FILM REVIEW| ‘Hall Pass’: maybe you had to be there

Grade: D

James Klentzman
Contributing Writer

The Farrelly brothers can do much better than this.

Peter and Bobby Farrelly, the directors behind “Dumb and Dumber,” “Kingpin,” and “There’s Something About Mary,” are more than capable of creating a comedy about unrealistic and socially inept idiots that is actually worth watching, but have struck out with this latest dud.

“Hall Pass,” stars Owen Wilson and “Saturday Night Live” cast-member Jason Sudeikis, who are granted a week-long “hall pass” from marriage by their respective wives (Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate) to beat their chauvinistic and excessively horny ways out of them. The two men, expecting to be able to ease right into their pre-marriage routines, seem to be completely out of their element, both as characters and as actors.

The film spends what seems like an eternity showing just how boorish and obnoxiously juvenile Wilson’s and Sudeikis’ characters are, to such an extent that it’s really hard to hope for them to improve as people by the end of the movie. It would have been much more satisfying for their wives to leave them entirely instead of justifying their behavior. That’s not to say that Fischer’s and Applegate’s characters are redeemable either: The actions they take during the movie make one wonder why they all put up with each other at all.

Normally what makes ordinarily ho-hum comedies like this so entertaining is the quality of the side characters. For example, “The 40-Year Old Virgin” wouldn’t have been nearly as funny without Steve Carrell’s buddies egging him on the whole time. Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd made that movie into the gem it is.

Unfortunately, the supporting characters in “Hall Pass” flop and are simply not funny. At best, they’re simply there to push the weak plot forward. At worst, they’re just as unfunny and irredeemable as the main characters.

Another tactic comedies use that the movie stumbles over is the use of awkwardness to make laughs. Most comedies out there are about people placed in ridiculous situations and fumbling their way through it. When done right, it can be funny. “Hall Pass” is just awkward.

The whole movie, in the end, seems to be like a bad SNL skit that ran for 90 minutes. It might have been a great premise when coming up with ideas, and even brought in a few laughs while writing, but ultimately, unless you were there while the idea was being made, you won’t find it funny.

Grade: D