Couples Retreat started out okay, setting up the story line of eight friends going on vacation to a tropical island that specializes in marriage counseling.

Then you realize there's no script and can't feel sorry for the cast -- most of them helped write it.

They tried hard, but the laughs never came.

I felt used and embarrassed watching eight sex-starved middle-aged adults making really corny silly fools of themselves.

If you've seen the trailer for this movie, then you've seen everything that is supposed to be funny.

The trouble with most romantic comedies is that they are predictable, usually not all that funny, and probably not romantic.

And this one is no exception -- given the ridiculous premise (full of great comedic possibilities).

These underdeveloped characters run through the film, with predictable results.

Sure, there are misunderstandings, massage jokes, and people who have no idea of how to be romantic.

And, in the end, everything works out -- but who cares?

The movie is about four couples who receive marriage counseling at an island retreat in French Polynesia.

This tale is a bring-back or revive-the-marriage comedy that just didn't work in my viewing.

The set up is long and painful, and it took about 40 minutes or more of the film's screen time before the real story gets going.

The humor starts out with some promise, but loses its steam by the end of each scene.

There are a couple of problems: one, the drama / comedy is half-baked and the level of adult comedy is limited by a PG-13 rating, making it mediocre and mostly forgettable for this type of mate counseling.