Hall Pass (2011)

Rick and Fred, two husbands who are having difficulty in their marriages, are given a Hall Pass by their wives: for one week, they can do whatever they want.

Directors:

Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly

Writers:

Pete Jones (screenplay), Peter Farrelly (screenplay),

Stars:

Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Owen Wilson	...	Rick
Jason Sudeikis	...	Fred
Jenna Fischer	...	Maggie
Christina Applegate	...	Grace
Nicky Whelan	...	Leigh
Richard Jenkins	...	Coakley
Stephen Merchant	...	Gary
Larry Joe Campbell	...	Hog-Head
Bruce Thomas	...	Rick Coleman
Tyler Hoechlin	...	Gerry
Derek Waters	...	Brent
Alexandra Daddario	...	Paige
Rob Moran	...	Ed Long
Lauren Bowles	...	Britney
Christa Beth Campbell	...	Emma (as Christa Campbell)

Storyline

A couple of married guys are always looking at other women. Their wives are fed up with their behavior, and grant them a 'hall pass': a week off their marriage allowing them to do anything. But the guys take their time and their week is almost up. What they don't realize is that at the same time their wives make connections of their own.

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Plot Keywords:

marriage | scene during end credits | mistaken identity | golf | male frontal nudity | 

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Taglines:

One week. No rules.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for crude and sexual humor throughout, language, some graphic nudity and drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 February 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pase libre

Filming Locations:

Druid Hills Golf Club - 740 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$36,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£900,936 (UK) (11 March 2011)

Gross:

$45,045,037 (USA) (6 May 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Conundrum Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min 111 min (extended cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It cost $200,000 to get the rights to use the Law & Order chimes for the "Day 1-7" title cards.

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Goofs

When Rick pulls up to the beach house, the driver's side of the van isn't vandalized. In the next scene, outside with Fred and Grace, it is vandalized again.

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Quotes

Rick: [Rick turns his head and see's a naked man's large penis, then looks to the other naked man] Do me a favor, Irish, switch places with this guy.
Naked Man #2: Why?
[Camera view moves down to the crotch of the naked man opposite him, revealing his tiny penis]

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Crazy Credits

There is a dedication in the closing credits to set designer Sydney J. Bartholomew Jr.: "He was a crazy bastard, and we loved him."

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Connections

References Grease (1978)

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Soundtracks

"Break Of Day"
Written and Performed by Michael Haggins
Courtesy of Aperture Music

User Reviews

Moderately entertaining, but still very far from the Farrelly bros' best times

I remember that there was a time in which I was enthusiastic to see the phrase "A new movie from co-directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly!", but that was 10 years ago. The Farrelly bros. made four brilliant comedies in a row (Dumb and Dumber; Kingpin; There's Something About Mary; and Me, Myself and Irene), and back in that time, many people (including me) considered them as the kings of the modern cinematographic comedy. However, it seems that the time diluted the sense of humor they showed in those four movies, or maybe, the commercial success impulsed them to "evolute" to a less coarse and more emotional style (which would eventually be usurped by director Judd Apatow and his imitators). Anyway, I found the films they made after Me, Myself and Irene to be insipid comedies with trite scatological humor and cloying emotions. Now, Hall Pass is another mediocre comedy in their filmography, but I found it to be much better than their two previous films (Fever Pitch -2005- and The Heartbreak Kid -2007-).

The screenplay from Hall Pass is too predictable and a bit weak, but that is partially redeemed by some good moments of reflexive comedy. On the other side of the coin, we also have too many apparatus scenes of slapstick and vulgarity which feel too forced. Something which was done well by the Farrelly bros. in Hall Pass was filling some supporting roles with exaggerated characters which satirize very particular strata from North American society. I have to say that the absurd version of the perfect suburban family led by the characters Ed and Britney made me to have some laughs, something which is also a merit of the competent performances from Rob Moran and Lauren Bowles; and I also liked the character of the classic old-young man, which is well interpreted by Richard Jenkins.

I think it would have been more interesting to see an interpretation of the story told by Hall Pass made with the style of films like Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice or An Unmarried Woman, but well, I guess that the political correction has became more important for the Farrelly bros. than the narrative irreverence, so we can expect in here the trite moral lessons, various illogical jokes and forced comic rudeness which already characterize the work from these filmmakers. At least, Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis managed to take the maximum advantage out of the mediocre screenplay by bringing good performances, something which also applies to Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate as their characters' wives. In summary, I did not like Hall Pass very much, but at least it did not bore me and it occasionally made me laugh, something which makes it worthy of a slight recommendation.