Over the last couple of weeks several great movies have hit shelves.  Two of those movies I've had a chance to watch on Blu-Ray, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Date Night.  One is a whimsical fairy tale and the other is a kid's movie.

Date Night stars Tina Fey and Steve Carell as Phil and Claire Foster, a married couple who, like a lot of married couples, have fallen into a sexless, boring rut.  They go out for a date every couple of weeks and eat at the same place, have the same food, and come home to quickly fall asleep.  But one night, they decide to mix it up and head into The City (you know New York).  They head to the newest upscale restaurant, which they can't get into as they have no reservations.  Trouble starts when they steal someone else's table and get mistaken for them.

And that's where the whimsy and fairtale ideals start to seep into an otherwise real life tale.  Only this is a modern fairytale, so there are no unicorns, magical creatures, or witches.  Instead there are Audi R8 sports cars, helpful men who look like Mark Whalberg, and dirty cops.  There's also no prince and princess who meet and fall madly in love and living happily ever after.  Instead there's a rekindling of the flame the Foster's had let dwindle.  In fact I'd say its a fairy tale for married couples, with the moral, that sometimes to save our relationships we have to try new things, and maybe have an adventure.



Then there's Diary of a Wimpy Kid, based on the best selling book series.  The movie follows Greg Huffley as he tries to make the transition to middle school.  The movie is clearly for kids in elementary and middle school, but I have to be honest, I thought it was a very cute movie, and one I didn't turn off.

The movie features a great supporting cast including, Rachel Harris, Steve Zahn, and the new It girl, Chloe Grace Moretz.  But it's Zachary Gordon as the title whimpy kid who steals the movie.  He does a great job playing a kid who clearly thinks a bit too much of himself.  As the school year goes one he finally realizes his place in his class, and with grace comes to accept it.

As far as live action kid movies go, it's way ahead of the competition, and it's funny enough to keep the adults entertained as well.   It's a great one to watch for a family movie night.