Hall Pass (2011)

Owen Wilson stars as a married man whose spouse (Jenna Fischer) grants him the right -- for just one week -- to pursue as many extramarital affairs as he can. His best buddy (Jason Sudeikis) receives an identical "hall pass" from his wife, and off the guys go. The hubbies soon discover, however, that picking up girls isn't as easy as they recall, while their better halves embark on their own erotic adventures.

Hall Pass is a funny movie any way you put it, but you will get the full experience if you have ever been married or in a long term relationship. Just about every joke relates back to that subject matter in some way. It can get repetitive but it will keep you laughing for a good portion of the film. At times though, the writing will be lazy and they just throw random things at the scene to force a laugh. It comes off as extremely cheap considering they have no problem at other parts to come up with something creative.

A lot of that comedy comes from the two leads.  This is a an adult comedy, so they can get away with practically anything they want, and boy do they use it. Much of the laughs don’t come from the absurd moments of the film, but rather from the simple bickering the two have back and forth about the ball and chain. Had the movie simply been Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis talking amongst each other, it would have been a hell of a comedy. It is not though and when these two are not on the screen, it feels bland and boring. They are the only reason the film works and trying focus on the wife’s point of view only dragged it into mediocrity. This is a guy’s film, so they make the mistake that we actual care what the wives are doing when we do not. It really dragged it down a notch.

This was a film that could be hilarious at times, but moments later having you roll your eyes a bit. When it flowed naturally with its leads, the movie works, but when it goes in a different direction, its borderline bad. As I said before experienced men will have a lot more fun with this film than others. If you are looking for a few hours to kill and a few laughs, look no further than this, it will accomplish just that but nothing more. Just remember to stay during the end credits; it is the best scene of the film.

Overall Score: 5/10