Great, for smart kids
Shallow Hal
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Romantic comedy is pretty tame for Farrelly Bros.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 14–15
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Shallow Hal was written by Nell Minow
Parents need to know that this movie has very strong language for a PG-13, especially the sexual references. Characters drink, and several scenes are set at a bar/nightclub. The overall theme of the movie is the importance of judging people based on their behavior, not their looks. Robbins explains that Black is not hypnotized now -- he was hypnotized before, when he thought that all of the TV and movie images of beauty were what mattered. Some viewers may feel that the movie itself makes fun of people who do not fit current standards of beauty. A disabled character is treated with complete naturalness -- he is by no means perfect (because he gets around on all fourts, he tells girls he recognizes them by their panties), but he's good-hearted and respected.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about what we look at and what we look for when we meet people. If we saw the way Hal does, who would be the most beautiful person you know? How would you look? Would you like to see people the way Hal does?
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More on Shallow Hal
What’s the Story?
Hal (Jack Black) and his best friend Mauricio (Jason Alexander) are two pudgy guys who insist on women with absolute physical perfection. Even though Hal is a pretty nice guy who is good at his job, when it comes to women, he is undeniably shallow. Then he and infomercial star Anthony Robbins get stuck in an elevator together, and Robbins gives Hal a gift -- from now on, Hal will see people the way they are, not the way they look. Suddenly, all around him are gorgeous girls who are very interested in him. They're interested in him because he thinks they are beautiful, and he thinks they are beautiful because they are kind, generous, beautiful people. Mauricio is horrified, especially when Hal falls for Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow), who volunteers at the local hospital and works for the Peace Corps. Mauricio looks at her and sees a hugely obese woman. Hal looks at her and sees -- Gwyneth Paltrow.
Is It Any Good?
The Farrelly Brothers, known for gross-out comedies, have taken a couple of giant, if uncertain, steps toward the mainstream with this fairly conventional romantic comedy. SHALLOW HAL even has an undeniably sweet moral -- that true beauty is seen with the heart, not the eyes. Black's specialty is a sort of frenzied but charming energy, and unfortunately, this movie does not give him much opportunity to show it off. Paltrow has some nice moments as Rosemary, a vulnerable woman who has felt humiliatingly invisible all her life.
But one problem with the movie is that instead of the characters themselves being funny, the jokes in the movie happen around them. Black and Paltrow do the best they can, but there just is not enough comic energy at the core of the movie. Some Farelly trademarks make it into the movie, including a disabled character (athlete Rene Kirby, who has spina bifida) and a bizarre physical aberration. But overall, it seems as though it is something of a transitional film for the Farrellys, enjoyable on its own and as a suggestion of better things to come.
Movie Details
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox, Directors: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Run time: 113 minutes
Theatrical release: 11/9/2001
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for gross-out humor, language, and sexual references
Run time: 113 minutes
Theatrical release: 11/9/2001
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for gross-out humor, language, and sexual references
Our Members Say
See 8 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title iffy for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
wow! a perfect movie!!!!
WOW!!!!!! this movie is perfect!!!!! It has comedy romance drama and everything!!!!!! Jack Black did good in this one!
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Great Movie for kids ages 12+!
Awesome movie! It definately sends out a message about not judging people by their appearances, has some pretty good role models, has some sexual content but not much just one breif scene, there is some drinking, the F-word is used once or twice but overall a good clean, funny comedy
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Negative role models
- My highlights are:
a great movie. A MUST SEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
language: lots of swearing in every scene, sex: Rosemary gets undressed to have sex with hal but only her butt is shown, drinking drugs and smoking: some smoking and a lot of drinking but no one gets drunk. this is a very good movie but if your going to take a kid under the age of 13 to see it then bare in mind that it has this content in it. But the content isnt all bad it teaches the most important lesson that highschool students and older need to know: it dosent matter what a person looks like on the outside it's the inside that counts.
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I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Parents, this will give your kids positive messages!
Sex: Preparing for sex is on screen for about three minutes, which is very inapropriate. Kissing in often shown. Violence: Not much violence, it's mostly about how there are sad parts, like when Hal's dad dies (shown on screen), and a little girl's burnt hair and face are shown for a while. Language: F*ck, sh*t, and maybe a d*mn. Good Role Models and Positive Messages: This movie has the greatest message ever: never judge people on how they look- if they have a tail (like Mauricio), if they are overweight (like Rosemary), if they're toe is bigger then another toe (like Lindi), if they had a bad face injury, (like Kaydance), or even if you look different and people think you're ugly (like Katrina), doesn't mean Hal didn't like them. Hal saw them as hansome and beautiful people- not to mention, a very pretty woman who had a bad personality- Hal saw her as an ugly old lady, when she was really a pretty young woman. Not exactly appropriate for young kids, but perfect for the older ones!
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Ratings at a Glance
| 50% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 50% | of parents don't feel there are good role models |
| 50% | of parents say there's too much drinking, drugs, or smoking |
| 50% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
| 50% | of parents say the sexual behavior isn't age appropriate |
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