More On Hall Pass, The Farrelly Brothers Comedy Starring Owen Wilson And Jason Sudeikis

I mentioned Hall Pass in brief yesterday while talking about Sean Penn's reported return to the cast of the Farrelly Brothers take on The Three Stooges. At the time all we had were a few basic details: Owen Wilson is starring the film, which the Farrellys will shoot in Atlanta next month. (With Atlanta standing in for New England.) New Line picked up the film after Fox put it in turnaround, and it sounds like a comedy in line with the tame recent work of the filmmaking brothers rather than the broad, over the top stuff that made them popular in the first place.

We've got a few more details now, thanks to trade reports. I'm betting there's not yet enough known to ignite more than cautious curiosity in most readers.

THR offers a slightly expanded synopsis of the film, which was written by Peter Jones as a spec, then rewritten by Kevin Barnett and Peter and Bobby Farrelly. Owen Wilson plays a husband in a dull marriage whose wife gives him a 'hall pass' — ie a license to engage in a week's worth of extra-marital affairs. Why 'hall pass'? Good question. Jason Sudeikis co-stars as Wilson's best friend, who also gets a pass to get whatever ass he can.

I'd like to see the Farrellys make some sort of return; I've got fond if not over-romanticized memories of Kingpin and There's Something About Mary. They're fun films, if not ones I ever get the urge to revisit. Sure, half the appeal of Kingpin is simply the fact that it is so insane, but I'll take that over the simpering tone of Fever Pitch. Their latter stuff has been a lot more bland, and this has the potential to be more of the same. Let's hope it has balls. Definite points for casting Sudeikis, at least.