Hall Pass – review
Half-baked
Hall Pass is raunchy, full of perverted humor and is, in a Chris Rock voice, “Got damn disgusting!” But as any average guy would tell you, it’s Hall-arious. I saw this funny flick two weeks ago as a pre-screening. Although it was free, I would’ve paid to see it. Y’all must know that I have a hate/like thing with Owen Wilson. Something about him makes me want to punch him in the face, and really though, I’m a peaceful guy. On the flip side, he has been in several movies that I’ve enjoyed, including Marley and Me (mostly because he plays a fellow journo), Behind Enemy Lines, Cars, Wedding Crashers and now Hall Pass. Wilson plays the middle-aged Rick who is married with children to his high school sweetheart, Maggie, played by the lovely Jenna Fischer, who is known for her role as Pam in the Office. The pair has trouble in paradise when the lack of sex becomes an issue. Their married friends, Grace and Fred, played by everyone’s favorite Bundy, Christina Applegate and SNL cast member, Jason Sudeikis, happen to have similar issues.
Better than a bathroom key.
The two gentlemen receive hall passes good for one week after their behaviors make them seem as if their wild oats still have yet to be sown. From the start, the dialogue between the two seems to garner laughter as they talk about women like two horny teenagers. But the fun continues when their pass-less friends tag along for the single adventure. The way that they interact with women in this film is quite funny. The sight gags aren’t your typical slapstick humor, but the bath tub scene is one of many scenes that is just so unexpectedly hilarious. One scene actually made me question if Hollywood gave the directors, the Farrelly Brothers, a hall pass of their own. I’m referring to the scene in which Rick is the middle of a sausage sandwich.
As the week progresses, the desperation and the pressure kick in and as it is in real life, the two wives are having an effortless time enjoying themselves. But in the end, each hall pass-having individual is thrown in a compromising situation, which sets up for morals on love and marriage. Anyone who is currently married, has been hitched or is thinking about tying the knot should watch Hall Pass; it serves as a cautionary tale that should be seriously considered as a possible real-life situation.
Hall pass = golden ticket?
It was very nice to see women I had crushes on when I was a wee lad. The voluptuous and sexy Alyssa Milano and exotic and cougar-like Vanessa Angel grace the screen as trophy wives of the other gentlemen. And we cannot forget Nicky Whelan, who plays Rick’s object of desire, the sultry and sweet Australian, Leigh. Considering you have a normal libido, the fellas will not be let down by this movie. The ladies will be happy to know that there is enough romance to balance out the crudeness level, or so I think. Either way, Hall Pass is what it is – a comedy intended to push the boundaries of acceptable humor and testing the limits of marriage.