When I think of Farrelly Brothers, I think funny. I think of Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, Me Myself & Irene and Shallow Hal. I even enjoyed Stuck on You. Their latest movie, Hall Pass, seems to lack something and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Rick (Owen Wilson), is a horny husband who can’t get his mind off sex, so to test him and give herself a break, his wife, Grace (Jenna Fischer), gives him a “Hall Pass” which is one week off from marriage. His best friend, Fred (Jason Sukeikis), also has his mind in the gutter, so his wife Maggie (Christina Applegate), gives him one as well. Check out more after the jump.
I think perhaps what annoyed me most is that these are really good guys. They help around the house, they pick the kids up from soccer, they are very decent. However, they are reduced to adolescents who are just obsessed with sex but never do anything about it. They aren’t jerks or scumbags but perpetual 14-year-old boys who don’t seem to know any better. It painted them as having no depth whatsoever. The women on the other hand, were very complex and break the typical nagging wife stereotype. Both Christina Applegate and Jenna Fischer give great performances and keep the movie from going off the rails.
Most of the jokes were forced and went on much longer than needed. There were some funny bits and I was entertained, but it seemed more like they wrote all the jokes then put a movie around it. Something can be funny AND serve a purpose. There just seemed to be way too much randomness.
I was also quite weirded out by the orange tans. It really made the actors look much older. Jenna Fischer’s tan was especially uneven and it was….odd. Maybe it was the lighting in the movie or the color, but something seemed really off.
I did enjoy all the on location shots. You can always count on that from a Farrelly Brothers movie. It’s going to have good locations and a familiar supporting cast.
The movie keeps a steady pace and has enough laughs to keep it going. It won’t be a blockbuster, and those who see it will be entertained, however, they’ll forget about it 30 minutes after they leave the theater.
Rating: Worth a viewing on cable. 5/10
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