), his wife, Lucy (Kristin Davis), Shane (Faizon Love), and his young girlfriend, Trudy (Kali Hawk).

Joey and Lucy have been married 18 years and are waiting to separate as soon as their teenage daughter goes off to college. Joey, a high school football star, and Lucy, a cheerleader, were forced to get married right after high school when she became pregnant.

Shane has just been divorced by his wife, Jennifer (Tasha Smith), and is now trying to keep up with the 20-–year-old Trudy. Shane would really like to reconcile with his wife but knows it won’t happen. He feigns interest in hip hop, dancing and other activities to appear relevant to Trudy.

Enticed by the opportunity to spend a week in paradise, and the willingness to facilitate a last ditch effort for Jason and Cynthia, the three couples agree to accompany the troubled pair to the retreat.

Eden is owned by the mystical and mysterious Marcel (Jean Reno) who tells the couples they cannot deviate at all from the itinerary he has planned. This includes yoga with Salvadore (Carlos Ponce), the smarmiest fitness instructor imaginable. They also meet with loopy therapists that seemingly antagonize them. Marcel is a caricature of a “new age” guru and is mostly unfunny and often annoying.

“Couples Retreat” is mildly amusing and has some funny moments. Written by Vaughn and Favreau, the film is a vehicle for them to portray their usual characters; Vaughn the wisecracking smart aleck, and Favreau the aggressive jerk. As with many films, all the men are married to women much more attractive than they deserve. The conflicts as well as the ultimate resolutions for each couple are very predictable.

The resort is actually split in two; Eden West for couples and Eden East for singles. Of course once this becomes known it is inevitable the men will have to find some excuse to infiltrate the singles resort.

Basically, if you’ve seen the trailer, you have seen the best and most comic parts of the movie. If you have to see “Couples Retreat,” I suggest you wait until it hits the rental outlets, probably in the not too distant future.