Climbing Higher Pictures

We’ve had our share of great to terrible R-Rated comedies in recent years, following the surge that came from the Apatow crew and the success of more friendly variations like Wedding Crashers. Now The Farrelly Brothers, who’ve arguably not made a good movie since Something About Mary are here to give it their shot. Is this exactly what the doctor ordered, or a whiff to be avoided at all costs?

Hall Pass Review

By Ryan Hamelin

Movie Grade: D

There’s a level to which Hall Pass is an impressive piece of craftsmanship from the brothers who brought you Shallow Hal, Stuck on You and Something About Mary. Impressive in the same way that a drunk driver managing to flip his car several times during a crash and land wheels down is impressive. Starring Owen Wilson and SNL alum Jason Sudeikis, this Farrelly Brothers R-rated relationship tale manages to hit all the wrong notes, while simultaneously leaving a bad taste in your mouth and a stuffy congested feeling not unlike a head cold. Billed as a Superbad for the middle-aged crowd, they appear to have forgotten the key ingredient… humor.

Since I can’t logically call the film a comedy, I’m going to explain why it doesn’t work under any other genre category either, aping romance conventions while sliding the age bracket above its target demographic and keeping the raunch at a level where parents, supposedly the people this kind of comedy would appeal to, are left wondering aloud about the state of modern popular culture. Lets start with the good. Owen Wilson is actually quite believable in the role of a middle-aged husband, having gained some weight for the part and hiked up his waistline accordingly. Though it feels at times as though he’s sleepwalking, it’s interesting to see him attempt to transition away from the kinds of jokes he was known for in his youth, and perhaps find a voice in the slightly more mature landscape of aging comics. Sudeikis also gives a decent performance in what is his most high profile role to date. Unfortunately for him, it may also be his last, as there is very little chemistry between him and Wilson, and though his timing is solid, he doesn’t demonstrate much in the way of range during the rest of the film.

Now for the bad. The script is absolutely unbearable from the first frame to the last, either going way too far in a disgusting and revolting direction (and no kiddies, I’ve seen my share of well done gross out humor in the past and if you have to resort to having a character poop on a golf course because his only other traits are having a large mouth and being fat… you’re not doing it right) or falling way short of funny and just sort of floating in no mans land. The only reason this isn’t an F review is that I managed to smile a handful of times, though the rest of the movie prevents those few decent moments from feeling like anything beyond a fluke. It’s just spotty across the board, and the central conceit is not funny enough on its own to be worth re-addressing every few seconds. In The Hangover, the characters could keep talking about the fact that they somehow managed to lose their friend in Vegas only days before his wedding and the audience consistently has reason to laugh. The concept of a week off from marriage is more pathetic and sad than anything else, and the whole exercise feels very shallow and uninteresting because of it.

To put it mildly, this is easily the worst film I’ve seen so far this year. If not for The Last Airbender, it would probably take the cake for the past 5 years as well. It’s rare that a movie with this much star power behind it feels so amateur, but there just isn’t enough here to make it worth paying for. If you’re still curious, watch the R-Rated trailer online and consider the fact that those are the only decent laughs in the entire film. At that point, if you still think it’s worth seeing, I’m not going to stop you. I’m just going to shake my head in pity as I watch you go. I don’t say it often, but this is a definite “skip.”