Hall Pass Blu-ray review

            Peter and Bobby Farrelly ruled the 1990s gross-out and shock comedy scene like no other directors. After the success of There’s Something About Mary, there seemed to be nothing that the director duo was afraid to touch. These years they seem a little bit over-the-hill, and that is a difficult transition to watch on film. The topic of the movie itself speaks out to a middle-aged man, and most of the humor is directed at this age group. The question is whether this age group will enjoy the rest of the humor in the film, which mostly consists of racial gags about penis size and bathroom humor that includes exploding diarrhea.

            The concept itself is actually quite clever, and you get the feeling that in the hands of Judd Apatow this might have been a winning comedy. Best friends Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) embarrass their wives (Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate) with their constant obsession with sex and younger women. Tired of seeing them ogle other women and after several conversations are coincidentally overheard by a variety of monitoring devices, the two middle aged men are given a hall pass for a week. Their wives leave them and give them permission to chase other women, which leads to a series of mistakes and clumsy attempts by two men long out of the game.

            The outcome is expected, making this a film much more about the journey. The problem is that often this journey is simply dull. When things do happen, it is slightly too absurd to be believable. There are a few inspired moments here and there, but mostly this just feels like recycled parts from previous Farrelly Brother comedies. The Blu-ray combo package includes a DVD and digital disc as well. The special features on the Blu-ray are limited, however, including only an additional scene with Richard Jenkins and a gag reel.