Fey, Carell try their best in lackluster comedy ‘Date Night’

"Date Night" is one of those films that tries really hard but ultimately falls short of comedy gold.

Despite having two of the funniest actors in Hollywood – Steve Carell and Tina Fey – "Date Night" struggles, at times, to find the laughs.

The movie begins with a simple enough premise: The Fosters, a suburban family, are in a bit of a rut.

Their lives have turned into a routine of child minding, nine-to-five jobs and little to no sex.

When sex is even an option, it's an awkward afterthought – the simple planting of a retainer spoils any chance of intimacy.

Disturbed by the news their "perfect" friends are getting divorced after so many years, the two decide they have to rekindle their love.

No longer are they going to subject themselves to their typical, local restaurant "date night."

Fey (Claire) dresses up, and Phil (Carell) ditches the familiar and the two head into New York City.

Cue the antics.

After stealing someone's reservation, the pair find themselves in hot water.

It turns out the people they're impersonating are in trouble with the mafia.

Despite protests they're just a boring couple from New Jersey, the two find themselves running from the mafia and for their lives.

This is where it gets awkward.

Perhaps it is because Carell and Fey are so instantly recognizable for the kinds of characters they portray.

Carell is almost always kind of a bumbling idiot ("Get Smart") or simpleton ("Anchorman"). Fey is almost always a sarcastic, dry person ("30 Rock," "Baby Mama").

The script tries really hard – it really does – but it just can't find an even balance.

At times, it's really "wacky" with car chases, sassy cab drivers and big set pieces.

But then there are moments when things just get weird – a strip club scene where Carell and Fey must lure a corrupt official into welcoming them into his company.

It's a bizarre display of deliberately sexually unappealing moves. It should be funny, but it isn't. No matter how awkward or strange Carell and Fey try to be, it's just weird.

Perhaps the best moment of the movie is an exchange between the Fosters and the Triplehorns – the elusive family they pretended to be.

It's a bizzarre conversation as Carell tries to be a tough-guy type. Carell and James Franco play off each other well.

Mila Kunis also spars as well as the guys do in her turn as Franco's wife.

It's not a completely original movie, and it's not as bad as people seem to think it is.

It's not a comedy classic, but it does have some chuckles. I can't help but think Fey and Carell could have been much funnier if they tried to veer a little from their established TV personas ("The Office," "30 Rock") and had a beefier script.

But for a simple movie that has a few laughs (and awkward moments), "Date Night" isn't a bad movie to rent and giggle at.