Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.On the eve of their 25th wedding anniversary, Nick (Steve Carell) and Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver) are still finding new ways to surprise one another. Unbeknown to him, she has invited their dearest friends to their summer lake house for a vow-renewal ceremony. He in turn is planning to blindside her that very same day by asking for a divorce.So begins Netflix’s The Four Seasons: a comedic look at mid-life malaise and marital maintenance that follows a tight-knit trio of fiftysomething couples. Co-created by and starring Tina Fey, the eight-part series is a remake of Alan Alda’s 1981 film of the same name and similarly unfolds over four picturesque weekend trips in one fateful year. The premise of couples sharing and projecting their insecurities, however, underpins countless other movies — from Woody Allen’s cerebral 1992 dramedy Husbands and Wives to the egregious 2009 Vince Vaughn vehicle Couples Retreat.Perhaps as a result, The Four Seasons finds little to say that is revelatory. At its heart is the truism that marriage is hard work that rewards some, wears down others and challenges everyone, regardless of how happy and stable they may appear. But these well-worn sentiments are handled lightly by both the writers and the affable ensemble.As the greying man who leaves his wife for a bubbly, polyamorous 32-year-old (Erika Henningsen), Carrell balances his character’s self-delusion with enough self-awareness to make him more than just a tired cliché. Fey and fellow Saturday Night Live alum Will Forte meanwhile share a natural rapport and fluctuating dynamic as the sardonic Kate and neurotic Jack — college sweethearts whose smugness about Nick and Anne’s crisis gives way to a confrontation with their own dimming spark.Elsewhere, Colman Domingo shows off a playful side as the suave, sassy Danny, who is less worried about his heart condition than being smothered by his helicopter husband. Claude (Marco Calvani) is a composite of various Italian and gay stereotypes in a comedy that too often goes broad.But there are enough snappy exchanges, amusing one-liners and moments of both unsparing awkwardness and unexpected poignancy to ensure that The Four Seasons is a divertingly breezy spring fling. That said, scenes of petty squabbles and humbling humiliations may cause any viewers nearing their autumn years with a long-term partner to break out in a cold sweat.★★★☆☆On Netflix now
