Comedies pop up in theaters without anybody expecting them. It’s like they’re always on the screening list, but we never think about it. A movie with likeable characters and unrefined humor named “Hall Pass” made it to the screen recently. I have no problem with temporary humor, the kind that happens and once it’s over you forget what you laughed about. It seems though that more and more comedies play with a type of humor that is not only borderline boring but also lacks innovation and depth. “Hall Pass” is like that. The humor comes from various sources like character behavior, dialogue and situations — mostly involving women and sex — but two hours after watching the movie, one might realize it was a waste of time. The movie introduces us to two men who are dissatisfied in some way by their married, unadulterous lives and their wives who mostly gossip about them. The story is that of two married couples — played by Clive Owen with Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate with Jason Sudeikis — who, despite the love they have for each other¸ seem to be stuck in a rut. The men feel like they’ve been deprived of all the female goodness out there, whereas the women don’t feel special anymore. Both sexes need the same thing but don’t know how to express it without hurting each others feelings. So comes the “Hall Pass,” a week off from marriage in which the husbands can go out and relive their supposedly lost adventurous lives. Without consequences. As the men do it, the women kind of get mixed in it too while miles away from their married life. It seems that the Farrelly brothers exploit the flimsy aspects of relationships and men’s fantasies that get repressed once a relationship comes into play. Along, of course, with the happy end when the man realizes that he was a fool to think he wants anything or anyone but his girl. I guess there’s nothing wrong with happy endings, especially in comedies, but I like my comedies to linger in my brain because they brought me sweet, healthy laughter. Otherwise it’s just one more exhibit of humourous clichés that mechanically make us laugh.
