STEVE Carell and Tina Fey unite this week in the action-comedy Date Night.
When married couple The Fosters attempt to revitalise their stale marriage with a meal out in New York City, their night away from home soon descends into disaster after they steal someone else's reservation at a top restaurant.
As armed gunmen mistake them as 'the Tripplehorns' - a couple responsible for the theft of a flash drive from a mob boss - the Fosters soon find themselves on the run.
But can a stuffy suburban couple from New Jersey survive being hunted in the Big Apple?
Comedy hot property
One is the star of 50 Rock: currently the hottest and most hilarious American show currently on TV. The other has established himself as the new funnyman of film, having enjoyed lead roles in celebrated fare like The 40 Year Old Virgin.
Surely putting them together is comedic alchemy?
After a rocky start which suggests Date Night might not be as good as the sum of its parts, the film soon steps into gear as the comic shenanigans get under way.
Scripted scenarios are as methodical and paint-by-numbers as would be expected as the duo move between plot-moving points.
What keeps the film sparkling is Carell and Fey's chemistry on the screen as they improvise amidst the narrative pushing dialogue.
Finding each other's rhythms from the outset, the duo always seem believable and rarely miss a chance to shine - whether that be in the quiet setting of a friendly restaurant or dangling from a stripper's pole in a seedy club.
Under-used support
A supporting cast including a shirtless 'Markey' Mark Wahlberg and feisty Taraji P Henson play their two dimensional parts as best they can; while criminally under-used appearances by Hollywood hot properties like Kristen Wiig, Mark Ruffalo, James Franco and Mila Kunis are inexplicably brief but welcomed.
Director Shawn Levy's move away from mischievous monkeys and CG dinosaurs in the Night At The Museum movies works well in this well-worn premise of mistaken identity.
While not offering anything particularly jaw-dropping visually - instead seeming to film in an occasionally blurry DV style - the securing of New York city locations for occasional scenes counter-balances the more mundane moments.
And he manages to maintain pace throughout the relatively brief 88 minute runtime.
With different actors cast as the Fosters, Date Night could have been a complete disaster.
But thanks to the Carell and Fey double-act, expect a Great Night.
7/10 - Cracking comic crime caper