Just when you think you have a formula for a successful afternoon: a little comedy with familiar favorites, a cup of brew at a comfy East Village coffee shop, your senses are shocked, or possibly dulled by generic reality. Such is the case with the latest Tina Fey/Steve Carell comedy, Date Night and a recent find, Grey Dog Coffee on University Place. I can't imagine a better pairing than these two self-effacing comedians as a sedentary suburbanite couple itching for adventure and passion. However, this is less a caper comedy, than an extended Saturday Night Live sketch where a punchline seems a commercial break away. The plot: a well-intentioned albeit boring couple's night out takes a turn when they steal someone else's reservations at a posh restaurant. The someone else turns out to be a couple blackmailing a corrupt district attorney. Refreshing moments come by way of James Franco and Mila Kunis as the couple in question (hilarious timing, hipster angst) and Mark Wahlberg as a hunky security expert who aids the efforts of Fey/Carrell, though one more joke about his chiseled pecks would have pushed me over the edge. While these character anecdotes were pleasant, they came at the cost of pushing forward the narrative, which seemed to meddle and lose its way. In the midst of the movie, I lost the chase and started to consider time better spent with NBC's Thursday night line-up (Carrell's Michael Scott, Fey's Liz Lemon).
Similarly the Grey Dog Cafe in the East Village doesn't quite pull its promising weight -- cramped tables and lackluster pastry options are disguised by mood lighting and cooler-than-thou aphorisms scrawled on display cases.
With so many entertainment and snacking options in this fantastic city, best to spend your Date Night or afternoon elsewhere.
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