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Shallow Hal

Shallow Hal

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Sweet Oddity
Review: Shallow Hal, about Hal (Jack Black) who is only chooses to date women by their looks. Till one day he's stuck in an elivator with a self help person that thinks he's a good guy but that his shallowness is his only flaw. So he helps by putting him in this trance where he can only see the inner beauty in undesirable people. Hal doesn't know this though and finds himself surrounded by beautiful women, at least he thinks he is. Then he meets Rose (Gwyneth Paltrow) who is orca fat but he of course just sees her as well.....Gwyneth Paltrow. They start dating and Rose's dad just happens to be one of Hal's bosses, so he immediately thinks Hal is just seeing her to get close to him to get a raise. His friend played by Jason Alexanda who sees a flaw in every women of course doesn't like Hal seeing Rose one bit either.

Through a lot in Shallow Hal you have to imagine that the attractive women he is talking to, well aren't attractive. That's only way the jokes can work. For instance when he first meets Rose he sees her with a giant pair of undies and tells her that she could use that as sail for a sailboat. Plus when he's at a fast food place with her she gets made fun of with these guys saying she ate all the food and Hal immediatly thinks they're talking about him. Well anyway what makes this film sweet is that it's about looking for inner beauty. Which you never get movies about. You just get Freddie Prinze Jr. movies about hunky guy meets gorgeous girl. Shallow Hal is a nice change and the type of romance that you never get. Face it in most movies the fat girl doesn't get the guy and vice versa.

The Farrellys who are known for their rauncy scenes, surprisingly keep it pretty light. For instance there's no sperm hair gel "There's Something About Mary", no milking a bull "Kin Pin", well you get the pont. It's some-what freaky I guess but not rauncy. For instance you got a guy with a spine problem who can only walk on all fours like a dog and Jason Alexanda has a tail, yes a tail.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Crossing the boundaries of romantic comedy.
Review: I read the review of the guy that claims Shallow Hal has a 'dumb storyline' Its people like him that fall for the corny Meg Ryanny romantic comedies and fail to appreciate a good addition to the line. I consider Shallow to be an original masterpiece by those Farrelly Brothers. How many other films do you know to have used such a contraversial topic and incoperate it so sensitively into a genuinely funny, romantic movie?

Break the norm. Shallow Hal is brilliant! I haved watched it 5 times and counting. Shallow Hal is a great movie, with a good message. Beauty is only skin deep. Jack Black shines, showing that he can play more than the fat,...beer drinking, [failures] that he's been playing off late. And need I mention Jason Alexander is in this movie? He delivers some hilarious fat jokes that will have you rolling and laughing your head off!
One of my fave movies.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: hated it....
Review: ick, insulting to all people fat and thin.
ick.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST COMEDIES
Review: This movie was fun to watch.
I would watch it over again on dvd.
It is definitely one of the best comedies ever made.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not that shallow...
Review: "Shallow Hal" is about a shallow guy, Hal, who can only see women's souls (nice women= beautiful, mean woman= ugly). He falls in love with an obese woman who appears to Hal like a model...

I thought that Shallow Hal had a few shallow scenes, but overall was pretty funny. Although some people may argue that the movie was about making fun of obese people, I beg to differ(I love saying that!). I think the movie was about Shallow Hal realizing it's what's inside that counts, not what's outside. I thought the movie was really sweet.

I've seen a lot of movies where a boy ends up falling for a dorky girl and it's supposed to have the message "it's what's inside that counts"("She's All That" is a perfect example). The only problem is a beautiful girl plays the dork (think Mandy Moore in "A Walk to Remember"). In "Shallow Hal" Hal falls for a girl who isn't a an anorexic model.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is really something. Now this flick is quality!!!
Review: Once this DVD comes out, I will get it as soon as possible because this movie is such a treat to watch. Funny as heck and will be added with pleasure to my collection at home. I remember watching this movie at a dollar theatre or as some of you might know as those theatres that play older movies that are about to be released on tape or dvd. Well I gotta tell you that it was worth more than a dollar to watch. If I paid 50 bucks to watch this flick I wouldn't even care. it's that good!!! It is those types of movies that you will watch over and over and over again till your eyeballs can't take it anymore. that is why the five star rating is in effect. It deserves this much even more (i know it's being cliche but it does deserve that extra added 6 stars). Great movie! The story is great and well thought of, the romance between Jack Black and Gweneth is great chemistry. The comedic performances is top notch. This blows Something about Mary" out of the water. After watching the movie it really made me think that woman are pretty in the inside. It would help if I had Hal's power. But you know what I mean. Once again great flick. I want more comedy movies to be like this one. I listened to it 17 times in a row the other day. Put it on repeat and listened to it for 85 minutes since the tune is 5 min long. I liked it so much that i learned the lyrics to it. Just download the lyrics at that lyrics.com site.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: If you like fat chicks ... you're gonna love this movie.
Review: This is an enormous movie about two really big subjects ... love and obesity. The plot was hefty, without being weighted down by reality. It had tons of laughs and some huge punch lines. Jack Black's acting was gargantuan and Gwinneth Paltrow had a giant part as well. This was a big movie for both of them and it's importance will only grow over time. This is the Big Gulp, Extra Value, Double Cheese, Super Sized comedy of the year. It's definitely Phat!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: what is faith star thinking?
Review: Try not to get so deep into a movie. it's a movie for christ's sake, not a journey thru the psyche. enough said.

Shallow Hal is funny. Not as funny as most Farrelly Brothers' movies, but it's funnier than 95% of the lame [junk] that's out there. Plus, Jack Black is a friggin' god. He should be in every movie. Anyhow, like with all movies, rent it first and if you like it, buy it. I mean, c'mon, don't let other people tell you what you like.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Has all the "Hal"-marks of a good Farrelly flick
Review: Not only does "Shallow Hal" make fun of fat women, it makes fun of fat men, fat Hawaiian men, men with scalp psoriasis, men with bald spots, dog men, men with huge banana fingers, Spina Bifida sufferers, people with Irish accents, and, of course, child burn victims. Well, not really. Like any Farrelly Bros. movie, it doesn't make fun of any of these sub-groups, but celebrates them.

Witness how they treat actor Rene Kirby, who plays Walt, a playboy who recently sold his Internet company and is now on the prowl for hot dates. Oh, and Walt (and in real life Kirby) has Spina Bifida. The sight of him, ambling into frame on all fours, could have been played for huge belly laughs. In the Farrelly's hands, the laughs are there, but they also take great pains in creating a fully functioning character for Kirby to sink his teeth into. It reminds me of a similar case in their last movie, "Me, Myself, and Irene", where albino actor Michael Bowman played... well... an albino. But an albino with a back-story, and relevance to the plot. He was a full-fledged character too.

The bottom line is this: if you can't laugh at human grotesquery, then you're out of place watching a Farrelly Bros. movie. They adore the little (and usually big) differences that make the human menagerie so fascinating, so vile, and so transcendent. It's an ethos that always makes me think of something Dennis Miller once said: "You're part of the human collective; you too can be poked fun at. Come, join in our reindeer games." I'm willing to play. So are the Farrellys. The question is: are you?

But I don't want to get all caught up in the politics of the film. It brings up issues that matter, but beyond that you'll want to watch "Shallow Hal" because it is a funny movie. And really, that's all that should really count.

So, what is there to like about it. Let's start with Gwyneth. I haven't really liked much Ms. Paltrow has done since her small but very effective role in "Seven". But here she's marvelous on many levels. First of all, she's quite luminous, more so than usual. Bathed in soft light, she looks just as Hal would want her to look: absolutely gorgeous. And while you're distracted by this, drooling at her beauty, she manages to sneak in a rather complex and effective performance. Her Rosemary is a bundle of insecurities that Gwyneth essays superbly. She walks with a hunched over gait and shows obvious discomfort in social situations, because that is what Rosemary would feel. Her posture and her demeanor allow Rosemary's true weight to show, even when she's the object of Hal's affection. Witness her reaction upon encountering a couple of jerks outside a restaurant. They remark, "I wonder if there's any food left", and Gwyneth as Rosemary, who was just beginning to feel confidence, crumbles. It's heartbreaking.

Jack Black more than makes a fine foil for Gwyneth, and vice versa. He is energetic and endearing in the role of a man sentenced (blessed?) to a world where he can only see inner beauty. And most importantly, he plays the character with the utmost in sincerity. Hal could have been a naive jerk, but Black makes the audience think that Hal believes the syrupy come-ons and cheesy pick-up lines that he delivers. And most importantly, that his compliments towards Rosemary, while misguided, are true and heartfelt. On top of all this, he delivers some fine physical comedy moments, most notably in the dance club scene that opens the film. A fine, funny film could have been made of just Jack dancing for 90 minutes.

Jason Alexander is terribly uncomfortable to watch, but is comfortable in his own skin. He plays Hal's slimy friend and partner in the pursuit of impossibly beautiful women. Alexander does what he does best: act with manic and frustrated energy. And on top of that, I dare you to try and take your eyes off his ridiculous hair. Tony Robbins, playing himself, is actually quite appealing in his small cameo. He manages to show a good sense of humour about himself, especially when Black and Alexander make fun of his enormous features.

When speaking of their mammoth hit "There's Something About Mary", Peter Farrelly has said that his favourite moment was when Ben Stiller decides he still wants to see Mary, after having just been lied to by Matt Dillon that the gorgeous Mary he remembers from so long ago is now a fat welfare mother. He wants to meet her because maybe he can help her, and maybe he can still love her. Peter goes on to say that anybody could love Cameron Diaz, but the notion that Ben could still love her even though she no longer looks like Cameron Diaz, well, that's something the audience can root for her. "Shallow Hal" is an entire movie that builds up to a similar scene. You won't know how Hal is going to react when he gets to that point, confronted by a woman who looks nothing like Gwyneth, but I can tell you -- and c'mon, this isn't giving anything away -- that if you were rooting for Ben Stiller, then you'll root for Jack Black too.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: it just kept going on and on and an....
Review: I guess i can't complain too much. I saw this movie for free while I was over seas in the deserts of Saudi Arabia. That was the only good thing about this movie. I love comedies, but this was hardly one. I can recall laughing only a few times throughout the entire movie. It was unrealistic, and hard to believe. The first 10-15 minutes actually decieved me into believing that this might actually turn ou decent, but I was horribly wrong. It seemed to drag on for hours. The plot was dry and predictable, and the acting was mediocre. Too many scenes seemed, well, forced. I applaud the effort to demoralize societies judgment system on "attractiveness", but maby they should have put more effort into making a quality film.

In summary i would probably never watch this film again unless I was bed-ridden, could not reach the remote and it was playing on TBS some Sunday 5 years down the road...but that wouldn't happen because they actually play good movies on TBS Sunday.


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