We didn’t really plan on going to the movies a few weeks ago, but our anniversary dinner plans changed kind of late, and we had more free time on our hands than we expected. Luckily, that coincided with an early evening showing of “Couples Retreat.”

I had no idea what to expect because I had not read much about the flick. I really like Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman, and usually like Jon Favreau so I figured we would enjoy the show. Boy, was I right.

The film the natural skills of the cast members I knew. Favreau played the jerk, Vaughn the man-child and Bateman the uptight controller. Kristin Davis was great as the hot and bothered wife neglected by Favreau. But the real treats came from the members of the ensemble I didn’t really know much about.

I did know Kristen Bell, who played Bateman’s wife, from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” but didn’t realize it until I started getting ready to write this. She was hilarious as were the rest of the couples ensemble: Faizon Love, Kali Hawk and Malin Akerman. In fact, Akerman may have sewed up the Best Supporting Actress Award for The Brians with her looks alone. The way she worked with Vaughn to show that solid relationships don’t have to be perfect is just gravy.

I think the thing which made the movie so funny was the clever use of the staff at the resort. John Michael Higgins and Ken Jeong killed as therapists in roles that could have been easily mis-cast. I think a lot had to do with which couple they were counseling. The interplay made the issues of the couples a better launching pad for comedy.

But Salvadore, the yoga instructor played by Carlos Ponce, brought the most laughs. He could have come off as a boorish one-note character. But Ponce put a little zest into the role, kind of letting the husbands know he was hitting on their wives, and there was nothing they could do about it.

The ending kind of spiraled into cheesy, rom-com territory, but the laughs from the previous hour and a half made it tolerable.