Hall Pass - Thoughts

My first memory of Hall Pass was from my routine HD trailer review; but subsequently I recall plenty of commercials on the radio. Both the HD trailer as well as the radio commercials seemed super funny, and thus Hall Pass came to be on my ‘to watch’ list. Starring Owen Wilson as the married man who is given a one week Hall Pass, which is a one week ticket from having to deal with the responsibilities that come with being married; he gets the opportunity to experience life as a bachelor again.


First off, this movie like several others suffers from the trailer misrepresenting it. The trailer makes it seem like a hilarious thrill ride, more along the lines of The Hangover, while in reality the movie is a lot more tame. That said, the movie is by no means bad; go into it with the right expectations and you’ll find it quite enjoyable. Aside from the obvious comedy theme, there is a surprisingly hefty importance given to the romantic couple relationship element. Values and wants in everyday scenarios are tested and rediscovered. There are several slower moments, and pace is mostly calm. The plot is largely predictable and stereotype, but there are a few bits which are unexpected and pleasant. While the trailer makes it seem like a ‘fun for the boys’ sorta movie, female audiences will be able to relate to it as well, owing to the strong romantic sentiment. If you’re looking to get drunk with the boys and watch an animated comedy flick, Hall Pass isn’t the best suited, but on most other counts you’ll find it to be entertaining and fun.

Owen Wilson plays Rick, the lead character in Hall Pass. Expect his performance to be in keeping with similar performances from his past romantic comedy efforts. It’s safe to say that his roles are more or less repetitive. Thankfully, though repetitive it’s pretty decent and entertaining. Jenna Fischer (of The Office US fame) plays his wife Maggie. While her contribution to the comedy is limited, she brings in the serious binding aspects of a relationship to the movie. Her performance was pretty impressive, and it’s nice to see her get into mainstream movies. Jason Sudeikis plays Fred, Rick’s wingman. His character is pretty extreme and crazy, and brings the maximum humor to the table, in a totally laughable lame fashion. Finally, Christina Applegate plays Grace, Fred’s wife and Maggie’s friend. She comes across as a little more assertive and edgy as compared to Maggie’s character. It’s also possibly the first time I’m seeing her in a slightly older role, having seen her mostly in young single roles. All 4 characters and performances do justice to the script and make the cumulative blend work together very well.

I was watching Hall Pass as part of in-flight entertainment while flying with Jet Airways. The video was a lossy DivX presented on an average quality LCD screen with a limited viewing angle. Color vibrancy was poor as with most DivX, but picture remained acceptably clear. I’d expect for the DVD to be pretty decent, and colors to be favoring warm. Sound was presented by means of a 2.0 stereo soundtrack. While it served the purpose, it left a lot to be desired for the discerning audiophile. Being a recent release it’s safe to assume that both video and audio should be pretty good. Lastly, it seemed as if certain sections of the movie were edited/chopped, in keeping with restrictive mass audience viewing compliance norms. Owing to this I’d expect that my viewing was devoid of any moderately risqué content

My Recommendation: Watch It (A comedy at heart that leans towards the romantic side)