"Couple's Retreat" Review

So, in an attempt to enjoy a Sunday evening snuggled on the couch, Justin and I went to "Red Box" to rent Avatar last night. Unfortunately, Red Box doesn't have it yet, but they did finally have Couple's Retreat (the one with Vince Vaughn) so we were excited to see the comedy. If you haven't already watched this, here is the basic synopsis:

There are 4 couples who are all best friends. Jason and Cynthia (struggling with fertility and trying to convice the other 3 couples to go on this vacation with them), Joey and Lucy (Lucy is played by Kristen Davis--they are high school sweethearts who are now waiting until their daughter graduates to get a divorce--never communicate and both are thinking of having an affair), Charles (I think, his name has escaped me) and Jenifer, who have already divorced, so he is having a fling with 20 year old Trudy, and then Dave (Vince) and his wife Ronnie (the only happily married couple with 2 adorable boys). Any who, the whole premise is they go to the couple's resort to try and "fix" Jason and Cynthia's problems, everyone else just wants to go for fun and help get the group rate. While there, they endure terrible therapy sessions and ridiculous "couple building" times. Though the movie is very scattered at times, it was hilarious and actually had some AMAZINGLY GREAT moments in it!

There there was never any mention of God at any time, Vince's character and his wife are completely devoted to one another. When his other guy friends are struggling with thoughts of having an affair, he stands up to them and doesn't even want to hear about it. Jason even questions Joey with "How would you feel if Lucy cheated on you?" Wow, the Golden Rule is mentioned, rather than the usual, "Do what you want, when you want it and forget about your wife."

Vince also challenges his friends with this thought (after they end up on the single's side of the island where there are a lot of 1/2 naked bodies and jello shots) "You can live this life of being alone, of being staying drunk and crazy, or you can choose marriage. You can't have both." He then shows his committment to his wife by saying he does choose marriage and family and he goes to find his wife. They end up sitting by a waterfall, discussing their committment to one another and their families and how important this is to them. By the end of the movie, all 4 couples are back together and working things out.

Again, though there is no scriptural basis in this movie what so ever, I was relieved, almost excited, that a secular production company would come out finally with a movie that promotes marriage and family and portrays families who want to work through their problems, whether it be infertility, adultery, or just going through a "wild spell". Though I do believe that Christ alone can be the center of one's marriage, this movie shows that all families will have difficulty and running away from the problem is not the answer and there is hope.