Three more sign up for 'Couples Retreat'

By Sarah Sluis

Ensemble comedy Couples Retreat found three additional mates in  Kristin Bell ("Veronica Mars"), Kristin Davis (Sex and the City), and Malin Akerman (upcoming Watchmen).  The character-packed premise has four couples (one with real relationship problems) roped into a tropical vacation with a side helping of couples therapy.  Jason Bateman ("Arrested Development") plays Bell's love interest, Jon Favreau will pair with Davis, and Vince Vaughn will couple with Akerman.  Faizon Love is currently mateless.

Jon Favreau has existed below my radar until now, but he has an impressive bio on IMDb, including directorial credits for Iron Man and Elf, and an diverse array of acting, writing, and production credits.  He wrote Couples Retreat based on an idea of Vaughn's.  The two are currently starring in another quad-coupled pic, this winter's Four Christmases, so I wonder if they drew any inspiration from that project.

Steve Carrell, another one of comedy's it-boys, has attached himself to yet another project, Brigadier Gerard, about a French soldier convinced of his swashbuckling status despite an utter lack of skill or bravery.  With the ability to shoot just one film on his spring hiatus from "The Office," he now must choose between Brigadier Gerard, Get Smart 2, or Date Night, which has Tina Fey attached.  Personally, I am rooting Carrell to choose Date Night--in-demand Tina Fey has no other live action deals on the table, and has never done a romantic comedy before, and the two of them together would be dynamic.  Sure, Brigadier Gerard will be set in France, a long time ago, which is somewhat of a twist of Carrell's star image, but with "King of the Hill" writers adapting a work by Arthur Conan Doyle, I see the well-trod territory of horse-riding and Monty Python jokes.

Already being floated as an Oscar contender, Weinstein Company's The Road, set to release this November, may be pushed back to December--or later.  The executives and producers plan to meet tomorrow to discuss the fate of the film.  The switcheroo comes in light of Weinstein Company's decision to push The Reader this winter.  Also, for what seems like the hundredth story in a row, Weinstein Company takes on questions about the company's financial situation--and yes, they say they are doing fine.