Shallow Hal (2001) Reviews

• One of the sweetest movies I've ever seen!

  mattymatt4ever2002-07-09

  No contest, I will say this marks the best of the Farrelly Brothers. Not because this film is laugh-out-loud funny--it's funny, but not hilarious--but because it has a great heart and delivers a beautiful message without any corny Hollywood pretentions. Sure, the premise is funny--a shallow guy gets virtually hypnotized into thinking all the unattractive women he sees are foxes and ends up going out with a 500-pound woman who he also thinks is a fox. It's a great premise, but the Farrellys don't fixate on that premise alone, preventing it from turning it into a lame, one-joke slapstick comedy. This is a comedy with heart--a rare finding. In between laughs, you really get wrapped up in the characters and storyline. The gags flow quite naturally, without the Farrellys forcing any humor onto the screen. If a comic opportunity comes along, they take advantage, but there's no random acts of slapstick. I am pleasantly surprised with Jack Black, who has proved in this movie that he doesn't only have what it takes as a comic actor, but also as a serious actor and a romantic lead. I've always enjoyed seeing him on screen, but he usually plays the same wound-up, hyperkinetic characters. Basically, he's funny, but you still know you're watching Jack Black on screen. This time he exercises his ability as a method actor, he succeeds well. Gwyneth Paltrow is adorable and sweet, capturing the audience's sympathy with her winning smile. Joe Viterelli is amusing as her overweight Irish father, and actually pulls off a fairly convincing Irish accent. The sizzling hot Brooke Burns makes a few appearances. And Jason Alexander is always a joy to watch. I think "Shallow Hal" does the best job at conveying the message that beauty is on the inside. It has been conveyed before in films like "The Nutty Professor," but I feel this film conveyed it best. This could've easily been a 105-minute fat joke, but it doesn't travel that route. There are no crude or mean-spirited gags. Could it be that the Farrelly Brothers matured? Even of the films of theirs that I liked (ex.: "Dumb and Dumber," "There's Something About Mary") are a little uneven and contain a few gags that are just plain cruel. Like in "Mary," Cameron Diaz's brother is mentally ill and the butt of a few jokes. Here, we have a character that walks on both his arms and legs, but he's portrayed as a normal character, and not as a gimmick for some cheap laughs. There are moments that really tugged at my heartstrings. The "burn victim" scene brought quite a few tears to my eyes. The story is solid, with no boring lulls. And the soundtrack is pretty good--I have criticized the Farrellys in the past for using crappy music in their sountracks. If you're looking for a good romantic/date movie with some good laughs and a good message, "Shallow Hal" will be an absolute delight. My score: 8 (out of 10)

• The most meaningful of the Brothers movies

  phd_travel2012-10-24

  This is my favorite of all the Farrelly Brothers movies. It's laugh out loud funny, and yet has a very well delivered message about internal and external beauty without being preachy. I think this one will be a classic in time to come because all the scenes are well written. Gwyneth Paltrow as Rosemary manages to convey emotion through the fat suit and that is not mean feat. Jack Black as Hal is just right for the role that deservedly made him a star. The supporting cast is excellent from Jason Alexander to all those who play all the various characters. I've watched it several times and it's still good. If you haven't seen it - it's hilarious and touching.

• This movie is very funny.

  scarlet_82003-09-11

  I loved this movie and thought Jack Black was at his best in it. He carried the whole movie along with Gwyneth Paltrow and they both did an excellent job filling roles unlike any they have done before. Many people will like this non traditional comedy that has a strong moral message. If you are someone who enjoys a lighthearted meaningful story than definitely see this movie. Don't be fooled by reviews that say it makes fun of overweight people (only) because it's message is that size doesn't and shouldn't matter. Yes, the main characters are shallow and say some awful things, but their main purpose is to represent those of us who need to change the way we view and treat other human beings. I've always like Jack Black as a comedian but never pictured him as a "boyfriend" character until seeing this movie. He was able to transform the very shallow unappealing Hal into a very likeable person. See it for Gwyneth if anything, she is very cute in it.

• I actually liked it

  Smells_Like_Cheese2003-11-22

  The Farrely Brothers, these are very odd film makers, they have such hits like There's Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber and Me, Myself and Irene. I wasn't too thrilled with There's Something About Mary after all the hyped reviews, I was thinking that their other movies would be like that. Especially with the touchy subject of obesity in our world that usually big people are not attractive, making it into a comedy is tricky. But somehow I really loved Shallow Hal. Even though it was a bit hypocritical, it's still really funny and I think it's mainly due to the cast. Jack Black made for a great male lead going from a total jerk into someone that the audience absolutely adored in the end. Hal, a superficial man, and his equally shallow friend Mauricio, share an interest in beautiful women, and try to act cool and hip when around them, but most women find them obnoxious and want nothing to do with them. Hal wants to see women for their inner beauty, but his fixation on physical beauty gets in the way. By a twist of fate, Hal meets the famous American life coach Tony Robbins while stuck in an elevator. Robbins, understanding Hal's situation, hypnotizes him into seeing people's inner beauty, not their external selves. Subsequently Hal meets and is smitten by Rosemary, the daughter of his boss. Rosemary appears to him as slender and beautiful due to her kind, generous nature, but is, in actuality, morbidly obese. Rosemary, who is used to being overlooked by men due to her appearance, initially interprets Hal's interest in her as mocking and insulting, but later realizes his feelings for her are genuine. Mauricio becomes worried about Hal's new taste in women, especially when he finds Hal is in a relationship with Rosemary. One night, while Hal is on a date with Rosemary, Mauricio catches him and says the trigger phrase, "Shallow Hal wants a gal," which breaks Hal's hypnosis. Now Hal has to learn on his own that the woman that he loves may not have been all that in the looks department, but is everything that he actually wants in a woman. My main problem with Shallow Hal is it's shallow message, unfortunately Hal, if he wasn't hypnotized, would have never gone for a girl like Rosemary. Even though he learns his lesson, not every shallow man or woman is going to be hypnotized into seeing what true beauty is. But there are some really great laughs that Shallow Hal provides, it's also just a heart warming romantic comedy. It's something different and the cast really made up for what could have been a disastrous movie. I would recommend this movie to anyone who has an open mind to a different kind of comedy with some good laughs. 7/10

• Incredibly sweet, charming movie

  ShrekMemento2003-08-16

  I know many complain it wasnt as funny as past farelly movies such as "Something about Mary" or "Kingpin". But it wasnt supposed to be. It was intended to be a comedy, and it was extremely successful, and it was very funny, however it wasnt supposed to be non-stop, grossout laughs like their past efforts. I always liked the Farelly Brothers's movies because while hilarious, they always had an underlying sweetness to them. I think this one prevailed the most in that department- I think 'Shallow Hal' is an incredibly sweet, and even more upon second viewing, just a charming, great movie-watching experience. I think if people give it another chance and cut it some slack in the non-stop jokes department, they will see it for the great, enjoyable movie with a message that it really is.