Hall Pass is the latest instalment in the Farrelly Brother’s repertoire of gross-out comedies. The film involves another set of juvenile middle-aged protagonists. In this case we are presented with Rick, played by Owen Wilson, whose recent box-office outings, Little Fockers (2010) and How Do You Know? (2010) have been both critical and commercial failures, and Fred, played by Saturday Night Live's Andy Sudeikis.
Both men seemed to be disillusioned with married and family life – a feeling that a lot of men might empathise with if they were not married to such beautiful women: Jenna Fischer, who plays Rick's wife Maggie, and Christina Applegate, who plays Grace, Fred’s wife.
Misogynistic or Not?
Hall Pass is, at times, misogynistic, but in a move unlike the previous works of the Farrelly Brothers the film's overall messages seems to affirm the values of family and marital life. Maggie and Grace are sick of their husbands’ childish antics and constant ogling at other women’s breasts and posteriors, and when a straw finally breaks the camel’s back they offer their respective life partners a Hall Pass
A Hall Pass gives Rick and Fred to opportunity to do whatever and whomever they want for seven days. It is no surprise that the terrible twosome is elated with their newfound freedom – Fred more so than Rick, who is the moral hierarchy of the comic duo.
In-keeping with Farrelly Brother's Cinema
Putting a comic spin on real-life problems is indicative of Farrelly Brother’s cinema. After all they have previously made comic films out of such subject as, split-personality disorder, obesity and infidelity. Critics can be forgiven for describing this film as misogynistic. Rick’s wife is apparently ‘living her dreams’ by getting married and having children, i.e. becoming a housewife. This is a very clear misogynistic assertion.
In the early parts of the films Maggie and Grace are depicted as unattractive and controlling. In the first shot we get of Jenna Fischer’s character Maggie we see her wearing loose, dull clothes; she has her hair tied up in a bun and is carrying a linen basket full of dirty clothes. Such typing is shameless on the part of the Farrelly Brothers.
The Second Act
However as the film enters its second act the Farrelly Brothers switch gears and inevitably we see that when apart from their beloved wives Rick and Fred are lost; they realise that they are not as attractive to women as they had previously led themselves to believe. On the other hand, Grace and Maggie are reveling in their week away from their respective ball and chains. They discover that they can still attract men, even men who are much younger than they are.
Be Warned!
I would have my reservations about calling this a ‘couples’ movie. I would not recommend anyone in a relationship to bring their significant other to see this movie. It may give them ideas! Faithfulness and temptation are big issues in this movie; however, they are addressed in a comic way. You could describe this film as Farrelly Brother’s cinema meets Revolutionary Road (2008) and sometimes the comic value does not exceed the serious issues that are alluded to in the film.
Final Say
The highlight of the film has to be Richard Jenkins (Step Brothers (2008), Burn After Reading (2008)) who plays aging playboy Coakley. Jenkins has great comic prowess and provides most, if not all of the laugh-out-loud moments in the film. In the end though, the Hall Pass isn’t gross-out enough to be funny or real enough to be sensitive. There’s Something About Mary (1998) now seems all too long ago. Maybe they can get back on track with their next project, The Three Stooges, due out in 2012.
Tom Crowley - Tom Crowley is a student currently studying for an MA in Film Studies at University College Cork. He has written articles for the ...
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