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What does it say about the Farrelly brothers that their best film is Dumb and Dumber? Frankly, these filmmakers do pure stupidity very well, and when they try to offer human heart in addition to empty head, it falls flat. The closest thing they’ve had resembling a success in this department was Shallow Hal — which, made 10 years ago, and probably the last Farrelly title you’d recognize. Still, for as unremarkable as Hall Pass is, you almost have to compare it to the McNabb/Reid-era Eagles: Despite questionable leadership, poor decisions and inability to make the key plays when it counts, McNabb and Reid surrounded themselves with enough dynamic personnel to carry them through some pretty exciting games. And that’s exactly what the Farrellys did. Every time they insisted on some raunchy cliché to carry the plot, Jason Sudeikis would nail some comic timing like Dave Akers salvaging points from a stalled drive. Every time they tried to copy something directly out of Wedding Crashers, Owen Wilson figured out some unique emotional energy like Westbrook powering through the middle. When they insisted on forcing tears and heartfelt speeches down our throats, Jenna Fischer (Pam from The Office, who's never had a not-genuine moment on film) was right there with her perfect every-wife archetype, avoiding melodrama and keeping things as realistic as possible — like a defensive squad keeping the score just within reach. The main difference is, where the Eagles should have won some Superbowls but failed, Hall Pass should have been a complete bomb. But it wasn’t. Real laughs kept neck-and-neck with the groans. Genuine up-close moments briefly obscured the greater absurdity of the plot. And while at the end of the day, there just wasn’t enough success to make this a truly memorable film, Hall Pass managed to get just enough accomplished that it will probably rank just shy of There’s Something About Mary in the hierarchy of the Farrelly canon. —Ryan Carey

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Rating:	R
Director:	Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Cast:	Alyssa Milano, Owen Wilson, Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate, Jason Sudeikis, Richard Jenkins, Stephen Merchant, Vanessa Angel, Alexandra Daddario, Tyler Hoechlin
Release Date:	February 25, 2011 (Nationwide)
Running Time:	98
Distributor:	Warner Bros. Pictures
Producer:	Mark Charpentier, Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Genre:	Comedy
Advisory:	for crude and sexual humor throughout, language, some graphic nudity and drug use