Hall Pass – A Warner Bros. Pictures’ Release

http://hallpassmovie.warnerbros.com/

Release Date: February 25th

Rated 14A for coarse language, sexual content, substance abuse and nudity

Running time: 98 minutes

 

Bobby Farrelly (dir.)

Peter Farrelly (dir.)

 

Pete Jones (screenplay)

Peter Farrelly (screenplay)

Kevin Barnett (screenplay)

Bobby Farrelly (screenplay)

 

Owen Wilson as Rick

Jason Sudeikis as Fred

Jenna Fischer as Maggie

Christina Applegate as Grace

Nicky Whelan as Leigh

Richard Jenkins as Coakley

Stephen Merchant as Gary

Alexandra Daddario as Paige

(L-r) JASON SUDEIKIS as Fred and OWEN WILSON as Rick in New Line Cinema’s comedy “HALL PASS,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

 

Photo by Peter Iovino

 

Our reviews below:

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Hall Pass Review By John C.

**1/2 (out of 4)

Hall Pass is the latest in a long line of incredibly raunchy comedies from gross out kings Peter & Bobby Farrelly.  Although it certainly doesn’t rank among their best work, it’s still a surprisingly entertaining (if uneven) hard-R comedy that delivers plenty of dumb laughs and often hilarious dialogue.

 

Rick (Owen Wilson) and his best buddy Fred (Jason Sudeikas) have grown somewhat bored with their married suburban lives, and spend most of their time gawking at women.  After they manage to unknowingly insult everyone at an arrogant party with their frequent sexually driven discussions of female anatomy, (one of the funniest scenes), Rick’s wife Maggie (Jenna Fischer) gives him a hall pass – a complete week off from marriage to do whatever he wants, no questions asked.

 

Fred promptly convinces his wife Grace (Jenna Fischer) to follow suit, but the guys have been out of the singles game for so long, that they pick Applebee’s as the first place to try to hook up with willing women.

 

A brief last act foray into quasi-violent slapstick doesn’t work at all, and like some of the other Farrelly brothers films, several of the gags also take things seriously too far.  We get an extremely gratuitous shot of graphic male nudity, as well as several truly disgusting scenes of depicted bodily functions.  Despite these weak visual gags that don’t really bring the laughs, the film is at it’s funniest when focusing strictly on the dialogue.

 

Wilson and Sudeikas make an appealing pair, as they deliver the incredibly raunchy dialogue with good comedic timing and a certain amount of naiveté.  Stephen Merchant is probably the most amusing member of the supporting cast, and Richard Jenkins makes a welcome appearance as a ridiculously wise womanizer named Coakley.

 

Those looking for substance or serious plot developments will be disappointed, but when classed strictly as a raunchy comedy Hall Pass admittedly has its share of some outrageously funny stuff.  Just don’t expect to hear the song “Home on the Range” quite the same way ever again.

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Hall Pass Review By Erin V.

**1/2 (out of 4)

When Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) get in trouble with their wives for always lusting after other women, they are each granted a ‘Hall Pass’ – one week off from marriage.  Their wives figure it will be part psychological experiment and part respite for themselves, now that they’ve been angered to the point of desperate measures.  Rick and Fred are sure that in their brief week of bachelorhood they are going to score big – but as the days go on, they realize maybe they don’t have or need what they did in college anymore…

 

There is some of the usual Farrelly Brothers gross-out humour, and that’s not really where I laughed.  The funniest parts came in the banter between Rick and Fred, with good comic timing.  Simply put, of all the recent comedies I’ve seen, at least Hall Pass does get some good laughs in – even if we’re embarrassed to admit it at times.  It’s worth checking out if you’re looking for a comedy in theatres right now.

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Hall Pass Review By Nicole

**1/2 (out of 4)

When I first heard about Hall Pass I was expecting the film would be terrible.  However I was pleasantly surprised to discover this movie to not only be funny, but to also have heart.

 

Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikas) have been friends since college.  Rick and his wife Maggie (Jenna Fischer) have been together for over 15 years, and have three adorable children.  Fred and Grace (Christina Applegate) don’t have any kids, but have also been married for a long time.  But Rick and Fred have one really obnoxious habit.  Despite being happily married, they continue to oogle beautiful women, much to the annoyance of their wives.  So on the principle that anything forbidden is more appealing, Maggie and Grace reluctantly give their husbands a one week ‘hall pass’ – a temporary break from marriage.  The question is, will the four cheat, or remain faithful?

 

Hall Pass has a lot of funny moments.  The dialogue, while incredibly rude, is hilarious.  The acting is good, and the film moves at a quick and easy pace.  Yes, the film has dumb moments of bathroom humour.  But these scenes are brief, with the majority of the humour being dialogue driven.  Despite its silliness, Hall Pass still raises an important moral question – is adultery, even with permission, ever right?

 

Hall Pass is a funny, silly and clever comedy that will appeal to both men and women alike.

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Hall Pass Review By Maureen

**1/2 (out of 4)

Hall Pass is one of those movies where the basic premise is dumb and the crude dialogue and gross out gags are even dumber yet you leave the theatre realizing it was actually entertaining – a guilty pleasure of sorts.

 

The whole plot of Hall Pass revolves around guilty pleasures.  Two middle-aged couples find themselves in an unusual position.  Husbands Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikas) are constantly oogling other women in front of their respective wives, Maggie (Jenna Fischer) and Grace (Christina Applegate).  Based on the advice of a female psychiatrist friend, the wives decide to give their husbands a ‘hall pass’ – seven full days to act as though they aren’t married with no questions asked.  The wives get the same deal.

 

The movie follows Rick and Fred as they journey through days 1 through 7 with their envious buddies tagging along.  The segments with the guys provide much of the rude and crude humour.  When they occur, the gross-out scenes are plain gross, but they are signature Farrelly brothers sight gags.

 

What saves Hall Pass is the genuine likability of the characters especially Rick and Maggie.  Owen Wilson’s performance and comic timing are what kept me watching and amused.  The rest of the cast also handle the comedy well.  There are some really funny dialogue-driven moments here.  One of my favourites is the security cam scene.  I also liked the outcome for Rick and Maggie after their hall pass experience.

 

While not brilliant, Hall Pass is entertaining enough, if for no other reason than to watch Owen Wilson perform.

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Hall Pass Review By Tony

**1/2 (out of 4)

Hall Pass is the latest comedy from the Farrelly Brothers, set in their home town of Providence RI (though actually filmed in Georgia). Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) have both been married for 15 years or so, Rick with three small kids and Fred with none. Annoyed that their husbands, however innocently, still enjoy ogling other women, the wives (Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate), take the dubious advice of celebrity psychologist Dr. Lucy (Joy Behar) to issue a one week hall pass where they can all live like bachelors and get any temptations out of their systems. With the women off to Cape Cod, the men attempt to relive their youths, at first with three buddies and finally with the rich aging playboy (Richard Jenkins) whose lifestyle they envy. What happens as the week goes on is somewhat predictable, with a lot of laughs along the way.

 

As expected from a Farrelly film, Hall Pass is a guilty pleasure, full of coarse humour that sometimes borders on offensive. With great wit and precise comic timing, particularly from the two leads, most of the frequent gags hit their mark. Even some of the gross out stuff was admittedly funny, though omitting the obligatory Farrelly “junk” shots (albeit prosthetically enhanced and reduced) may have been an improvement. What ultimately redeems Hall Pass, as in the other Farrelly Brothers films, is that under the crudeness is a good-natured sense of decency in characters that we can all relate to, rather than the cheap cynicism found in too many comedies.

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Consensus: Despite some of the gross gags, Hall Pass is saved by hilarious dialogue and good performances from Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikas.  Although it is uneven, those looking for a raunchy comedy are sure to find a lot of laughs. **1/2 (Out of 4)