Shallow Hal
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bruce McGill, Daniel Greene, Jason Alexander, Kyle Gass, Nan MartinCinematographer: Russell Carpenter
Composer: Ivy
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 113 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-07-02
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of Shallow Hal
Movie Review: Realistic Hal
Summary: 3 Stars
Rather than looking at this movie from an optimistic perspective, one in which the viewer is supposed to believe that this movie's plot is supposed to be about seeking the inner beauty in another, I choose to think of this movie another way. I view it as a sign of recent times of individualism and me-first attitudes that permeate Western culture.
Hal Larson (Jack Black) is a guy who is by all standards normal, or maybe even below average. Somehow, however, he thinks that he is only supposed to be with women of exquisite beauty. Of course, the only beautiful women who would actually go for him are ones with wretched insides, women who have incredibly low self-esteen and can't see their beauty. Along with Hal's best friend Mauricio (Jason Alexander) - another sub-5 on the 1 to 10 scale - they go after nothing but beautiful women.
Early in the movie Hal attends a speech by the square-jawed evil that is Tony Robbins. Sure enough, Robbins plants something in Hal's mind so that he does not see outward beauty, and has a visually projected form of body dysmorphia. In a matter of no time he has fallen for Rosemary Shanahan (Gweneth Paltrow), a mobidly obese, land-mass of a woman who has a redeeming personality.
Eventually Hal's subliminal messages subside, and he sees the actual outward reality. Whether or not Hal and Rosemary stay together is of no real importance, but it's the message that's important. In my opinion, the message is a problem. The message is one we see a lot recently: accept who you are. It's a fairly recent trend that tells people to be happy with themselves regardless of their shortcomings. I find this way of thinking sad, because then what goal or accomplishment is there? Should one even attempt to better oneself?
Aside from The Honeymooners, Fred and Wilma, and an assortment of unrealistic sitcoms, most people can't overlook the fact that the morbidly obese are the antithesis of beauty. Hate me for being truthful, but if you're honest with yourself, you'll realize that the great majority do not find an unhealthy excess of body fat to be appealing. Maybe the character Jack Black plays shouldn't have been going for the most beautiful, because, let's face it, he's not a top of the line sex symbol; however, I know for a fact he shouldn't have been with the 500lb. sea walrus named Rosemary Shanahan. And rather focusing on loving oneself, maybe she should have been doing something to lose weight and live a better life.
Summary of Shallow Hal
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 ShannonA 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!
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