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Shallow Hal
By Nell Minow,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Romantic comedy is pretty tame for Farrelly bros.
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Shallow Hal
Community Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
A great movie for learning & laughs
Funny with a message for teens and up
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.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
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?
Movie Details
- In theaters: November 9, 2001
- On DVD or streaming: July 2, 2002
- Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow , Jack Black , Jason Alexander
- Directors: Bobby Farrelly , Peter Farrelly
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 113 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: language and sexual content
- Last updated: November 8, 2023
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