It’s Friday night on Eagle Row and Owen Wilson and Amanda Bynes sit parked outside the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity house. Once Bynes hits her cue, co-director Peter Farrelly yells “cut.” Crew members rush to inspect cameras and lights, halted conversations begin again and extras shield themselves from the cold.
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Attractive film stars? Check. Star-struck audience? Check. It’s official — as of 6 p.m. Feb. 26, Emory has become a Hollywood film set.
The film in question is “Hall Pass,” a new comedy from directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly, the men behind “There’s Something About Mary” and “Dumb and Dumber.” The film stars Wilson and Jason Sudeikis as two married men who find themselves noticing other women. To alleviate the situation, their wives grant them a weeklong “hall pass” to pursue whatever extramarital activities they want.
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For the Farrellys, the film marks a return to their old style of comedy after 2007’s critically lambasted “The Heartbreak Kid.”
“I am very proud of this movie on a lot of levels,” Peter says in an interview with the Wheel. “It’s right up our alley it has a story and purpose that I think will play in almost every culture.”
Thanks to Georgia’s recently-instituted tax incentive for filming, which Farrelly calls “one of the best in the country,” the guys chose to film “Hall Pass” in Atlanta
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The suggestion to shoot the film’s sorority scene at Emory came from alum J.B. Rogers the film’s first assistant director. For his part, Farrelly says he and the crew have greatly enjoyed their brief time both at Emory and in Atlanta.
“We’ve had zero problems,” he says. The people have been great. I always knew Atlanta was a great place.”
Aside from being a long-time collaborator with the Farrellys, Rogers has directed several notable productions, including “American Pie 2.” According to Farrelly, his work ethic and creative thinking has led the brothers to view him as “almost a third director.”
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In addition to Rogers, the “Hall Pass” set featured both current and past Emory students. Nell Hodgson School of Nursing juniors Lindsay Kronberg and Eva Hoffrichter served as prominent extras in the scene’s establishing shot and alum Ben White served as production designer.
“It’s been pretty amazing,” Hoffrichter says. “I never knew what exactly went into making a movie and how many people it takes.”
While talking with Peter inside the KA house, I discovered firsthand what makes him such a great comedic director: his natural story-telling skills.
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After a hilarious anecdote about the time he totaled his sister’s boyfriend’s “shag wagon” on a road trip to Atlanta, Peter discussed both the institution of marriage and the hormonal urges of the male sex.
“I believe in marriage whole-heartedly,” he says. “But even if God came to you and says you have the perfect woman on Earth, you’d still want to screw the second best.”
One of Peter’s most captivating qualities is his energy level. Despite more than 15 years in the business and about 10 feature films under his belt, he discusses “Hall Pass” with the zeal of a young
