Back in the 1990’s (yes kiddies, waaay back then) fraternal writing/directing duo Peter and Bobby Farrelly were considered the kings of low-brow comedy, delivering hits like Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin and There’s Something About Mary to hordes of delighted and possibly inebriated audience members. Their mix of gross out humour and surprisingly heartfelt drama has been blatantly aped in modern times by the Apatow crew while the brothers star has waned – thanks to minor offerings like Shallow Hal and outright failures like The Heartbreak Kid.
The Farrelly’s are back and appropriately enough are muscling in on Apatow turf with Hall Pass. It tells the story of two 30-something idiots (Wilson and Sudeikis) who, despite being married to the delectable Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate, are so obnoxious that their wives give them a week off the restrictions of marriage to do whatever the hell they like. This pass means the guys can finally chase all that tail they’ve been ogling and take it upon themselves to prove for all mankind that just because a woman is ludicrously hot and 20 years younger than you, it doesn’t mean she’s unattainable.
Chuckleage ensues, courtesy of near middle-aged fumbling in bars, aided by a fantastic supporting cast including Stephen Merchant and the legend that is Richard Jenkins; stepping out of dour mode to take on the role of an aging, Hawaiian-shirted lothario with Yoda like skills with the ladies. The casting of the leads isn’t the most inspiring but the recently released red band trailer makes this look like it could be an above average comedy hit. Next, the Farrelly Brothers are set to take on a big screen version of The Three Stooges.
