Hall Pass Directors: Bobby & Peter Farrelly Starring: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate
Rick (Wilson) and Fred (Sudeikis) are two thirty-something men feeling decidedly restless in their long-term marriages. Their thoroughly modern wives (Fischer and Applegate) take bold action to save their respective relationships - granting their husbands a "hall pass" - or a week's freedom - from their marital obligations.
You can imagine what comes next. Seven days of juvenile, hyperactive, farcical behaviour. The film walks the wobbly line between the sentimental story of two families falling apart and the desperate actions of men re-living their younger, carefree years.
The slapstick moments and R-rated jokes come thick and fast, yet the movie is anything but funny. Possibly the most laughable aspect lies in the fact that neither male lead ever removes his wedding band, which right from the start gives the viewer a fairly hefty hint as to how their grand plans pan out.
Hall Pass is painfully predictable and the tired script leaves it feeling a bit frayed around the edges. And considering the Farrelly brothers have been behind highly successful films such as Dumb & Dumber and There's Something About Mary, this latest offering falls woefully short of expectations - failing to offer suspense, laughs or anything in the form of a high point.
If you're looking for DVD escapism, look elsewhere, for the only place this movie will lead you to is a state of mild depression.
