"Hall Pass"

Hall Pass - Directed by Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly, written by Pete Jones, Kevin Barnett, & the Farrellys, starring Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate, and Stephen Merchant - Rated R

Hall Pass is a movie for dudes and in case you hadn't noticed, the Kurgan is a dude.

A little over a decade ago the brothers Farrelly were the kings of the man-child gross-out comedy with hits like Dumb & Dumber, Kingpin, and Me, Myself, & Irene. But they’ve been usurped by the likes of Judd Apatow and Will Ferrell. Not only have newer filmmakers and actors churned out Farrelly-type films, but these films have been much funnier than the efforts from the Farrellys lately (Stuck on You, Fever Pitch, The Heartbreak Kid). With Hall Pass, the brothers attempt to get back in the game and, for the most part, they succeed.

Hall Pass is a comedy about two married guys, Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis), who can’t keep their eyes (and minds) off other women. Eventually, their wives, Maggie (Jenna Fischer) and Grace (Christina Applegate), decide to give them the titular pass, which is a week off from marriage. In other words, they can attempt to hook up with all of these women they ogle. The concept is, of course, ridiculous, but the idea behind it has merit: the fact that many married men think that their wives are the only thing keeping them from getting with any woman they want. This isn’t to say that “Hall Pass” is a serious look at marriage or infidelity or anything. The film does have its few slightly serious moments, but it is first and foremost a comedy.

The movie starts off great because it is a bit of a low key comedy at first. It’s really just about married guys and all the guy talk that comes with the territory. If Hall Pass gets one thing right, it’s the guy talk. The script is realistic enough when it comes to this aspect that many women might hate this film while their male counterparts may absolutely love it. Hall Pass definitely has the propensity to be a wildly divisive movie. The movie does try to appeal to women, though it ends up being rather pointless and the scenes featuring the wives tend to drag and completely lack the comedic effort that scenes with the guys feature.

All of the scenes with Rick and Fred (and a few buddies) work great. It is truly funny to see grown men past their prime attempting to get back into a young man’s world. They are as hilarious as they are pathetic. Whether they’re crapping out at nine o’clock at an Applebee’s or unable to handle their high on a golf course, it’s always amusing.

Unfortunately, their friends abandon them a bit early and it’s left to Rick and Fred. This would have been fine if Jason Sudeikis had been cast as the lead. Owen Wilson lacks the comedic presence to carry the workload of this film. Sudeikis is the force that keeps the movie afloat in the second half. That’s saying something, because it’s in the latter half of the film that gross-out comedy comes to the forefront. Hall Pass succeeds in its dialogue alone, but the Farrellys seemed to want to inject some shock value into the film. Shock doesn’t equal laughs, though. All the big physical comedy (pun intended for those who have seen the film) falls a bit flat and just seems forced. Be warned though, there are attempts to shock you (just be sure to read why it’s rated R before you watch it if you’re worried).

Hall Pass is elevated by a strong supporting cast, though. Stephen Merchant (“The Ricky Gervais Show”) has a small role as one of the pals, but he has one of the funniest scenes in the film, just make sure you stick around for the credits to see it. Farrelly regular Richard Jenkins shows up as an amusing ladies man. And Derek Waters (of "Drunk History" fame) is funny as a spurned barista.

One thing that is kind of arbitrary but annoying nonetheless about Hall Pass is the use of the title. It’s usually a cheesy, but sometimes necessary movie trope to say the title in the film. That’s okay, but this film goes overboard with it. It got old hearing this exchange of dialogue: “I got a hall pass!” “A what?” Seriously, that exchange happens at least five times in the first half hour. It may be unavoidable, but it was still annoying.

Hall Pass has its weaknesses but it hits far more often than it misses and you’ll likely be laughing throughout…depending on your gender. It isn’t a true return to form for the Farrellys but it is certainly a step in the right direction. Here’s hoping they keep walking that way.

"Little Fockers"

Little Fockers - Directed by Paul Weitz, written by John Hamburg and Larry Stuckey, starring Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Teri Polo, Blythe Danner, and Owen Wilson - Rated PG-13

"Are you ready to be the Godfocker?" Noooooooooooooo!!!



When Meet the Parents came out back in 2000, it was a surprisingly funny comedy with the payoff of a main character having the name Focker. Then came 2004’s Meet the Fockers, which was decently funny, though the Focker joke was wearing thin. Now with Little Fockers the question is, “Do we need more jokes about a last name that sounds like an expletive?” Well, not really, but Little Fockers is a harmless enough comedy to sit through.

The third film of the franchise deals with Greg and Pam Focker (Ben Stiller and Teri Polo) dealing with marriage and young children. They worry about keeping their relationship fresh while also worrying about how to properly raise their children. Of course, things get much more complicated as their parents get involved, especially Pam’s father, Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro). The added aspect this time around is that Jack has lost faith in a different son-in-law and is now looking to Greg to be the patriarch of the family…or as Jack puts it: the “Godfocker” (shudder).

The problem with this film is that it takes the kitchen sink approach to comedy sequels: throw in as many returning characters as possible…and then add a few new ones to top it all off! It’s just too much. The dynamic of the original film is enough, why mess with it? The awkward conversations between Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro are what made the first two films enjoyable. There are still a few of these, but they get squeezed out of the film to make room for outrageous visual gags (puke and erection stabbing) and needless co-stars (this film didn’t need Laura Dern, Jessica Alba, or Harvey Keitel added to it). The first movie was memorable and funny for its more random moments (“Mums” champagne and an overly lacquered altar carved from one piece of wood). This film has no room for things like that.

The Stiller/De Niro moments are still funny, though. And those, along with a few other aspects, make Little Fockers passable. One of the other aspects is Owen Wilson. His ridiculous character, the overly perfect and rich ex-boyfriend, is still amusing in his over-the-top proclamations and gestures. But the funny elements don’t outweigh the mundane in this comedy.

It can’t be stressed enough that this movie has too many characters in it. Here’s the cast list: Stiller, De Niro, Danner, Polo, Streisand, Hoffman, Wilson, Alba, Keitel, and Dern. This isn’t a Robert Altman film, for God’s sakes. It’s not that these actors are bad or even unfunny. The problem is that none of them have the screen time to make a good impression. The movie is just a mess. It could have been easily solved by scaling back this cast.

Streisand and Hoffman were zany enough to be slightly amusing the last time around, but they should have been cut from this one. Apparently Hoffman felt this too as he initially turned down the role. Unfortunately a deal was struck and some scenes of him dancing the flamenco like an idiot were crammed in. Keitel appears as a conniving contractor and his few scenes showed promise but then he utterly disappeared from the film. It is quite possible that there is a more focused, funny film that was left on the cutting room floor.

Little Fockers also suffers from repetition. Obviously the name joke is repeated, but the plot is as well. Who would have guessed it? Ben Stiller gains De Niro’s trust only to start acting suspicious seconds later. Lie upon lie stacks up leading to a ridiculous and lame conclusion. Sure, no one expects a great story from a movie like this, but it’s hard to ignore such shortcomings when the laughs are so sparse.

Comedy is subjective, though. My audience laughed consistently (well, consistently more than I did, anyway). Some people still get a kick out of the use of the word Focker, particularly when De Niro says it with such degradation. That’s the thing with the kitchen sink approach; at least some of it ends up being humorous. It depends on the viewer as to how much of it is humorous, though.

Judging Little Fockers from a comedic filmmaking standpoint, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that it just isn’t a very good movie. Overused gags, disappearing characters, needless subplots, petty gross out humor, these things are too much to ignore. But if you are able to look past the faults more power to you. There are worse comedies out there. But even the fans of this latest installment have to agree that the series has run its course. Here’s hoping that these Little Fockers are the last Fockers we ever have to see.


Random Thoughts

Was it really necessary to add the plotline involving erectile dysfunction pills? Even the most boring of people consider Viagra jokes lame these days.

To immediately contradict my previous comment, the boner stabbing scene did make me laugh for one reason: that crude drawing Stiller's kid makes of the scenes was pretty funny. Well, it was to me, anyway. Subjective! Remember?

Further contradicting: I am sick of the Focker stuff, but it was funny when De Niro was saying "Focker" into the oxygen mask near the end and the paramedics asked why he was cursing at them.

This movie really made me want to watch the original...I think I'll go do that right now.