Hall Pass

Year: 2011

Grade: B

Country: USA

Director: Farrelly

Review

this is the only farrelly brothers film i can think of where the leads already have a wife/girlfriend. however, in true farrelly brothers fashion, the leads are still on the prowl. it’s also a more mature farrelly brothers film. now, don’t get too down – you’re still going to see a fair share of shit and dick gags, but the overall themes of the picture are more grown-up than they have been in the past.

this time around the farrelly’s have two leads who already have a wife and family and are grappling with the erosion of their freedom and feelings of regret that life is changing. they’re not college guys anymore chasing tail and having fun. it’s a realization all (reasonable) men must deal with at some point. we may continue to fetishize the hugh hefner lifestyle or fantasize about what life would be like without the old ball and chain, but ultimately we know that we settled down for a reason. the farrelly brothers get this.

they also get that it’s a two-way street. women can always get action if they want it (though they may deny it), but ultimately they also settled for a reason. like us, they have their own insecurities and regrets that go along with or come with a married lifestyle. hall pass is about shedding these obligations for a week and what might happen; at least according to the farrelly brothers. some of us will stray and others will flirt with the idea only to realize that we’re actually pretty happy with what we have. the guys want to plant their seed and the women want to feel important and loved. men don’t understand women and women don’t understand men. it’s the ultimate comic dynamic because we’re drawn to each other undeniably, but we don’t understand each other very well either. honestly, it doesn’t get much more funny than that.

Watched in theater