Vince Vaughn’s latest comedic vehicle “Couples Retreat” attempts to gather some quality actors in a lush tropical location for hilarity to ensue. Unfortunately for Vaughn and the gang, the laughs come few and far between and the scenery may have been the best thing about the film.

The premise for the film is fairly simple. Four couples head to a tropical paradise getaway for fun in the sun and some much needed marriage counseling for one couple in the group. The company of friends consists of Jason(Jason Bateman) and Cynthia(Kristen Bell), Shane(Faizon Love) and Trudy(Kali Hawk), Dave(Vince Vaughn) and Ronnie(Malin Akerman) and Joey(Jon Favreau) and Lucy(Kristin Davis). Jason and Cynthia are having issues conceiving, which is putting a heavy strain on their relationship, and ultimately decide that the solution to their strife is a weekend to re-connect and discover if they truly want to work on their marriage or call it quits. After convincing their friends that a group rate is the only way they can afford to go, the four couples head off for Bora Bora, not knowing that the counseling desired by Jason and Cynthia is actually mandatory for every couple taking part in the island’s excursions.

During the course of the vacation each pair is shown taking part in the therapy sessions which reveal none of them are truly as close to content in their relationships as they’d like to think. There is a humorous attempt made with sharks circling Vaughn at one point, and a purposely awkward Yoga class in which the instructor becomes a little too friendly with the majority of the participants. As expected, Vaughn and Favreau(who had a smash sleeper hit with 1996’s “Swingers”) seem to have a good comedic rapport and give off the lion’s share of one-liners in the film. These lines however are too sparse and seem forced, rather than natural dialogue between well-developed characters who’ve had a lifetime of friendship built between them.

As can be assumed from the trailers, the film primarily centers on the ups and downs of marriage, so this film’s initial concept is something kids aren’t going to grasp or find entertaining. Aside from that, the amount of blatant sexual references included would make viewing this with your child an extremely uncomfortable two hours. This would probably be a better date night for mom and dad, but if you go in expecting a 2-hour laugh riot you’re going to leave disappointed.

Grade: C-