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FILM DETAILS

Certificate 15

Cast Owen Wilson Alexandra Daddario Jason Sudeikis Christina Applegate Jenna Fischer Richard Jenkins Stephen Merchant Nicky Whelan.

Directors Bobby Farrelly Peter Farrelly.

Screenwriters Pete Jones.

Running Time 105 minutes

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Hall Pass
There's something about marriage

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Plot
Rick (Wilson) and Fred (Sudeikis) are granted a week's "pass" from marriage, with the freedom to live out their sexual dreams. But they're less than happy when their wives (Fischer and Applegate) are also tempted to let loose. Can the couples work it out?

Review
It’s been a tough few years for the Farrelly brothers. After arriving on the scene brash and bold with the likes of Dumb And Dumber and Kingpin, before cementing themselves as the reigning kings of the disgusto-com-meets-sweet-sentiment genre with There’s Something About Mary, they’ve found their thrones usurped by other filmmakers. It didn’t help that follow-ups such as Me, Myself & Irene, Shallow Hal and especially an ill-judged remake of The Heartbreak Kid failed to live up to their early promise.

Now, four years later, they’re back in the comfort zone of goofball man-children and the women they lust after. An initial look at the frustrations of married life soon gives way to the titular concept and brings Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis firmly back into the pantheon of Farrelly-style arrested-development types. Initially thrilled with the idea of getting a week to chat up the ladies and indulge all their untapped sexual energy, the boys soon learn that they’re not quite the lady-hunting hounds they thought they were. It’s reliably fertile territory for the writer/directors, who make sure to keep both of their leads believable and, to a decent degree, likable as they encounter an assortment of busty babes, lusty oldies and Richard Jenkins’ horny legend Coakley. And while the friends do get wrapped up in some farcical goings-on, they seem normal compared to their crazier acquaintances — including a scene-stealing Stephen Merchant — who offer some early laughs, but then vanish completely less than halfway through the running time.

Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate, as their respective other halves, don’t fare quite so well in slightly underwritten roles, but a combination of some solid moments and the adept performances by the two actresses make the wives work. Nothing here tops the gross-out heights (or heart) of Mary, and Hall Pass won’t prove a revelation for Farrelly fans, but it’s a funnier effort than a lot of their recent work.

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Average user rating for Hall Pass

Hall Pass: Review

Hall Pass is a very good film. There are alot of funny scenes in this film and the story is interesting to learn. My only problem with this film is that there are scenes where they are just not funny at all. I would recommend to go see this film. ... More

Posted by Edward9630 at 02:01, 08 August 2011 | Report This Post

RE: Hall Pass

I still might go, but only because I don't have a car door to slam my head into, and because I love Jenna Fischer ... More

Posted by ElephantBoy at 17:16, 20 March 2011 | Report This Post

Poor!

Was really looking forward to this one - I thought it was gonna be one of the stupid comedies that the critics hate but is good in a really childish way, but aside from the first half an hour, it was pretty piss poor to be honest. Merchant and Wilson's other buddies all disappear half way through and from then on it all turns extremely sappy and moral in a typically american comedy kinda way. *spoiler* I knew from the minute his wife gave him the hallpass that Wilson was probably gonna end up i... More

Posted by Bobby TwoTimes at 11:26, 15 March 2011 | Report This Post

RE: Not so bad

It's not great but nor is it as terrible as some of the critics would have you believe. All of the guys in this film are incredibly obnoxious and therefore unlikeable.  Clearly, Owen Wilson's character is supposed to get by on the fact that he is played by Owen Wilson and audiences like him.  The female characters are little more than throwaway ciphers and this is redeemed by the fact that they are played by the thoroughly likeable Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate. One ... More

Posted by Groovy Mule at 09:36, 15 March 2011 | Report This Post

Not so bad

I think Empire have pretty much nailed this score on the head. I didn't really want to see it but it was this or Battlefield Los Angeles. It's not ground breaking, it's pretty cliched but I just switched off and sat back. Reading this review beforehand meant I went in not expecting much so I wasn't disappointed. It's worth a watch if you've seen everything else worth seeing, or if like me you have a Cineworld Unlimited card so you don't feel robbed. I laughed in places, but I could se... More

Posted by Cheeze at 00:11, 15 March 2011 | Report This Post

It's alright - I was expecting worse to be honest. There are two real reasons to see this movie, as opposed to not seeing it, and they are A: Stephen Merchant's scene during the credits, which feels like it's from a different film and is the funniest bit by far and B: Nicky Whelan's chest. So I guess that's actually three reasons. ... More

Posted by sowasred2012 at 22:22, 13 March 2011 | Report This Post

Oh dear....

The only shocking thing about this review is that you gave it the same amount of stars as Fair Game. Hang your heads Empire. ... More

Posted by Letattz at 15:34, 11 March 2011 | Report This Post

Possible contender for least funny comedy of the year, a film that's sole laugh situates in the end credits (Almost cut out I guess) and from 10-minute screentime Stephen Merchant never bodes well. The Farrellys really shit on the wall on this one. (Get it, it's a joke about a scene in the film that you shouldn't see because it sucks) ... More

Posted by Ethanial at 18:35, 09 March 2011 | Report This Post

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