Hall Pass

Hall Pass continues a string of relatively funny if not altogether sidesplitting films from the Farrelly brothers. Seventeen years removed from their debut, Dumb and Dumber, Peter and Bobby continue to get cheap laughs out of gross sight gags, some more successful than others. You will groan, and you will fidget at times, but if you’re among those who laughed heartily at Kingpin and There’s Something About Mary, Hall Pass should induce some spirited guffaws. When middle-aged real estate agent Rick (Owen Wilson) gets busted one too many times for incidents involving apparent sexual dissatisfaction, wife Maggie (Jenna Fischer) gets fed up and grants him a “hall pass.” For one week, he can do whatever he wants sexually with other women, with no questions asked. Rick’s best friend Fred (Jason Sudeikis) is granted the same gift by his wife, Grace (Christina Applegate), for a far more salacious infraction involving his automobile, and the two head out for seven days of debauchery. With other friends in tow, the party starts at Applebee’s and sort of goes downhill from there.