We have to admit, we did have some hopes for this one. Directed by the Farrelly Brothers, who are still chasing the early trifecta of funny “Dumb & Dumber,” “Kingpin” and “There’s Something About Mary,” we kept our optimism slightly raised with the likes of Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate, J.B. Smoove and Stephen Merchant among the cast.
And then we watched the trailer.
“Hall Pass” offers up the intriguing premise of two wives allowing their respective husbands one week to pursue extramarital sex without consequences. Sounds like it could be a wickedly fun and funny relationship comedy right? Unfortunately, it looks like the very funny Fischer and Applegate are reduced to being the shrews, while Wilson and Sudeikis do the man-child thing. And was that really a pot brownie gag in there? Ok, we do have to admit we laughed at the chloroform bit and “The Beautiful Mind” line had us in stitches (extra points for the totally unrecognizable Richard Jenkins) but overall, the spot plays like a really inferior version of “The Wedding Crashers.”
You can read the full synopsis and watch the trailer after the jump (or in HD at Apple):
Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) are best friends who have a lot in common, including the fact that they have each been married for many years. But when the two men begin to show signs of restlessness at home, their wives (Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate) take a bold approach to revitalizing their individual marriages: granting them a “hall pass,” one week of freedom to do whatever they want…no questions asked. At first, it sounds like a dream come true for Rick and Fred. But it isn’t long before they discover that their expectations of the single life — and themselves — are completely, and hilariously, out of sync with reality.