Shallow Hal

Shallow Hal

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Editorial Reviews

A hypnotized playboy (Jack Black) who can only see "inner beauty" doesn't realize that his gorgeous girlfriend (Gwyneth Paltrow) is actually a 300-pound-not-so-hottie. "Heartwarming and hilarious" (WFLD-TV), it's the BIGGEST love story ever told!

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

Customer Reviews

You have to look within

Reviewed by Voice in the Wilderness, 2010-01-31

I just finished watching this for the first time and it was good. I'm glad to see a comedy come out of Hollywood which actually had a decent message: You can't always judge a book by its cover, you have to look within. This movie really drives that point home, hence the title "Shallow Hal", as in the beginning of the movie Hal is yet another shallow idiot fascinated by appearances, yet ultimately he sees the error to his ways and repents. Good movie.

Much to the point

Reviewed by Poet, 2010-01-26

This film had a very good point. However, it would seem as if the script writers had some other axes to grind here. The dictums: `Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' and `Beauty is only skin-deep' have been abused to the promotion of the institution of marriage. How lame! There has been an abuse of the above dictums; an abuse which has haunted the viewers throughout the entire film. How noble of Hal to accept such a large and obese woman without really knowing her. What did they really experience? Drinking juice together? Eating in a restaurant? The thought of sex between them is only sickening. It felt like the script had been written by an obese large woman, forever single, whose mere friends are her 250 kilograms. The viewer often asks the same question Rosemary constantly asks `When will Hall stop lying?' Even after he was awaken from his unconvincing hypnosis, Hal kept lying. Each time he spoke it was lies upon lies. He was simply deceiving himself and annoying the intellectual viewer. It would have been fun to watch him after a week together with that huge whale. I have no doubt that this film would appeal to million of single women whose external appearance resemble those women Hal dated in this film. The idea was good, I must admit, but how far will a man go in order to fulfill an obese woman's dream? In many ways, this film was unreal. Moreover, it was often shallow and full of hypocrisy like Hal and his rageoholic friend with the tail. On one hand there was a lecture against the dictations of society; the rich guru hypnotizer and his false philosophy, blaming society for dictating the norms of beauty. But on the other hand, his brainwashing message, and the message of the film makers was the complete opposite; it means to accept inner beauty while ignoring external appearances completely. Hal was going from one extreme to the other, first he was very judgmental, and like any ordinary man, he would judge women by the external beauty. And suddenly, as came the twist, Hal became the extraordinary guy; the guy all lethargic obese ugly women could only dream of, the prince on the white horse, the knight with the shining armor, thus Hal would only judged by the inner beauty, with complete disregard to the external appearance. The perfect man for ugly fat women, a man which fat women would show off in parties and exclaim: `Yes I am fat and ugly, but look what I have got, I went fishing in the lake of morons and look at my golden fish I just caught'. Hal, What a pathetic radical transition! Now, as for Rosemary; her character was flat and dogmatic despite all the phony efforts to give her personality. The viewer found it very strange that she did not make the effort to burn some calories. They could have made this film better had she worked out in a gym or tried to become an athlete or something a bit more dynamic. If her size was not an issue, why did she remain so lethargic? I bet if she worked out on her stomach and arms, maybe few sit ups and few pull ups a day, lifting weights, running, whatever, she would have been more good looking. I have no doubt that she could become a bit more attractive had she worked hard on her physic and tried to become a female body builder. To compensate on her lack of beauty she could have easily looked like any other female body builder who would look like her had they stopped training; Aye, take female body builders like Colette Nelson or even Lora Ottenad, or any other obese women who chose body building. My point is, Rosemary could have at least tried to cover her ugliness a bit. There were many funny characters in this film, like rosemary's friends, particularly her ex boyfriend who looked like a Sardine. The end of this film was quite phony too. The brainwash of the ordinary man not to judge and then to live the rest of his life with Moby Dick, was rather harsh. Hal had to swallow all the lies he had been fed with, partly by his own ego, and choose Rosemary, the toilet breaker, over his pretty slim neighbor. Could he at least had some fun and make love to his beautiful neighbor, even though she was shallow, before he chose to move to the big whale? The kissing game with the children at the hospital was not funny; it was a cruel joke that failed to amuse the viewer. Those children in the hospital suffered enough, why let them kiss with Hal and Rosemary? This film was partly entertaining; I liked the focus on the woman with the toe. Despite his wiggling tail, Hal's friend expressed what many men fear most in a woman, her toes. It is an ordinary comedy with few laughs and a lot of phony messages. Nice catch Hal! There was a point in this film. The issue of external and inner beauty was to the point. But perhaps a little bit too much to the point.

Funny & heartbreaking

Reviewed by D. Roberts, 2009-11-21

Hal (Jack Black) is a very shallow Joe-Nobody type fellow who incessantly hits on women who are way out of his league. His criteria for whom he asks out is pretty simple: is she a hottie? If so, she's on his list. If not, then he's not interested.

One day, while stuck in an elevator a charlatan casts a spell on Hal. When he gets off the elevator, he is able to see the inner beauty in women. Women who are homely / overweight appear to be Victoria's Secret models. And, it works both ways: women who are gorgeous on the outside but have despicable personality traits appear to be hags.

There is even more to it than that. Men who are nerdy / ugly and yet have good hearts appear to Hal to be buffed-up athletes. No matter what the person looks like, or what gender they are, Hal sees what kind of persons they are.

Along comes Rose. Rose is very overweight, but to Hal she is absolutely perfect. Fittingly, Rose (both versions!) is played by Gweneth Paltrow, who IS one of the most perfect women on the planet! Paltrow's performance drives the rest of the movie, for she's able to encapsulate the pain of a woman who has been overweight all her life. She's a person who has had to deal with heckling, and has grown wary of it.

SHALLOW HAL is what I would call a dark comedy. It does have some funny moments & its concept is original. However, it's a movie that is a satire on how we as human beings treat each other (myself included). It also points out how all of us have our human imperfections. Because of that, it's a comedy that delivers on the humor and yet is utterly, absolutely heartbreaking @ the same time.

A Celebration Of Individualality

Reviewed by Henry E. West, 2009-10-24

Shallow Hal is a funny and touching film about a love-starved fellow(Jack Black)who, with a help from Tony Robbins(who appears as himself), sees women for their inner beauty, there he meets Rosemary(Gwyneth Paltrow), a lovely lady who is really 300 lbs. This movie has many messages that everyone is beautiful and special in their own way. The Farrelys should have won an Oscar for best film for Shallow Hal. It is a wonderful movie.

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder

Reviewed by Sexy Bachelor, 2009-10-21

"If you can see it and hear it, isn't that reality?" so asks "shallow" Hal (Jack Black) after he shockingly discovers that his friend has taken him out of guru Anthony Robbin's "trance" to see the "beauty" of his fat love, Rosemary.

Hal, as we know, has been tasked from young by his dying dad to pursue only pretty looking gals. One day, he finds himself stuck in a lift with the famous positive-thinking guru, Anthony Robbins, who zaps him with a new definition of what beauty is and can be defined. So begins Hal's adventures in discovering women and his own self.

This movie makes the point clear that beauty is defined by whoever sees and defines it as such. Culture, society and Hollywood-infested mass media define our mainstream definition of beauty and success from outward appearances and achievements. Most people in today's society just can't keep up with the Joneses but are expected to by society's demands. Tony Robbins allows Hal and us to redefine beauty from at a more deeper or 'spiritual' level as one's inner virtues which transforms one from within. Usually disempowered people could be empowered by the message of this comedy.

Stop chasing the useless Hollywood culture and go join the Peace Corps!

Another reason to watch this movie: Gwyneth Paltrow looks hot and adorable! ;-P
If she's really like that in real life, that's hot!

Now, how about a movie that glorifies skinny people?

Fat people may be the butt of jokes but reality is that they get hitched, they get the chance to find mates! I know a lot of married fat people! What about skinny people? No way, I don't see skinny MEN getting hitched! Females are spoilt for choices. Whatever their size or looks, females of all kinds can easily get mates simply because they're female, no matter what some jokers think, but males don't have too much fun.... that's the reality I see today. How about a little male empowerment? Is there such a theme in any movie?