Initially conceived as a tale in which two husbands score a week off from marriage while their mates anxiously await developments, Warner Bros.� new comedy �Hall Pass� took another twist as filmmakers the Farrelly Brothers delved further into the story and characters. Now, in addition to tracking Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) on their seven-day bender, the story takes a look at what might happen if Maggie (Jenna Fisher) and Grace (Christina Applegate) assumed the same freedom.
�It has to go both ways. That�s key to unlocking the story, making it fair and opening it up for everyone,� says Peter Farrelly. Not only fair, but, as Bradley Thomas points out, more honest. �If you make a movie about two guys who get a hall pass while their wives are sitting at home, hoping and praying they don�t do anything, that�s just baloney. It�s not real. I�m sure that if these two guys are looking at other women, then other guys are checking out their wives, too.�
To allow Rick and Fred some space for the week, as well as themselves, the women head out of town to Maggie�s parents� home in Cape Cod. Two days later, tanned and relaxed in the stands at a Minor League baseball game, Grace attracts the flattering attention of Gerry, a confident, young hard-bodied first baseman, played by Tyler Hoechlin, while Grace is approached by the team�s suave coach, coincidentally named Rick, played by Bruce Thomas.
It�s not till the guys ask them out for a beer that Maggie and Grace understand that this hall pass could be printed on both sides�
�For Maggie, the story becomes about her own complacency in the marriage,� offers Jenna Fischer. �After she grants her husband a week off because she thinks it�s what he wants, she realizes that she�s also been feeling a little restless. Then she meets a man who�s willing to help her cash in a hall pass of her own.
�Owen and I really focused on the dynamic of Maggie and Rick�s relationship so that when the complications arise, they carry some weight. I think you have to believe that these two people are really meant to be together,� Fischer continues. �It�s one of the reasons why I responded to the script.�
If Maggie is looking for moral support at this crucial juncture, Grace is no help. �Grace is the voice in her head beckoning her to the dark side,� says Christina Applegate.
In fact, it�s Grace who makes the valid point that if Rick and Fred are taking the week off, then she and Maggie are likewise single - and should behave accordingly. Says Applegate, �The way Grace sees it, it should be tit for tat. The best way to get back at her husband is to do the same thing he�s doing. This 22-year-old specimen tickles her fancy and she�s tempted to make a big mistake. Grace is frustrated that things have come to this, and when you�re frustrated you don�t always make the right choices.�
By throwing the wives into the breach along with their husbands, �Hall Pass� not only doubles the story�s comedic possibilities but raises the emotional stakes.
�While they�re away, the women sort of rediscover their own youth. When these guys are hitting on them, at first they think, �It�s okay, we�ll just go to the barbeque with them,� but then things start to heat up unexpectedly,� says Bobby Farrelly.
�Rather than just a fantasy about having a hall pass,� Applegate concludes, �it becomes a story about working to be sure your relationship is sustainable for the rest of your life. There are a lot of broad moments, and crazy guys doing crazy things, but it�s also people working through a situation, which allows for some beautiful and heartfelt moments.�
Opening soon across the Philippines, �Hall Pass� is a New Line Cinema presentation to be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
�It has to go both ways. That�s key to unlocking the story, making it fair and opening it up for everyone,� says Peter Farrelly. Not only fair, but, as Bradley Thomas points out, more honest. �If you make a movie about two guys who get a hall pass while their wives are sitting at home, hoping and praying they don�t do anything, that�s just baloney. It�s not real. I�m sure that if these two guys are looking at other women, then other guys are checking out their wives, too.�
To allow Rick and Fred some space for the week, as well as themselves, the women head out of town to Maggie�s parents� home in Cape Cod. Two days later, tanned and relaxed in the stands at a Minor League baseball game, Grace attracts the flattering attention of Gerry, a confident, young hard-bodied first baseman, played by Tyler Hoechlin, while Grace is approached by the team�s suave coach, coincidentally named Rick, played by Bruce Thomas.
It�s not till the guys ask them out for a beer that Maggie and Grace understand that this hall pass could be printed on both sides�
�For Maggie, the story becomes about her own complacency in the marriage,� offers Jenna Fischer. �After she grants her husband a week off because she thinks it�s what he wants, she realizes that she�s also been feeling a little restless. Then she meets a man who�s willing to help her cash in a hall pass of her own.
�Owen and I really focused on the dynamic of Maggie and Rick�s relationship so that when the complications arise, they carry some weight. I think you have to believe that these two people are really meant to be together,� Fischer continues. �It�s one of the reasons why I responded to the script.�
If Maggie is looking for moral support at this crucial juncture, Grace is no help. �Grace is the voice in her head beckoning her to the dark side,� says Christina Applegate.
In fact, it�s Grace who makes the valid point that if Rick and Fred are taking the week off, then she and Maggie are likewise single - and should behave accordingly. Says Applegate, �The way Grace sees it, it should be tit for tat. The best way to get back at her husband is to do the same thing he�s doing. This 22-year-old specimen tickles her fancy and she�s tempted to make a big mistake. Grace is frustrated that things have come to this, and when you�re frustrated you don�t always make the right choices.�
By throwing the wives into the breach along with their husbands, �Hall Pass� not only doubles the story�s comedic possibilities but raises the emotional stakes.
�While they�re away, the women sort of rediscover their own youth. When these guys are hitting on them, at first they think, �It�s okay, we�ll just go to the barbeque with them,� but then things start to heat up unexpectedly,� says Bobby Farrelly.
�Rather than just a fantasy about having a hall pass,� Applegate concludes, �it becomes a story about working to be sure your relationship is sustainable for the rest of your life. There are a lot of broad moments, and crazy guys doing crazy things, but it�s also people working through a situation, which allows for some beautiful and heartfelt moments.�
Opening soon across the Philippines, �Hall Pass� is a New Line Cinema presentation to be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
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