Synopsis:
Best buddies Rick and Fred (Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis) have both been married for a long time. They love their wives, but, like some guys, just can’t help checking out every other woman who crosses their paths.
Fed up with this habitual rubber-necking, their wives (Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate) take a bold approach to revitalize their marriages by granting their husbands a “hall pass”: one week of freedom to do whatever they want, no questions asked. Seven days to see exactly what it is out there they think they’re missing… or stop looking once and for all.
At first, it sounds like a dream come true for Rick and Fred. But they quickly discover that their expectations of the single life—and themselves—are completely and hilariously out of sync with reality.
For a Farrelly brothers’ production this was surprisingly a tame film. While the entire concept of a ‘hall pass’ is beyond ludicrous, it does set up for some interesting situational comedic moments. The movie is a lightly paced comedy that starts, establishes the situation and keeps going all the way until the funny end. There aren’t any particular gross moments in the film (nothing like you would find in movies such as Me, Myself and Irene or Dumb and Dumber). This is more of a Stuck on You comedy, without the outrageous set-up. The Farrelly brothers used subtle jokes such as Sudeikis’ character feeling the need to masturbate in his mini-van to relieve some tension. Or other moments like when Rick (Owen Wilson), Fred (Jason Sudeikis) and their friends get together to play golf high off of brownies. They were subtle moments packed with character driven comedy that kept popping up here and there. Again, it wasn’t like previous Farrelly brothers’ films where they had to constantly raise the grotesque bar to create the comedy (like Jim Carrey’s Charlie/Hank in Me, Myself and Irene pooping in his neighbor’s yard). Their comedy has certainly grown more mature (if that is possible) and it shows in areas of Hall Pass. It’s a subtle trip through the life of two middle-aged men who are given a golden opportunity, and plenty of subtle comedic moments are drawn out of it. Nothing too over-the-top.
if I did have a complaint about the way the film was written and how the comedy was done it would completely reside in the fact that nearly half-way through the film we lose our two main characters’ friends. Their friends consisted of Stephen Merchant (The Ricky Gervais Show), a very funny British man. Merchant is followed by the ever-funny Larry Joe Campbell (Life According to Jim) and J.B. Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm and Black Dynamite: The Animated Series — whoa! What? *writing down that last one, must check out*). The trio played off the two main leds really well and helped to guide the situations from place to place. The golf course scene is priceless, and completely led by these guys. Why they disappeared halfway through the film is beyond me, but they should have been there almost every step of the way.
Shifting gears just a bit, let’s talk about our two leads. Having Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis play the lead roles seemed to be the right choice. Both gentlemen are old enough to have that fatherly look about them. Wilson does an especially nice job of having that tame demeanor that really nails the stress and constant pent up stress that a father would carry in his marriage. The only problem with having that reserved personality is that when the hall pass is given in the movie from his lovely wife Maggie (played by Jenna Fischer) it’s difficult to switch from married guy to single guy and make the transition believable. Nowhere in the film did I think that Wilson’s Rick could ever cheat on his wife. Even towards the end when the decision is being made to cross the line and enjoy the moment or do the right thing, I never thought that Rick was going to do the wrong thing. That posed a big problem because that was what this movie was based and created around; the chance to go out and be wild. Regretfully, Owen Wilson’s Rick never got over the hump of being the faithful husband struggling to keep his sanity in a nearly sexless house; he was much too kind for that. Sudeikis’ Fred was what Rick should have been. He was wild, ready to go and up for anything. Owen Wilson’s character should have been on the same level as Sudeikis’ Fred, but never was. Excellent acting from the pair, but not quite the full delivery that the audience was looking for.
Overall, this isn’t the best Farrelly brothers’ film, but it certainly shows they are growing older in their comedic style and delivery (which is a great thing, not a bad thing). You should definitely give this a go, as you’ll find some laughs, just not Something About Mary type of laughs.
As for the Blu-ray, I really like how Warner Home Video treats all its movies this year. So far I haven’t seen a Blu-ray transfer that has been shoddy. Hall Pass, while not the best movie in the world, looks superb on Blu-ray. You get some very nice colors in the film to begin with in terms of clothing, lighting and general surroundings. Lots of reds, blacks, whites and yellows stand out pretty sharply in the transfer. There’s not much to hate, even in some of the many embarrassing moments of the film. As for the audio, there’s not much to hate here either, but it’s not a major factor in comedies. Good stuff that is mastered in 5.1 DTS-HD.
Finally, the features are a bit skimpy. I like that they’ve got additional scenes and I really appreciate that they included a gag reel (every comedy release needs this), but beyond these there isn’t much else. You do get an extended cut of the film, which is hilarious and it works well (sometimes extended cuts aren’t necessary, but it’s seamless here), but nothing else.
From the directors of “There’s Something About Mary,” “Hall Pass” arrives onto Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital Download on June 14th.
