Talking Pictures

Rich Bonaduce reviews “Hall Pass”

Rich’s Quickie: I’ll pass…

The Farrelly Brothers have made a career out of never growing up (starting with Dumb and Dumber and possibly climaxing prematurely with There’s Something About Mary, way back in 1998), so why not a movie about …never growing up? The premise promised to be funny; what would middle-aged men do with themselves if given a pass on marital responsibility for a week?
But such an idea simply seems to be an excuse for the apparent trifecta (I hate that frigging non-word) of modern-day R-rated comedies: scatological jokes, scenes of masturbation, and full-frontal male nudity. The Farrelly’s knew how to handle such over-the-top bawdry, but this just comes off as trying too hard to be the next 40 Year Old Virgin, or Hangover. And, as always, comedy tries to have a soft moral center, and “teach you a lesson” in the end. Why oh WHY can’t a comedy NOT apologize for what it is and just be funny all the way through and not try and make me a better person? And if you’re going roll scenes through the credits, at least make them worth the wait, and not just more of the junk I just sat through.

Movie Grade: C-

Rated R for crude and sexual humor throughout, language, some graphic nudity and drug use.

Directed by: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Written by: Pete Jones (screenplay) & Peter Farrelly (screenplay) & Kevin Barnett (screenplay) & Bobby Farrelly (screenplay) (as Bob Farrelly); Pete Jones (story)

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