Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau have become an appealing, albeit unlikely, comedy team in the last dozen or so years, but their trademark banter -- that spark of manly friendship that seems to come so easily to them -- can feel forced when it's cheated by poor dialogue. And a thin, nearly non-existent story. And an awkward first-time director.

Unfortunately, the painfully lackluster Couples Retreat script is credited to Vaughn and Favreau themselves, along with What Happens in Vegas writer Dana Fox (ostensibly chiming in with a woman's point of view). Their relationship comedy whisks four couples off to a stunning, four-star beachside resort to help save the marriage of one pair (Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell). While there, each couple plays to a from-the-textbook narrative type while working through everything from snorkeling to therapy.

It's one bland scene after another, played at medium pace with middling creativity, punctuated with a near-desperate attempt at a laugh. If you snack on Couples Retreat, you may find a few morsels that satisfy, especially when Favreau and Vaughn lace their barbs with their inane commentary. Digest the movie like an entire meal, however, and you're likely to be hungry. And bored.

With four likeable, funny men (including Faizon Love) and four beautiful women (add Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, and Kali Hawk) you'd figure you're halfway to a fun time. When the result disappoints at this level, it's natural to wonder who's caring about the written content when everyone is probably having a blast shooting at a resort in Tahiti. Tahiti?! Where do I sign?! It's reminiscent of Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham getting their pals together to have a great ol' time making movies like The Cannonball Run and Stroker Ace.

Peter Billingsley, a producing partner of both Favreau's and Vaughn's, seems to have that make-it-up-as-we-go approach to directing, with predictably inconsistent results. And since there's barely a hint of humor in how he shoots the film, the cast is left to wade through the tepid dialogue without a life raft. Billingsley affords ample time to basic conversations, an often misplaced skill, but when the jabber is this cookie-cutter, you'd rather he move things along.

Jon Favreau really raised eyebrows with his insightful, witty script for Swingers, but his path has since gone to directing -- big-time, big-budget, big-news directing, if Iron Man is any indication. Considering his last writing contribution to hit the screen was the awful The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest six years ago, he seems to have made the right decision. And he should stick with it. A big Guitar Hero showdown, guys? Really?



Merman!