Cast Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer
DirectorBobby andPeter Farrelly
Rating 18
There are two threads that seem to weave their way through the plots of every movie that the Farrelly brothers, Bobby and Peter, make - regardless of the often far-fetched premises.
The first thread is the gross-out humour for which they became famous after There's Something About Mary's most, er, hair-raising scene. Hall Pass has two such moments, but you'll only see one of them here.
The second of these threads is a surprisingly gentle and conventional take on love and family; the Farrelly universe is littered with broods, best friends, and true love, and these relationships provide the structure for their brandof humour.
At first look, the concept of Hall Pass seems a bit off the mark for the two comedic sentimentalists, as the film follows the exploits of two husbands, Owen Wilson as Rick and Jason Sudeikis as Fred, who are both given a week's reprieve from their marriages in what amounts to an unlikely version of time off for bad behaviour. But here's the thing; Rick and Fred are a pair of hapless, badly dressed (Owen Wilson in particular looks as if he angered the costume department), dreamers who have either forgotten how the game is played, or never played particularly well in the first place. They spend the first half wallowing in the trappings of temporary bachelorhood, always at a safe distance from any eligible ladies, and seemingly in a different world from any interested parties. Do these guys really want what they say they want, or are they just enamoured with the fantasy?
If you've watched more than one Farrelly brothers movie, then you can probably guess how it turns out, but unpredictability is a lot less important than comic timing to these particular film-makers, and unfortunately Hall Pass drifts in and out of rhythm from start to finish. Don't get me wrong, the Farrelly brothers have never made a movie that didn't have a few great laughs, and Hall Pass definitely has its moments; it's just not There's Something About Mary. Actually, it's not even Dumb and Dumber.
