8:00 PM, 31st May, 2011
Hall Pass is one of those movies we all want to see, but are too afraid to admit it around distinguished company. The Farrelly Brothers (There's Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber) return to the screen with Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis, two married men who find their lives are getting restless. Tired of their wandering eyes, their wives (Fischer and Applegate) grant them a hall pass - a week of no-consequences do-whatever-you-like. In true Farrelly Brothers style, however, we don't see the men jump from success to success, but rather enjoy the comedic downfall of two men who just don't get it, and have let married life horribly skew their perception of how easily they could pull women.
With a cast of contemporary comedians (including, for those with a sharp eye, Stephen Merchant, co-creator of the original British version of The Office) and the veteran Farrellys at the helm, this movie doesn't aim to be groundbreaking (it's no Citizen Kane), but you will find yourself laughing despite your better judgment. If you liked There's Something About Mary, then you can't really pass on this. It's just another run-of-the-mill comedy, but has that slightly off-beat and inappropriate edge that only these directors are bold enough to drive headlong towards.
Stephen Gillies