Why One Of Couples Retreat's Stars Sued Universal Years After The Film's Release
When Peter Billingsley's comedy "Couples Retreat" was released in 2009, some critics argued that the title should serve as a warning. It only garnered a 10% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Peter Bradshaw from the Guardian saying that former Prime Minister of Cambodia, Pol Pot, could have written a warmer, funnier film.
The film follows four middle-aged couples on a retreat to a tropical resort called Eden where they mean to rekindle their respective flagging relationships. The couples are played by Vince Vaughn and Malin Åkerman, Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis, Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell, and Faizon Love and Kali Hawk. The cast was stacked, and the story interspersed run-of-the-mill midlife crises with limp attempts at slapstick. The film cost $60 million to make and netted $171 million worldwide, so it wasn't a bomb, but it also was dismissed and forgotten by the culture at large.
The most notable thing about "Couples Retreat" is that is spawned two lawsuits. There is a scene in the film wherein the Favreau character masturbates to a photo of a swimsuit model. The model in the photo was Irina Krupnik, and she sued the filmmakers for failure to get permission to use her likeness in the movie. She lost the case.
The other lawsuit was brought by star Faizon Love, who in 2020, sued Universal Pictures for its international ad campaign for "Couples Retreat." It seems that Love's and Hawk's characters were already diminished in the American posters — they stood waaaay behind their six co-stars — but on the international posters, Love and Hawk were omitted altogether. Even their names were absent. Given that Hawk and Love were the only Black actors, Love accused Universal of racism. The case was detailed in a 2020 Hollywood Reporter article.
The U.S. poster for 'Couples Retreat' had Faizon Love and Kali Hawk
The Hollywood Reporter pointed out that Universal had, in 2017, activated a special initiative called Global Talent Development & Inclusion to specifically address diviersity in their products. Universal, it should also be noted, wields one of the more successful film franchises of all time with the Fast & Furious movies, one of the most racially diverse American blockbusters of the modern age. The studio, still, however, fell into racist tropes when marketing their films overseas. Universal seemed to be saying outright that international audiences don't want to see Black people in movies, and decided instead to advertise only the six white ones.
This sort of thing wasn't new. One might recall the Chinese posters for 2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" that removed John Boyega, one of the film's lead characters. Or the Chinese posters for "Black Panther" that infamously covered Chadwick Boseman's face in a mask. The removal of Black people from overseas marketing was a brazenly racist move by the studios.
When Love learned of his removal from international "Couples Retreat" posters in 2020, he made a formal complaint which read:
"Universal Studios had no problem featuring Black actors in the comedic film. But when it came to publicizing the film to international audiences, Universal Studios chose to segregate the motion picture's white and Black actors ... Rather than enjoy maximum visibility with the film's release, Mr. Love was demoted to the proverbial 'Invisible Man,' as penned by Ralph Ellison. Although 'Couples Retreat' achieved a first-place box office opening weekend ranking [...], Universal Studios placed Mr. Love in the back seat of the ride enjoyed by his six white costars."
See the below slide for the altered poster.
The international poster for 'Couples Retreat' did not have Faizon Love and Kali Hawk
The poster actually did cause a stir in 2010, and Universal even commented at the time that the removal of Faizon Love and Kali Hawk was done to "simplify" the poster. British distributors were also offended, miffed by Universal's assumption that British audiences wouldn't want to see Love and Hawk in a high-profile American comedy.
Love reached out to Universal back in 2010, asking for an explanation. It seems that Universal, in response to the actor's complaints, made Love some promises that sounded good at the time, but that it ultimately failed to keep. Also included in Love's lawsuit:
"Rather than react with adversity, Mr. Love opted for engagement and equanimity. He reached out to Universal Studios and endeavored to engage constructively. [...] Universal Studios ... attempting to assuage Mr. Love and prevent his filing suit, promised both (i) the immediate cessation of the racist international poster, and (ii) prompt recompense to Mr. Love in the form of lucrative, career-making film roles. Universal Studios lied."
Indeed, Love has appeared in no Universal films since 2009. Love said that Universal marketing chairman Adam Fogelson apologized personally over the phone, but that was cold comfort.
In 2021, Love settled the case, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. The details of Love's deal were not made public, but he said that he and the studio had "reached an amicable agreement." The case was settled, the Times pointed out, after a public lawsuit brought to Universal by Gabrielle Union about racist attitudes she encountered on the set of "America's Got Talent."
Universal, meanwhile, didn't release a comment.