Couples Retreat is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Peter Billingsley and written by Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, and Dana Fox. Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau star alongside Jason Bateman, Faizon Love, Kristin Davis, Malin Åkerman, Kristen Bell, and Jean Reno. In the film, four couples go on vacation to a tropical island and find out that their trip is actually a marriage therapy workshop, where they must attend therapy sessions.

The movie was mainly filmed on the French Polynesian island of Bora Bora. Universal Pictures released Couples Retreat on October 9, 2009. It received mostly negative reviews from critics and made $172 million during its theatrical run.

Plot

Dave, a salesperson for Guitar Hero, and Ronnie, a parent who stays home with their children, are a typical family raising two young children in the suburbs of Chicago. They face challenges such as redecorating their home and caring for their kids. Joey and Lucy, who were high school sweethearts, have a teenage daughter named Lacey who is smart but not very experienced. Their marriage is struggling, and they are thinking about ending their relationship after Lacey goes to college. Jason and Cynthia are a couple who are very anxious and have had many unsuccessful attempts to have children. Shane, who recently separated from his wife but is not officially divorced, has a new girlfriend named Trudy.

At Dave's son's birthday party, Jason and Cynthia use a PowerPoint presentation to share their difficulties with their marriage and explain that they are considering divorce because they cannot have a baby. As a final attempt to save their relationship, they discovered a couples therapy resort called Eden. A special deal called the Pelican Package offers half the usual price if three other couples join them. In their presentation, they show pictures of sunny beaches and beautiful places. They promise the other couples that therapy sessions are not required.

Dave and Ronnie refuse to go because they have young children and cannot leave them alone. Later that night, Jason tries to convince Dave and Ronnie to attend the retreat by setting off their alarm. The noise wakes their children, who heard their parents talking about not being able to go. Worried that their parents might separate, the children secretly arrange for Dave's father, Grandpa Jim-Jim, to watch them so their parents can travel to Eden.

The retreat is split into two sections: Eden West and Eden East. Eden West is for couples and uses the slogan "Stay Together." Eden East is for single people and uses the slogan "Come Together." People from Eden West and Eden East are not allowed to mix.

When the four couples arrive at Eden West, they are shown their villas. At dinner, the resort host, Stanley, tells them that couples therapy at 6 a.m. is required. If any couple does not attend, they will be considered to have left the retreat and will not receive a refund for the retreat, though they might get a refund for their plane tickets. The group discusses what to do. After enjoying a dinner with many delicious foods, they agree to attend the therapy sessions for a short time so they can enjoy the rest of the resort.

The next morning, each couple meets with a therapist. All four couples are told they have relationship problems, even Dave and Ronnie, who believed they were doing well. They experience unusual activities at the resort, such as swimming with and feeding lemon sharks and taking yoga classes with a romantic instructor named Salvadore.

On the fourth night, Trudy leaves to go to Eden East. The other seven people, encouraged by Joey, decide to find her. After Jason and Cynthia argue, the group separates into men and women. As they search for Eden East, the men argue and point out issues in each other's relationships.

The women meet Salvadore, who takes them to Eden East. The men find the staff lounge and discover Stanley playing Guitar Hero. Stanley threatens to report them to the resort owner, Marcel, but Dave challenges him to a game (without telling Stanley that he helped create the game). After Stanley loses, he directs them to Eden East, even though he knows Dave tricked him.

When they arrive, Dave realizes how much he values his relationship with Ronnie. He spends time alone with her at a waterfall. Joey finds Lucy with Salvadore and knocks him out, reuniting with her. Cynthia and Jason share drinks and become close. Shane meets his ex-wife, Jennifer, who tells him she still loves him. Shane tells Trudy to stay in Eden East and enjoy being single, then leaves with Jennifer. All four couples return to Eden West.

Cast

• Vince Vaughn and Malin Åkerman play Dave and Ronnie, a couple with two children who seem happy but face problems. Dave often disrespects Ronnie by ignoring her needs and personal limits because of his busy job. After therapy, Marcel gives them an "ass" token as their animal spirit because they are both stubborn and carry the burdens of others.
• Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell play Jason and Cynthia Smith, a couple who decided to visit Eden with friends. Their issues include poor communication, Jason’s controlling behavior, and difficulty having a baby. They are organized and want to improve their relationship. After reuniting, Marcel gives them a rabbit token because they can overcome challenges together.
• Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis play Joey and Lucy Tanzini, high school sweethearts who are considering divorce. They feel they missed out on life after marriage and parenthood. Their daughter, Lacey, is smart but sometimes disobedient. After therapy, Marcel gives them a wolf token because they are loyal to each other despite being pack animals.
• Faizon Love and Kali Hawk play Shane and Trudy, a couple with very different interests and ages. They grow tired of each other and separate. Trudy joins the single scene, but Shane reconciles with his wife, Jennifer, instead of finding Trudy. They receive a honeybee token, symbolizing that even though they explore other options, they return to their original relationship.
• Temuera Morrison plays Briggs, Marcel’s assistant. His name is misspelled as "Temeura" in the opening credits.
• Jean Reno plays Marcel, the main therapist and founder of the resort.
• Peter Serafinowicz plays Stanley (pronounced "Stanley," with a silent "c"), the British manager of the resort. He oversaw the couples’ stay and was the original Guitar Hero champion on the island. Vaughn’s DVD commentary mentions the silent "c" was added for fun.
• Carlos Ponce plays Salvadore, the yoga instructor.
• Tasha Smith plays Jennifer, Shane’s ex-wife.
• John Michael Higgins plays Robert John, the therapist for Dave and Ronnie.
• Jonna Walsh plays Lacey Tanzini.
• Ken Jeong plays Wardo, the therapist for Jason and Cynthia.
• Amy Hill plays Jean, the therapist for Shane and Trudy.
• Karen David plays a spa attendant.

Vince Vaughn’s real-life father, Vernon Vaughn, plays his on-screen father.

Production

The main location for filming was the St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, located in French Polynesia. Other filming locations included Universal Studios in Los Angeles and O'Hare International Airport.

Release

Universal Pictures faced criticism for removing actors Faizon Love and Kali Hawk from posters used in other countries for the film. These posters showed only six cast members, instead of the eight included in U.S. promotional materials. The studio apologized for causing hurt feelings and decided not to use the changed poster in other countries. In 2020, Faizon Love sued Universal Pictures, claiming the studio discriminated based on race and used the poster unfairly.

Universal Pictures worked with different groups to get financial support for the film’s marketing. Sponsors include the Tourism Board of Tahiti, where the film was made, companies that make Bud Light and Captain Morgan's Rum, Bloomingdale's department store, and Crunch Gyms. The video game Guitar Hero is also shown in the film.

Reception

The film was a box office success, making the most money during its first weekend with $34,286,740. It became Vince Vaughn's highest-earning movie since 2006's The Break-Up. The film earned $109.2 million in the United States and $58.8 million in other countries, totaling $171 million worldwide.

Couples Retreat received poor reviews from critics. The website Rotten Tomatoes collected 161 reviews, with only 10% being positive, giving the film an average score of 3.8 out of 10. The site's summary said, "Although the movie has talented actors and some enjoyable moments between Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, it fails to make viewers laugh and feels dry and uninteresting." Metacritic gave the film an average score of 23 out of 100 based on 27 reviews, which means most critics found it disappointing. Audiences who saw the film in theaters gave it a "B" rating on a scale from "A+" to "F."

Roger Ebert rated the film 2 out of 4 stars. He said the story was predictable and the characters lacked depth, but he praised Vince Vaughn's clever and well-timed dialogue. James Berardinelli wrote that the movie was not exciting or memorable but was not completely unpleasant. He suggested watching it at home rather than in a theater. Dennis Harvey of Variety noted that the film had good ideas and a likable cast but was poorly executed. Claudia Puig of USA Today described the movie as boring, unromantic, childish, and only occasionally funny.

Irina Krupnik, a former model, filed a lawsuit for $10 million, claiming the producers of Couples Retreat used her image without permission and violated her privacy. The lawsuit was related to a scene in the movie where actor Jon Favreau is shown using a photo of her. Manhattan Supreme Court Judge O. Peter Sherwood ruled against Krupnik, and she did not receive any money from the case.

Music

The soundtrack for Couples Retreat was released on October 6, 2009, by Relativity Music Group and included many of the songs from the movie.