Hall Pass [Blu-Ray]

For one of the few Farrelly films not featuring any characters with an intellectual disability (is there any way to say that without sounding like an asshole?), Hall Pass revolves around the two biggest imbeciles in the former gross-out comedy champions' lowbrow oeuvre. Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers, The Royal Tenebaums) and Jason Sudeikis (30 Rock) are Rick and Fred, two pathetic, middle-aged horn dogs who are given a week off from marriage by their wives to put their penises where their wandering eyes and flapping mouths are. Frustratingly, before the titular "hall pass" comes into play, there's evidence of the more mature and honest comedy that could've been made. Rick and Fred talk a good game, and "eye-bang" a hot Australian barista, but it's a method of juvenile reflection and reflexive habit based on diminished intimacy in their long-term relationships. "They never tell you that you'll still be jerking off after you're married," muses Fred ― no, they don't, but odds are you will. It's easy to take a partner for granted or get swept up in the little details of life and neglect your lover out of comfort. No better is this depicted than in an early seen when Rick and wife Maggie (Jenna Fischer, The Office) have their date night derailed by kids who won't go to sleep. Rick reads their daughter a story to knock her out then, finally able to rejoin Maggie in the bedroom, finds his wife asleep. Only she's just pretending to be asleep to avoid sex, or even cuddling. Some variation of this situation is likely familiar to many couples that have been together for years. But the Farrellys don't have the emotional depth or maturity to look any deeper and mine the comedy of real life, instead opting to send these man-children out on the prowl and make fun of them for being such old losers, while their wives go on vacation, lapping up attention from virile, young baseball players. Laugh as Rick, Fred and their poker buddy cheerleaders eat too many ribs to even bother going out and use god-awful pick up lines from a website because they can't figure out how to talk to any females who aren't their wives. Marvel that Rick would rather have an Irishman's tiny dick near him than a black man's jumbo shlong, or don't. Unless you want sexual stereotypes between genders reinforced and to be reassured about the status quo of traditional marriage, pass on Hall Pass. A single deleted scene with a slumming Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under) that treats the intelligence of a police officer with as much contempt as is displayed here for the rest of humanity and a flub-heavy gag reel are the only features. Oh, and I couldn't handle fully watching both the rated and unrated versions to determine which six minutes of material went too far for the MPAA. All I can tell you is that it wasn't the cock shots ― both versions linger plenty.