The Bat Cave

Starring: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate
Director: Bobby & Peter Farrelly (There’s Something About Mary, Stuck On You, Kingpin, Shallow Hal)

Quick Thoughts: A solid comedy that kind of loses its mind in the final act of the film. The premise of married men being allowed a week off from their marriages to do whatever they wish obviously provides plenty of laughs, but it’s the banter between Rick (Wilson) and Fred (Sudeikis) when they think no one is listening that are the film’s funniest moments. Being a Farrelly Brothers production, Hall Pass does cross into gross out territory, pushing the envelop a bit with its toilet humor, a sub-genre of comedy I never find particularly funny. The third act essentially ruins the film… transforming it from a quality comedy into something I’ll probably never watch again.

Grade: 5/10 (Worth Watching)
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Comedies always have the potential to get better over time. Not good enough to buy, but I’d maybe watch it again with a group of friends.
Sequel Potential: Seems like a stretch. Not only would it be tough to find a plausible way to continue this story, it’s not looking like a box office smash either.
Oscar Potential: None.
Nudity: Nicky Whelan gets naked and looks ridiculous.

Recommendation: Hall Pass is an okay comedy. If you’re a fan of the Farrelly Bros. past work this probably won’t disappoint you too much, but the last third of the movie is pretty brutal. It just gets out of control and stops being funny. I feel like they had a good concept for a comedy here with lots of ideas for funny scenes but had no idea how to end their film. If the ending didn’t suck so bad, I’d happily recommend this to most people, but as it is, seems like a rental to me.