Four married couples, of whom all but one have threatening marriages, decide to embark on a fun-filled adventure to the Eden resort to get away from their daily lives and attempt to rekindle the diminished fires in their marriages. Shortly after arriving to their vacation destination they are pained to learn that the resort package they signed up for is actually a rigorous “couples skill-building” retreat. Saddened to the fact that there will be no free time to jet ski, get drunk, or enjoy most of the fun things the resort has to offer, they decide to stick to the program rather than return home.
Headed by Marcel (Jean Reno), a peace-loving and unusual psychiatrist, the couples retreat program is designed to use the beautiful Eden resort accommodations and surroundings to amplify Marcel’s unique and often odd lessons to help the couples find their inner strength and beauty. Most of the lessons and couple therapy sessions tend to be more disastrous than helpful to their marriages. The men become so torn apart from their cravings to let loose, party, jet ski, and do other fun activities that they become distant from their enthusiasm to partake in the couples retreat with 100 percent effort. At the same time the women also become distant to the retreat and the faith in their relationships that they start to question their involvement in their marriages. Eventually they make it to the other side of the resort, which is a forbidden place to their program, where the all night partying and dancing occurs, and begin to see each other in a different light and value the respect for each other that was always present but hidden somewhere in their marriage.
The writing for Couples Retreat was just not very good and completely unsatisfying. However, most of the basic elements are present for it is a fairly well set up screenplay, just poorly written. I think the character changes happened too late in the story and since I lost interest in the film very easily, I didn’t care much for the changes that went on.
The four couples and their relationship statuses are quickly and effectively set up. We learn that one couple is on the verge of divorce, one is unmarried, the other is having intimacy problems, and the fourth one seems to be doing just fine. The inciting incident happens when the couple with intimacy problems, confesses to the other three couples that their marriage might soon end. This comes to a surprise to everyone else for they seemed like the most stable of the four. The only thing that can save their marriage, they feel, is a vacation to the “Eden Prime” resorts. If all four couples attend the resort, they will get a special deal on a package that will be much more affordable to them. After much struggle, they convince everyone to go.
Plot point one happens when they find out that the package they signed up for involves no free time or fun activities. It is all based around couples relationship building and therapy. This comes as very tragic news to the group because they planned on drinking and doing fun things the whole time.
Plot point two happens when the girlfriend of the unmarried man runs away to the other side of the resort that has the all night partying and dancing. The group decides to break their resort package rules and escape to the other side to find her.
The climax finally rises in the end when they find the girl and all the couples perform a transformation when they find the inner strength of their relationships. The screenplay waited too long to come to a resolution and quickly ended after that. The character changes were bleak and predictable.
Written By: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, and Dana Fox