Have you ever wondered what happened to the crew of guys from the first "American Pie" movie? After they lost "it" I often wonder what happened after they got married and had kids and moved out to the suburbs. What happened 20 years later when they were no longer the "Big Men on Campus"?
Thanks to the new release by the Farrelly brothers (Bobby and Peter who also brought us "Dumb and Dumber" and "Kingpin") we are now able to see the rest of the story. "Hall Pass" is by no means a sequel in the "American Pie" series but both films did remind me of how most men are wired for sexual conquests from puberty onward.
"Hall Pass" captured America's well known character - the middle age suburbanite male and gave him a hall pass. A hall pass is a weeklong excuse for married men to behave badly, drink to excess and sleep with whomever.
We start the movie with Rick (played by Owen Wilson) and Fred (played by Jason Sudeikis) attending an award banquet with their wives. They think they have the "scoping-chicks-out-in-secret" scheme down perfectly while their wives know what dogs they really have become over the years. It's not that Rick and Fred are totally miserable in their marriages but they think that they could be getting some serious action if they weren't tied down. Fred has even resorted to finding a way to relieve some of his sexual tensions in his car.
Their wives, Maggie (played by Jenna Fischer) and Grace (played by Christina Applegate), speak with a psychiatrist friend of theirs who gives them the idea of letting their husbands have a week off of their marriage so that they can carouse and let some of their male tendencies rule. At the end of the week they come back and have stronger marriages because of the freedom. Hey, I am sure it works in theory.
Once the guys are loose, they have some troubles getting back in the game. They are like two disoriented bulls in a china shop; they neither have any idea how they got there nor how to move around with any tact.
The week moves quickly with the guys bar hopping at family restaurants. They embark on a hilarious golf outing after eating some brownies laced with pot. By the third night they are called out on their manhood by their friends. Rick and Fred, like a lot of guys, talk a big game but have very little action to back up their smack talk.
While the boys are trying their hardest using tasteless pick-up lines and getting drunk to build their confidence, the wives are being themselves and living it up with a minor league baseball team in Cape Cod. As an indirect result to allowing the husbands go out, the wives are also permitted a hall pass. However, the wives aren't as shameless about their newfound freedom.
The movie moves on with many quotable one liners and quite a few shock moments. But, it wouldn't be a true Farrelly brothers' movie without one or two shock moments. Remember the hair gel scene in "There's Something About Mary?" The same goes with "Hall Pass," with a lot of big risks comes a lot of big rewards for the audience.
Should you see this movie? Yes. The actors played off of each with ease. Along with a well-written script, it all came together for several big laughs. However, if you are not comfortable with sexual references or outlandish sight gags, this might not be the film for you. If you are the type to laugh at "American Pie," "Superbad," "Step Brothers" or any other over the top comedy then this would definitely be a pick for you.
Thanks to the new release by the Farrelly brothers (Bobby and Peter who also brought us "Dumb and Dumber" and "Kingpin") we are now able to see the rest of the story. "Hall Pass" is by no means a sequel in the "American Pie" series but both films did remind me of how most men are wired for sexual conquests from puberty onward.
"Hall Pass" captured America's well known character - the middle age suburbanite male and gave him a hall pass. A hall pass is a weeklong excuse for married men to behave badly, drink to excess and sleep with whomever.
We start the movie with Rick (played by Owen Wilson) and Fred (played by Jason Sudeikis) attending an award banquet with their wives. They think they have the "scoping-chicks-out-in-secret" scheme down perfectly while their wives know what dogs they really have become over the years. It's not that Rick and Fred are totally miserable in their marriages but they think that they could be getting some serious action if they weren't tied down. Fred has even resorted to finding a way to relieve some of his sexual tensions in his car.
Their wives, Maggie (played by Jenna Fischer) and Grace (played by Christina Applegate), speak with a psychiatrist friend of theirs who gives them the idea of letting their husbands have a week off of their marriage so that they can carouse and let some of their male tendencies rule. At the end of the week they come back and have stronger marriages because of the freedom. Hey, I am sure it works in theory.
Once the guys are loose, they have some troubles getting back in the game. They are like two disoriented bulls in a china shop; they neither have any idea how they got there nor how to move around with any tact.
The week moves quickly with the guys bar hopping at family restaurants. They embark on a hilarious golf outing after eating some brownies laced with pot. By the third night they are called out on their manhood by their friends. Rick and Fred, like a lot of guys, talk a big game but have very little action to back up their smack talk.
While the boys are trying their hardest using tasteless pick-up lines and getting drunk to build their confidence, the wives are being themselves and living it up with a minor league baseball team in Cape Cod. As an indirect result to allowing the husbands go out, the wives are also permitted a hall pass. However, the wives aren't as shameless about their newfound freedom.
The movie moves on with many quotable one liners and quite a few shock moments. But, it wouldn't be a true Farrelly brothers' movie without one or two shock moments. Remember the hair gel scene in "There's Something About Mary?" The same goes with "Hall Pass," with a lot of big risks comes a lot of big rewards for the audience.
Should you see this movie? Yes. The actors played off of each with ease. Along with a well-written script, it all came together for several big laughs. However, if you are not comfortable with sexual references or outlandish sight gags, this might not be the film for you. If you are the type to laugh at "American Pie," "Superbad," "Step Brothers" or any other over the top comedy then this would definitely be a pick for you.