Couples Retreat

Peter Billingsley

A sure sign that the movie you are watching is less than engrossing is when idle thoughts begin to flit through your head.

In this case, these thoughts went along the lines of: “Wow, the resort looks great. Where did they film this? Is there actually a resort there? I wonder what the rates are.”

For the record, Couples Retreat was filmed on location on Bora Bora, a French Polynesian island in the South Pacific.

And yes, there is a five-star establishment there, the St Regis Bora Bora Resort.

In the movie, this stands in for Eden Resort, where four couples try to work out their relationship issues. Really, though, three couples would have worked just as well, maybe even two. At least the running time would have been shaved.

The sprawling cast, which includes familiar names such as Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Kristen Bell and Kristin Davis, is not particularly well-served by the script co-written by Vaughn and Favreau.

Despite some funny moments, including a touchy-feely yoga session, the saggy middle and oh-so-neat ending will have you mentally whisking yourself off to the resort instead.

(ST)