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RATING:   
SINGAPORE - Former "Swingers'" buddies Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau co-write and co-star in "Couples Retreat", a comedy about four couples on a retreat that doesn't play out as planned.
Overworked parents Dave and Ronnie (Vaughn and Malin Akerman); constantly bickering and cheating Joey and Lucy (Favreau and Kristin Davis), and recently divorced Shane (Faizon Love) and his new and much younger girlfriend, Trudy (Kali Hawk), are all cajoled by their marriage-in-trouble friends (Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell) to visit this resort, where a relationship guru (a hilarious Jean Reno) puts them through their paces.
Unfortunately, no fun in the sun shows up on screen; which makes us wonder: Was "Couples Retreat" just an excuse to spend a luscious month in Bora Bora?
For all its visual splendour and likeable cast, the NC16 film never once feels as invigorating or free as its surroundings. While Vaughn and Favreau have a chemistry that comes from years of friendship, it's just a shame the script is so generic.
This film does make some relevant points about relationships. But overall, these caricatures don't resonate enough for us to care whether they work out their issues or not, and the ending feels like a cop-out. - TODAY/ar
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