Shallow Hal (2001)

Coming from the creators of Dumb & Dumber and There's Something About Mary, the sensitivity of Shallow Hal seems like a minor miracle. The codirecting Farrelly brothers haven't forsaken their lowbrow inclinations, but this clever romantic fantasy offers unexpected substance with the same comedic effrontery that made the Farrellys famous. Their antihero is Hal (Jack Black), whose fixation on beautiful women is reversed (after an encounter with self-help guru Tony Robbins) so he can see only the inner beauty of "undesirables" like his new girlfriend Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow), now gorgeous in Hal's eyes despite being grossly obese. The movie's handling of this conundrum is sweetly sincere, poking fun at social prejudices while validating those (overweight, homely, disabled) who are often heartbroken by Hal's brand of shallowness. The concept won't hold up to scrutiny (i.e., the movie trades one set of stereotypes for another), but Shallow Hal works as an often hilarious reminder that physical beauty is only skin deep. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

There's A Little Bit Of Shallow Hal In All Of Us

"Shallow Hal" is a modern fairy tale. Like the beast in Walt Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," Hal (Jack Black) is obsessed with outward beauty. One day, Hal is hypnotized by self-help guru Tony Robbins. Now he only sees inner beauty. Soon he is falling in love with an extremely overweight Peace Corp volunteer, Rosie, who has a heart of gold (Gwyneth Paltrow). This is a very heart warming movie that teaches the viewer the importance of inner beauty. Helping those less fortunate than ourselves is more important and everlasting than having a temporary romantic fling with someone you've met at a nightclub. Unfortunately, there is a little bit of Hal in all of us.

I wish the language and the sexual innuendoes in "Shallow Hal" had been toned down to give it a PG rating. Everyone in the family needs to see this film because it has an inspirational, upbeat ending and an excellent message. Everyone should treat people with respect and kindness no matter what their handicap, deformity, appearance, etc. The world would be a nicer place in which to live.

"Shallow Hal" is hilarious thanks to a great cast and a great script. Hal is constantly opening his big mouth and getting himself into embarrassing situations, but he manages to come though them unscathed. At the beginning of the film, he is driven by male hormones; however, he experiences a character transformation and it is his heart that drives his actions. "Shallow Hal" is in the top ten of my favorite romantic comedies. It is my desire that everyone watch it and learn to concentrate more on inner beauty and less on exterior appearance. Furthermore, I must also add that the soundtrack is wonderful. I especially love the song during the closing credits, "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)."
August 31, 2008

Realistic Hal

Rather than looking at this movie from an optimistic perspective, one in which the viewer is supposed to believe that this movie's plot is supposed to be about seeking the inner beauty in another, I choose to think of this movie another way. I view it as a sign of recent times of individualism and me-first attitudes that permeate Western culture.

Hal Larson (Jack Black) is a guy who is by all standards normal, or maybe even below average. Somehow, however, he thinks that he is only supposed to be with women of exquisite beauty. Of course, the only beautiful women who would actually go for him are ones with wretched insides, women who have incredibly low self-esteen and can't see their beauty. Along with Hal's best friend Mauricio (Jason Alexander) - another sub-5 on the 1 to 10 scale - they go after nothing but beautiful women.

Early in the movie Hal attends a speech by the square-jawed evil that is Tony Robbins. Sure enough, Robbins plants something in Hal's mind so that he does not see outward beauty, and has a visually projected form of body dysmorphia. In a matter of no time he has fallen for Rosemary Shanahan (Gweneth Paltrow), a mobidly obese, land-mass of a woman who has a redeeming personality.

Eventually Hal's subliminal messages subside, and he sees the actual outward reality. Whether or not Hal and Rosemary stay together is of no real importance, but it's the message that's important. In my opinion, the message is a problem. The message is one we see a lot recently: accept who you are. It's a fairly recent trend that tells people to be happy with themselves regardless of their shortcomings. I find this way of thinking sad, because then what goal or accomplishment is there? Should one even attempt to better oneself?

Aside from The Honeymooners, Fred and Wilma, and an assortment of unrealistic sitcoms, most people can't overlook the fact that the morbidly obese are the antithesis of beauty. Hate me for being truthful, but if you're honest with yourself, you'll realize that the great majority do not find an unhealthy excess of body fat to be appealing. Maybe the character Jack Black plays shouldn't have been going for the most beautiful, because, let's face it, he's not a top of the line sex symbol; however, I know for a fact he shouldn't have been with the 500lb. sea walrus named Rosemary Shanahan. And rather focusing on loving oneself, maybe she should have been doing something to lose weight and live a better life. July 1, 2008

A great funny movie

this a great chuckle a minute movie desitined to became a comic classic that you can watch time and time again November 7, 2007

ENDEARING!!

This movie is superbly endearing and charming! the bad: I HATED Jason Alexander's character; and I also hated the "nurse Diesel" type nurse who was nothing more than a shriveled-up old sourpuss (and what was that scene in the car where her & Rosemary were talking? She was gorgeous in THAT scene, but not when Hal saw her! whazzupwidthat???)
the good: Hal was SO likeable, even as a jerk! (but I'm a big fan of Jack & Tenacious D-I even saw them in concert in Bham Alabama in '02); K.G. was gratuitously included in a small part; Gwynneth was actually kinda sweet in this one; I LOVED Rosemary's parents!; Leeboy was SO fat-yet-adorable!; they really did an awesome job of making the Ralph character look ugly and dorky, he is in fact a VERY gorgeous man!; Tony Robbins really did an excellent job!; Brooke Burns did an AWESOME job as both the beautiful AND ugly Katrina!; the scene in the hospital toward the end, where Hal finally sees what's wrong with little Cadence, brings tears and chills! JUST GET IT-GET IT-GET IT!! October 18, 2007

Shallow Hal is Done Backwards

I could see that the objective of the film makers was to show how stupid obsession with the outsides is...but I think they could have made the case so much more convincingly if they had the Paltrow part played by an actress who really is obese, and let us, as the audience, fall in love with her as the real person, while only occasionally showing that the Jack Black character sees her as skinny gorgeous Paltrow.

Instead they lead us to fall in love with skinny gorgeous Paltrow...and watching her in a fat suit with prosthetics still is not an actual obese woman. At all. In any universe.

The Spina Bifida guy was done the way they should have done the Paltrow part (not the actress's fault). He was so amazingly appealing, precisely because he was not fake.

September 8, 2007

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