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Shallow Hal

Shallow Hal

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: playing on negative stereotypes
Review: I would have given this movie no stars, but the site would not let me. This movie does nothing but accept and perpetuate the classic idea in our culture that fat=ugly, Gwyneth Paltrow=thin=beautiful. They would have had me if the inner beauty were the same size as the outer beauty and shallow Hal still found it beautiful. The movie is nothing to cheer about.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Pretty Good (Lighten up above)
Review: I thought the movie was good. Its not picking on fat people like like one person said. Its doing the opposite.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Lighten up!
Review: Prior to seeing this film, I was aware that there was some controversy surrounding it. It seems some overweight folks are offended by the fact that the movie either: a. made fun at the expense of fat people, or, b. didn't really make FUN of them, but the producers chose to cast not-really-fat people in some fat-people roles, thus taking good roles from fat folks.

First off, I, as well as my companions seeing the film, laughed our collective butts off. We didn't go in expecting "high art" but if someone could sit through this entire flic without cracking a smile, I think they should be checked for a pulse. Either that, or they're wound so tight, they should consider a job as an industrial spring.

Now, as to the controversy. I hate shouting, but: THIS FILM DOES NOT MAKE FUN OF FAT PEOPLE, people! In the end, ***SPOILER ALERT...STOP READING!*** Jack tells Gweneth's character he loves her, and that she's beautiful, and if you'll notice, he has *NOT* had the hypnosis re-instated by Tony Robbins. He's seeing her as she is, to say nothing of the fact that he's just turned down a "sure thing" from his incredibly sexy neighbor across the hall.

Even the NAME of the film ought to give these people something of a clue: it's "Shallow Hal." Hello! He's "shallow" (considered a BAD thing), because at the beginning of the film, all he cares about are looks. Would these people who are so upset feel better if the film were named "Shallow Hal Meets a Plump Woman, Doesn't Notice She's Overweight, and by the end is no longer Shallow, because depsite the fact he can see her as she really is, he loves her and thinks she's beautiful anyway."

Nope. That would be stupid. In the first place, it wouldn't fit on the marquee. In the second place, it gives away the ending.

And another thing. The inclusion of Walt, the character with Spina Bifida (who it would seem actually HAS it), was a veritable monument to what people with "disabilities" can accomplish. As I said to my wife on the way out, "now there's a guy you could never refer to as 'handicapped.'" (Stay til the end and watch the credits. There are scenes of him snow skiing that are amazing.)

Last, but certainly not least. If the film was making fun of fat people because Hal saw them as something else, was it also making fun of children with severe 3rd degree burns because he couldn't see their scars? I don't think so. I found the scenes at the hospital quite touching - especially Hal's second trip in when he saw Cadence for the second time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I actually got chills....
Review: The plot: Hal never settles for anything less than perfect until Tony Robbins (self-help guru) convinces him to see the inner beauty of those who he would normally find unattractive - enter Rosemary who's about 300 lbs. overweight - only Hal finds her to be the most beautiful woman alive. Mix in his even more-so shallow friend played by Jason Alexander, and you've got a great movie that will leave you to decide for yourself which is better - "a woman who is missing half a breast or half a brain..."

Regarding the subject of this post, yes even during a Farrelly bros. movie I got chills - I'm not going to say which part of the movie in order to avoid giving out unwanted spoilers, but it involves a child....that and so many other moments of the film just made it work for me. Yes, some people will say it gives into sterotypes, but they are only exaggerated to show us the extremes in life for comedic purposes. People do make fun of fat people, but by the end of the film you realize that even heavy-set people do have a sense of humor and can be funnier and believe or not - nicer than those who make fun of them. Looks don't mean everything - or as much as some people feel they do, and that's the whole point of the film.

It also shows the standards society has set for themselves. What if you fell in love with someone who is not attractive on the outside but is beautiful inside? Would you be able to go into that kind of relationship knowing how society would think about you? To those that can serisouly say they could - this will be a philosophical romantic movie with few laughs here and there (as it was for me) - to everyone else, this will merely be romantic comedy big on the laughs (no pun intended).

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Shallow Film
Review: this movie is exactley what it preaches not to be. It preaches to us about finding inner beauty. And what is beautiful? Gwenyth Paltrow. It suggests that Gwenyth is the epitome of beauty and if you are fat than you must be something else inside. This is extremely offensive. Who says beauty has to be thin? This movie is nothing more than an offensive disgusting pile of garbage and an overweight woman in front of me eventually started crying and then left. That is so disgusting to me. I can't emphasize how disturbing this way.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Shallow Movie, few laughs, Hurtful to Big Women
Review: This movie was disappointing. Something about Mary was a great flick. Dumb in dumber-- well it was dumb, but hilarious.

This film had just a few laughs, and even those were hollow, since they were usually based on the fat woman joke. I can deal with politically incorrect. But this was just not very funny.

I'm going to guess that this will be THE career low for Gwynneth Paltrow, unless participation in it puts her career into a tailspin (not likely, since she's so good.) Other reviewers say this is deep-- right, like a creek you can walk across.

Sorry, but I'd say this rates as the worst movie of the year for me. Oh well. The Farelly brothers have generally done a great job and it takes some courage to take risks, even when the risk turns out to be a dumb move. I'll look forward to the next one they do.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: the only shallow thing is the movie
Review: this movie was awful. i felt like asking for my money back. surprised that a star of paltrow's caliber would even take part in it. it's boring, stupid and not the least bit funny. don't waste your money on this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: the farrelly brothers have come up with a winner this time!
Review: ive seen about every movie this year and up
until now SHALLOW HAL is my number one choice
for the best movie of the year!
This love story is original,sensible and funny
at the same time!Some of the girls are very
good looking and some of the music flows in
a good way with the movie.
The farrelly brothers have had some misses lately
but they have cooked a winner this time!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: humorous and touching, but dishonest
Review: Shallow Hal had its funny and touching moments, but its admonition seemed to be directed only at men -- as if there are no shallow women. None were presented in the story. It would have been more honest to have had another subordinate female character similar to Hal who started out being shallow in her judgement of guys, but then came around to seeing the inner beauty of nice, ugly, obese men. By ignoring shallow women, the writers let women off the hook (as is often the case in the entertainment media).
Plus there was never any mention of or any allusion to the practical reasons to shun obesity and avoid obese partners. There's a HEALTH RISK involved!! Obesity is NOT healthy! The film definitely had its memorable scenes. (...) Gwyneth Paltrow is an uncommonly attractive actress who did a good job with her role -- as did Jack Black. All in all, an OK comedy with a standard chick-pleasing message: only guys need to change.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Wait for it on video, and as a free one at that
Review: For anyone expecting another "Something About Mary" or "Dumb and Dumber," this is not it. As the advance press has noted, the film is at the expense of larger-figured, or "flawed" people not in a Ken-or-Barbie type image.

Most of the jokes are predictable, and the best laughs are indeed present in the trailer, except one. The one redeeming point about this movie is that it does show that the "beauty being only skin deep" mantra is indeed true, and that the characters in the movie all get their due rewards.


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