Showing posts with label richard jenkins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label richard jenkins. Show all posts

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Hall Pass - Unexpected Comedic Delight



The running gag in Farrelly Brothers' latest film, "Hall Pass" is based on a psychology theory called "Reactants' Theory" (is there such a thing?) - If you keep telling someone they can't do something, they just wanna do it more than ever!

Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) are a couple of forty-something married men, eternally faithful, but severely preoccupied with sex, to the consternation of their wives Maggie (Jenna Fischer) and Grace (Christina Applegate). After several embarrassing situations where these men displayed boorish behavior (Fred gets caught and booked for masturbating inside his car while some policemen were doing their rounds), they were given a "Hall Pass".

The Hall Pass is one week where the guys are permitted do anything they want - pick up girls, have anonymous sex, gamble, booze and drugs, anything - without marital repercussions! Once Rick and Fred get their pass, they gather their male troop to serve as witnesses for their planned indiscretions. As days go by, it's becoming clear that hooking up with women isn't a walk in the park. Day 1 has the gang pigging out ("we're gathering energy"). Day 2 has them getting high. Day 3 gets them drunk while Fred gets punched in the face. Day 4 has them nursing a hangover. The week is ending, but there's no prospect in sight? Their friends are starting to doubt if they are as capable as they say they are.

In one of the scenes, Rick joins the gym to follow a bar girl he's been lusting after. There should be plenty of skin - young, tight, even nubile, all in several state of undress at the gym, right? But he ends up getting cramps in a jacuzzi, he almost drowned. He gets help from a couple of burly naked guys; each one a representative of the extremes of endowments. It was a bit of a shock, but nevertheless hilarious. This was one of those in-your-face genital showcase (remember Jason Segel in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall") that will be predictably cut ("censored") once shown in Philippine Cinemas, especially SM cinemas - so we've taken the initiative to get a capture, just so you know what you'll be missing out on.

I am not too fond of films about men-behaving-badly, but "Hall Pass" was such an unexpected delight! I found myself laughing at the unforced, slap-happy chemistry of Wilson and Sudeikis. There were several plot devices used (another hilarious side story involves nanny Paige's family in the concluding shenanigans), but they all fell into place. The affable cast transforms these devices into pleasant laugh-out-loud situations! It's been years since "There's Something About Mary" and "Dumb and Dumber" but in "Hall Pass", the Farrelly Brothers show they're back in fighting form.

A hilarious trip into entertainment haven!

At the end of the story is a cathartic comeuppance that may seem like fast resolutions, but I just didn't care. I enjoyed it!




Owen Wilson is Rick.



Jason Sudeikis is Fred who eventually snags a willing victim. Problem is, he complains, "I cannot talk to her." There was nothing they could talk about.


Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate get a hall pass for themselves.


Owen Wilson as Rick finds out that in checking out babes at gyms, you don't exclusively encounter tits-and-ass. In this hilarious scene, he meets two helpful samaritans - naked male samaritans! Actors Thaddeus Rahming (above) and Rich Brown display the long and short hands of camaraderie!



Gorgeous Tyler Hoechlin plays the sports jock Gerry who's attracted to Grace (Applegate).


How time flies. He was a child in Tom Hanks' "The Road to Perdition". Now he is a 6 foot hunk appearing next in the comedy "Melvin Smarty" and as lead in the saga on bull fighters and drug smugglers in "Open Gate".


Alexandra Daddario is Paige, the pretty nanny.



Saturday, November 29, 2008

getting carried away with the visitor



professor vale (richard jenkins) is a difficult man. and he moves around his academic life in connecticut with not much verve. he dislikes his students as well as his colleagues. in a stroke of fate, he was sent to new york to present a paper that he supposedly "co-authored" - only to find a couple of illegal migrants occupying his own apartment - syrian tarek (haaz sleiman) and senegalese zainab.

just when you thought he'd boot them out of his pad, he finds himself inviting them over - until they another place, that is. in the course of events, the professor finds a friend in tarek (the uber-charming haaz sleiman) who soon teaches him how to play his african drums.

but all is not well in the city when tarek is accosted by some policemen, then the plot thickens. so thick i couldn't pause the video for a visit to the loo. LOL

this is obviously an independent film that deserves to be seen by a wider audience. it is compelling and heart-breaking. in the tradition of "pieta", where a mother will do everything for his son. this movie underlines the multi-layered levels of relationship: mother and son, lovers, and friendship!

i love the part where tarek's mother (also an illegal migrant herself) visits the prison facility where tarek was taken, knowing that she can't see him. "i just want to see the place where they took my son. it comforts me to know that he is there.," she said. richard jenkins is a force of nature!

and haaz sleiman is simply endearing. he imparts a truly sincere performance that's both winning and intense. he will be seen next in "futball:the pieces of dreams" which is about an iranian soccer prodigy who is recruited to play in the united states. not a very original story (remember the british movie "goal") but it would be interesting knowing that this story takes place in iran.

why is this such a great movie? two words. thomas mccarthy! another three words. the station agent. the latter would have to be one of my all-time favorite movies, with beautifully threshed out characters, dreamy settings, interesting situational thread, and not a lot of narrative gimmickry - just a plain beautiful story involving real people with a lot of heart. this director thomas mccarthy - who won BAFTA for "the station agent" - deserves to make more movies than just those 2!!! it just seems to be an injustice to have this brilliant director shell out just 2 movies in 4 years!

one more thing, director mccarthy knows how to pick the uber-cute guys. bobby cannavale in the station agent. then haaz sleiman in the visitor.



ayayay! haaz sleiman scorches our screen.



mr. haaz, i'm waiting for your email. LOL
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