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Released by: Warner Brothers
Released on: 6/14/2011
Director: The Farrelly Brothers
Cast: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fisher, Christina Applegate
Year: 2011
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The Movie:
The Farrelly Brothers have made a pretty good career out of making what are basically crass romantic comedies, movies that you can take a date to but as the macho man that you are, also laugh at thanks to the presence of boobs or farts or in the case of their latest films, sharts and a big black dick. They have a knack for combining the sweet and the stupid in a way that evidently clicks with some segment of the movie going populace, as their films keep making money. Case in point, Hall Pass, presented on Blu-ray in its theatrical version and in a noticeably crazier unrated version, a movie that really is equal parts sweet and stupid.
The film follows Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) two middle aged guys who seem to have lost the passion in their respective marriages to Maggie (Jenna Fischer) and Grace (Christina Applegate). This hasn't gone unnoticed by the ladies either, both are well aware that their husbands leer at younger women when they walk by but don't do much about it until Maggie's confident tells her that the best thing she ever did for her marriage was to give her husband a hall pass - a week off from being married, no questions asked.
Rick takes the offer and once Fred coerces Grace into extending him the same courtesy, the pair have delusions of grandeur, figuring they'll be back to their pre-marriage tomcatting ways in no time while the ladies head away for the week with the kids. In reality, the ladies find themselves the targets of some other men while Rick and Fred realize they've more or less lost their game. The one shining light for Rick comes in the form of a pretty Australian barista named Leigh (Nicky Whelan) who talks Rick into going to the gym with her. Eventually they start to hit it off, and Rick can't help but feel tempted by her. Will Rick and Leigh bone each other long into the night? Will Fred pretend to be Rick and bone his babysitter's horny cougar aunt? Will Maggie make out with the baseball team manager? Will Grace screw the young baseball player with the perfectly chiseled abs? The suspense is killing you, right?
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD:
Hall Pass does throw a few surprises into the mix and the cast are reasonably likeable, Wilson and Fischer in particular, Sudeikis and Applegate less so. The film toys around with some interesting ideas in terms of what is and isn't socially acceptable within certain circles as well as the pro's and con's of material wealth and how they change people you know but mostly, it's a romantic comedy. Albeit one with topless nudity and in the unrated version a nasty scene where a girl sharts all over the bathtub and another scene where a naked black man of John Holmesian proportions rescues an injured Wilson. These moments aren't clever but they are funny simply because you don't expect them - but if you read this, now you do. Toldja there were spoilers.
Aside from those moments, however, the film is pretty predictable. We can tell early on who is going to make a mistake and who is going to learn from the experience and become the better person. There's no suspense here, just a few crass jokes, a funny scene involving pot brownies and golfing, some dopey Applebea's product placement and that's more or less it. A brief supporting effort from Richard Jenkins as a mysterious love guru/stud/role model to our two bumbling heroes is funny enough and steals every scene he's in, and there is enough here that will make you laugh once that you could certainly do a whole lot worse than this movie - but so too could you do a whole lot better. As a time killer, however, it's fine.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Aside from the fact that most of the people in the movie look like they fell asleep inside the tanning booth there's not much to complain about in regards to WB's AVC encoded 1080p high definition 2.40.1 widescreen transfer. Detail is crisp and sharp throughout and orange-ish skin tones notwithstanding colors are handled well as are black levels. There are no problems with edge enhancement, mpeg compression artifacts or nasty noise reduction and overall the image pleasing in terms of detail and texture and offers up a very solid picture overall.
The only lossless option provided is an English language DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix though Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mixes are provided in French, Spanish and Portuguese for the theatrical cut only. Subtitles are also offered in the same four languages. As far as the quality of the DTS-HD track goes, it's not bad but there isn't as much rear channel activity as you'd expect. You'll notice it here and there, the night club scene being a prime example, but most of what's here comes at you from the front of the mix. This doesn't make it a bad track, as it's clean and clear and it sounds just fine, but it's not as involving as it could have been.
Aside from the two versions of the movie, the extras include a single four minute deleted scene and a two minute gag reel - that's really about it. There are menus and chapter stops and the disc is Blu-ray Live enabled. A digital copy is also included - really though, there's not much here supplement wise.
The Final Word:
If you're already a fan of the Farrelly Brothers' blend of stupid and sweet, then by all means, give Hall Pass a shot as it'll probably be right up your alley. The movie does have a few laugh out loud moments and a few surprisingly disgusting set pieces but doesn't have nearly as much substance as it ought to. The Blu-ray looks great and sounds okay, but the extras are weak. A fine brainless rental for the masses, but probably only a must own for Farrelly completists.
Click on the images below for full size Blu-ray screen caps!
