Hall Pass
Rating: 4/10
Cast: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Christina Applegate, Jenna Fischer, Richard Jenkins
Director: The Farrelly Brothers
So the guys behind There's Something About Mary bring us a new comedy where a couple of dudes get given a week off their marital obligations to do whatever they want.
Owen Wilson is Rick, who's been married to high school sweetheart Maggie (Fischer); Jason Sudeikis is Fred, married to Christina Applegate's Grace.
The pair love their wives but are constantly on the look out whenever anything female crosses their paths.
So, sick of their visual straying, the wives grant them a "hall pass", a magic ticket for a week off marriage and any obligations so these guys can get their urges out.
With seven days free, Rick and Fred head back to their single ways...
I'm afraid Hall Pass is one of those cases of the funniest bits being in the trailer - and the most shocking bits saved for the film itself.
Don't get me wrong; I'm no prude but this uneven and at times flat and unfunny film feels like it tries to shock simply because it's a Farrelly Brothers' joint. It does little to propel what plot there is along and simply serves to show the guys can still offend and gross out if they so desire.
Owen Wilson is likeable enough as the middle aged schlub who actually loves his wife and can't cut it when "back on the scene" - and when paired with Sudeikis, the duo are completely clueless when it comes to the dating game (a scene of them trying some pick up lines is painful for the wrong reasons). As a serial womanizer and icon to the guys, Richard Jenkins turns in another admirable character performance.
And there's a nice idea here - the philosophical idea of what would you do if you could and get away with it - but the moral conundrum is buried in such inanity and long periods of a laughter drought that it struggles to breathe.
Thank goodness for Stephen Merchant's (relative) cameo which enlivens the affair (make sure you stay after the end for the funniest bit) but doesn't make up for what goes before.
Hall Pass is probably one for the boys - a couple of humourous
moments but overall, way too patchy for a great night out.
