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Avg. Critic Score: 23 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

Iffy for 15+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

67

Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman
Thanks to Vaughn, Favreau, and the stray sharp lines that pop out of everyone else, the film at least offers the lively sound of egos that still know how to swing. Read full review
50

The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt
A good idea for a sophisticated comedy lurks within the latest Jon Favreau-Vince Vaughn collaboration, Couples Retreat, but the filmmakers lack the courage of their convictions. So the payoff is mixed at best. Read full review
50

Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert
Among the better things in the movie, I count Vaughn's well-timed and smart dialogue. Read full review
40

Variety | Dennis Harvey
Those involved got to spend weeks at a Bora Bora luxury resort; all we get is this not lousy but unmemorable tropical-vacation comedy. Read full review
38

USA Today | Claudia Puig
Tedious, unromantic, sophomoric and only sporadically funny. Read full review
30

Washington Post |
Coasts on comic fumes, relying on colloquialisms, foreign accents, racial stereotypes, lemon sharks, Speedos and inopportune erections to supply the funny. Any one of these things might work in a comedy that was less contrived. Read full review
25

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
The cast got to spend a month shooting on Bora Bora. So that explains why they're in the movie. Why you'd spend good money for a ticket to watch them have all the fun and not have any fun yourself passes understanding. Read full review
25

Boston Globe | Ty Burr
Everything about Couples Retreat feels plastic, though: the jokes, the trees, the extras, the attitudes. It's dumbed-down entertainment aimed at a dumbed-down audience - the comedy equivalent of a McMansion. Read full review
25

San Francisco Chronicle |
Too bad the movie is spoiling the view. Read full review
10

The New York Times | A.O. Scott
An R-rated version of this mess would be only more gratingly dishonest as it tried to hide its weak sentimentality behind a fig leaf of vulgarity. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Couples Retreat on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says Iffy for 15+ Vaughn/Favreau marriage comedy has lots of sex, drinking.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau was originally rated R for sexual content and language, but the MPAA lowered the rating to PG-13 after an appeal. But there's no shortage of sexual innuendo remaining, as well as jokes about adultery, "happy endings," sexual frequency, erections, and the like. Couples are shown kissing passionately (often clothed in only bathing suits), one character's naked rear is shown, and a yoga class gets very suggestive. The language includes regular use of "s--t," "ass," "bitch," and more, and the characters (one of whom is only 20, a fact that's mentioned several times) drink frequently. That said, underneath it all, there's a surprisingly sweet message about the importance of marriage and commitment ... which may not be of much interest to teens, though they'll likely still be drawn to the movie by the cast.

Families can talk about the movie's message about relationships. Is there anything here that can be applied to issues of teen sexuality?
The movie was originally rated R before being downgraded to PG-13. Is that rating appropriate, or is it too mature for a PG-13? Why do you think the filmmakers pursued the lower rating?
What can the four couples teach teens about relationships?

The good stuff

Positive messages: Although the four central couples go through many ups and downs over the course of the movie, ultimately the story is very pro-marriage/commitment. None of the couples has a "perfect" relationship, and they all have to put in real effort to make their partnerships succeed.
Positive role models: None of the characters are perfect, though some have more flaws than others (Joey is openly lecherous for much of the movie, Dave can be self-centered, Jason and Cynthia come across as uptight and controlling, etc.) -- but they all learn something over the course of the movie. Ronnie and Dave have the most loving and healthy relationship in the movie, though they still have issues they have to deal with. One couple's decision to break up because he didn't want to pretend to be someone he wasn't for her is important for teenagers contemplating romantic relationships to understand.

What to watch for

Violence: Dave gets splashed with a bloody bucket of chum and may have been nipped by a small shark (but the scene is funny, not scary). In another comedic bit, a rainstorm tips a couple out of their canoe, and they have to be saved by their friends. In an early scene, Dave trains his bedside gun on a suspected intruder.
Sex: Lots of jokes (verbal and visual) about adultery, masturbation, erections/"happy endings," and several very lewd yoga positions (complete with suggestive thrusting). A man's erection is clearly outlined under a sheet. Couples make out passionately and are shown in bed together, but there aren't any full-fledged sex scenes. Two shots of partial nudity -- one played for laughs (a characterdoesn't wear boxers, so when he's asked to strip down to his underwear,the audience sees his naked rear) and one that's more about ogling a dripping wet man -- but no sensitive body parts shown. Lots of skimpy bathing suits and beach wear, as well as some sensuous dancing and massage.
Language: Although there are no F-bombs, there are plenty of uses of "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," and derivatives of those words, as well as "hell," "damn," "hump," "twatting" (used in place of "tweeting"), "balls," "screw," "oh my God," etc.
Consumerism: Apple computers and Guitar Hero are shown frequently, with the video game gettng mentioned as part of Dave's work and even played during a fairly long scene. Also mentions of Froot Loops, PowerPoint, Sandals Resorts, and Applebee's; charaters drink Budweiser.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Adults on vacations drink (wine, beer, hard liquor/mixed drinks) and get tipsy/drunk pretty frequently, especially once they all go to the singles resort, where people are doing body shots and more. A 20-year-old character (who's the most avid partier of the bunch) has booze poured directly into her mouth at one point.

Common Sense Media An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.