Greetings Twitchites!
The idea is two husbands Rick (Owen Wilson, looking as haggard as ever) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) are apparently sex-obsessed. Their wives receive some dubious advice to let them experience a marriage-free week of no judgment and as much sex and they can manage, also known as a hall pass. The six days they receive are chartered and of course nothing goes to plan.
The funniest moments come from the initial first part of the film where they both act and say very stupid things but come across as not totally inept, just sadly desperate. Both men seem to love their wives, not hate their lives and it is revealed that it is essentially a problem with the wives who are never available for the dirty deed.
Alarm bells start ringing at this point as the entire premise of the film drifts away and we follow the husbands not living it up but instead going to bed early and gorging on fast food. Honestly more sighs than laughs were elicited at this point.
Worst still the film focuses on the wives more than it should. In short the pacing is an horrendous mess, only stopping occasionally to see Rick or Fred do or experience something disgusting, and this scene as funny or shocking as it may be, usually does not link at all to the rest of the film. The film has no real point other than to lead us to believe these are heavily motivated but extremely contradictory characters.
Speaking of characters if Hall Pass focused on the supporting cast it could have been a much funnier film. Their friends are an extremely funny bunch, particularly Stephen Merchant as Gary, the insane British guy that offers lurid advice and J.B Smoove who is naturally funny and gifted with a brilliant presence on-screen. They are criminally under utilized and not fleshed out, likewise with the guru of sex (Richard Jenkins in a brilliant off-beat role) the legendary Coakley that can read and understand everything about a woman from just observing their body language.
The film often becomes silly for silly-sake, throwing in ridiculous over-the-top moments in the form of jealous lovers and stupid plot devices that have no place in a sex-based rom-com. It is this lazy, unmotivated and unoriginal approach to directing that is really quite unacceptable, considering the past work of the brothers.
Hall Pass certainly does not reinvent the wheel, it is a tired and trope-filled snicker-fest that has in this case failed to hit the right notes due to shoddy editing, awful pacing and ignoring comedy gold in the form of the supporting ensemble cast.
K, out.