Shallow Hal (2001) User Reviews

I actually liked it

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 7/10 · 22 November 2003]

The Farrely Brothers, these are very odd film makers, they have such hits like There's Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber and Me, Myself and Irene. I wasn't too thrilled with There's Something About Mary after all the hyped reviews, I was thinking that their other movies would be like that. Especially with the touchy subject of obesity in our world that usually big people are not attractive, making it into a comedy is tricky. But somehow I really loved Shallow Hal. Even though it was a bit hypocritical, it's still really funny and I think it's mainly due to the cast. Jack Black made for a great male lead going from a total jerk into someone that the audience absolutely adored in the end.

Hal, a superficial man, and his equally shallow friend Mauricio, share an interest in beautiful women, and try to act cool and hip when around them, but most women find them obnoxious and want nothing to do with them. Hal wants to see women for their inner beauty, but his fixation on physical beauty gets in the way. By a twist of fate, Hal meets the famous American life coach Tony Robbins while stuck in an elevator. Robbins, understanding Hal's situation, hypnotizes him into seeing people's inner beauty, not their external selves. Subsequently Hal meets and is smitten by Rosemary, the daughter of his boss. Rosemary appears to him as slender and beautiful due to her kind, generous nature, but is, in actuality, morbidly obese. Rosemary, who is used to being overlooked by men due to her appearance, initially interprets Hal's interest in her as mocking and insulting, but later realizes his feelings for her are genuine. Mauricio becomes worried about Hal's new taste in women, especially when he finds Hal is in a relationship with Rosemary. One night, while Hal is on a date with Rosemary, Mauricio catches him and says the trigger phrase, "Shallow Hal wants a gal," which breaks Hal's hypnosis. Now Hal has to learn on his own that the woman that he loves may not have been all that in the looks department, but is everything that he actually wants in a woman.

My main problem with Shallow Hal is it's shallow message, unfortunately Hal, if he wasn't hypnotized, would have never gone for a girl like Rosemary. Even though he learns his lesson, not every shallow man or woman is going to be hypnotized into seeing what true beauty is. But there are some really great laughs that Shallow Hal provides, it's also just a heart warming romantic comedy. It's something different and the cast really made up for what could have been a disastrous movie. I would recommend this movie to anyone who has an open mind to a different kind of comedy with some good laughs.

7/10

Funny and Sweet

[slightlymad22 · 7/10 · 14 September 2014]

Don't be confused by the subject matter of this comedy, this is a very touching movie.

A Shallow man (Jack Black) is obsessed with only dating beautiful women, until he is hypnotised in to only seeing the inner beauty of people he meets. He then meets Rosemarie (Gwyneth Paltrow) and falls in love

This was Jack Blacks first lead role. After roles in 'Cable Guy' and 'Enemy Of The State' and a very good supporting role in 'High Fidelity and he is perfectly cast as the title character. Until 'School Of Rock' two years later, this was his best performance. Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow seems to be having fun, and she looks great in a thong. However for me I would have preferred to see her in the fat suit more, to highlight what everyone else was seeing.... But I suppose you don't pay millions to have Gwyneth Paltrow in a movie, and have her hide in a fat suit for the majority of the movie.

Jason Alexender is very annoying (as Blacks bitter best friend, who is annoyed at losing his wing man on nights out) and distracting with his bizarre hairline.

It's silly if course (it's a Farrelly brothers movie) but it's also very very sweet!!

Cute little pic-not great but good.

[triple8 · 7/10 · 17 August 2003]

Paltrow's pretty good here, I enjoyed this movie a lot. Not great but certainly good, carries a nice message and it's a good premise.

However, a lot of people did get offended by this. The movie kind of does that to itself-though the theme here is "everybodys' beautiful" etc etc and meant to look at how much women are judged by their looks, the movie wasn't as bold as it could have been. If it REALLY wanted to take hold of this issue there would have been more of the "heavy paltrow" not just a few quick shots. Shows the thin paltrow a lot more and it shouldn't. Does anyone get the feeling the movie was almost afraid of it's own subject matter? That's what takes the "oomph" out of the movie and makes it a sweet little picture rather then an outstanding film. Still, it's OK-I know many people, both heavy and thin who saw this, most were not offended by the picture but had the movie aimed for serious movie making instead of predictable Hollywood fare(the former would have been more appropriate for the subject matter at hand) the movie would have been a lot better.

Means well, but comes out seeming hypocritical

[Italianrain · 6 August 2004]

I had heard all of the critical talk about this film portraying women badly in this film months before it even came out. Generally being turned off to stereotypical plots I was very hesitant to see this movie. Of course all of my friends totally loved this movie. They thought it was sweet and charming and bashed the critics for thinking that it was demeaning to any one type of social group because they felt that since Hal chose to be with Rosemary at the end of the film that that meant that the movie itself was teaching everyone some great beautiful lesson about how you can see the beauty within. Well being a plus size girl myself (Im a size 16-and cute to boot hehe)I made myself watch this movie, and all I can say is that, I beg to differ.

To be fair I do think the Farrelly brothers were trying to send a positive message here. I don't think that their intent was to degrade anyone, but they ended up making the movie a hypocritical mess. Not only did they portray "Ugly" woman as fat with bad skin and big noses,they also portrayed "Beautiful" women as being mega-bitches with a whip. As if we women (and men) don't have enough to feel self conscious about.

I mean think about it. Jack Black, while being a very funny guy and good actor, just isn't "conventionally" Hollywood attractive. But he loved Rosemary. Which is great, however they would never think about putting let's say, Brad Pitt in as playing Hal and have him running off with an obese woman in the end. So therefore Obese women can only get someone like Jack Black to love them???

The other stereotype that irritated the crap out of me was that, not only was Rosemary obese, but she was also a glutton. As if ALL big women eat 5 course meals every time we sit at the table. Anyways, just a big peeve there.

The point is, that everyone knows that movies and Hollywood set this impossible standard on how women and men should look and everyone here admits it's wrong, yet people still feel they have to alter themselves to be something that they are not. I feel that this movie, while trying to mean well...exacerbates this concept and causes hurt feelings.

A valiant effort of the F-Bros part, but it just didn't cut the mustard with me. Sorry

Much better than it's reputation...

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 12 September 2015]

even if it is a new take on an old idea - character sees someone's inner beauty and is shocked when the magical curtain is torn away.

Hal (Jack Black) is someone whose last words from his dying father were dad - under the influence of extreme pain killing drugs - telling him to go after pretty girls and forget about love. The message is almost pornographic. This confuses young Hal, who is all of age ten, since dad had always been an upright citizen and a preacher too. Hal blocks this shocking scene out of his conscious mind, but the message becomes the ruler of his subconscious. As a result, as an adult, he is constantly going to bars with his equally shallow pal (Jason Alexander as Mauricio) and trying to chat up and dance with girls way out of his league, and he's not even subtle about it.

Fate changes when Hal gets stuck in an elevator with Tony Robbins who puts him under a spell that will make him see only the inner beauty in people, not the external packaging. He winds up catching a glimpse of Rosemary Shanahan, who has a beautiful soul, but is also 300 pounds. At first she thinks he is just making fun of her, but when she finds out his interest is real they start seeing each other. The catch here? Her dad is Hal's boss, and he's been getting nowhere lately getting a promotion at work. One day when Hal and Rosemary come over to her house Hal ends up talking one on one with the boss, and ends up getting the promotion he's been wanting. Of course his coworkers see his progress, see him cozying up to Rosemary and think that he is lower than lice - using the girl to advance his career. As for Mauricio, he goes in search of Tony Robbins to try and undo whatever spell has been cast on his friend, because it is disrupting his social life and Hal's new aesthetics makes no sense to him.

When Hal is put back to "normal", everybody now looks how they did before. Their physical being is what he sees. This means that he is doing everything he can to not actually see Rosemary since he is in love with her and doesn't want to lose that feeling. From Rosemary's end it looks like Hal got his promotion and is done with her. This is the same opinion that his new boss - who for some reason doesn't fire him - and his coworkers have. How will all of this work out? Watch and find out.

There is plenty of low brow humor here, but it is seasoned with a bit of empathy...EXCEPT that the film still indicates that being overweight is just about the worst thing that could happen to someone AND that the reason for that is always out of control gluttony. In other words if you are not a size five it is your own fault. I've never been a fan of Jack Black but I think he did a good job here. As for Jason Alexander, as Mauricio he is still playing George Costanza from Seinfeld, but that is fine with me.

The true beauty is inside all of us

[nataliabatsko · 7/10 · 28 December 2021]

The concept of the movie sounds fun and interesting. Have you ever wanted to see the true beauty of each person?

It's a rather interesting question to say the least. The movie starts Jack Black (Kung fu Panda franchise, Jumanji 2) and Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in love). So the story starts with Hal (Black), who wants to date the prettiest woman on Earth. Recently, he started to date Jill (Susan Ward), but she didn't really like him that much, and she thinks that he only cares about women's appearance rather then personality. But on one average or not so average day he meets a life coach Tony Robbins who "opens" Hal's eyes and now he can see people's inner beauty. Later, Hal falls in love with a person named Rosemary (Paltrow) who seems to him to be the most beautiful girl ever. But she's actually, well, not a model and everyone, including Mauricio (Jason Alexander) are shocked about his decision.

I like the whole moral of the story is that the appearance is not the most important thing in the world, but rather the personality and intentions. Rosie is an extremely nice person, she works at the hospital and helps children with health issues not because of money or popularity, but because she actually wants to help everyone who needs care. Thanks to her, Hal's perspective of view changes on women and just people in general. He was a shallow guy, but thanks to Tony, he became more tolerant. Some people after this review will think that this is just a boring movie about how personality is more important then the looks. But I forgot to mention that it's also a comedy. Sure, it's not laugh out loud, but there are moments that will make you smile. But I must admit, I laughed so hard when both were on a pool party and Rosie jumped into it and the splash was so big, that a little boy somehow fell on a tree. Not saying that overweight people are bad, infact, the movie tells us the opposite, but this scene was hilarious.

Overall, it's a good movie that both men and women need to watch. Sure it's not the absolute best of it's theme (Beauty and the beast is), but a nice story that is both thoughtful and entertaining.

Shallow Hal wants a gal.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 6 November 2014]

Hal Larsen (Jack Black) only ever dates beautiful trophy women on account of advice he received on his death bed from his father. However, a chance meeting with a self-help guru helps him to see inner beauty first and foremost. Soon after, he falls in love with his boss' severely overweight daughter, which as it raises eyebrows everywhere the couple go, Hal is oblivious as to what everyone else is on about.

Tender, sweet and subtle are not words one readily attributes to the Farrelly Brothers, but in Shallow Hal they have managed to blend all three with their penchant for close to the knuckle humour.

Gwyneth Paltrow in the dual role dons the fat-suit and once again showcases her unheralded comic timing, while Jack Black proves ebullient and engaging in a role that calls for him to shut out what he is actually meant to be seeing. In support Jason Alexander gets the weasel best friend comedy sidekick role, and is wonderfully abhorrent and good at keeping the cards close to his chest.

It's never uproariously funny, but it doesn't need to be, it tickles where it needs to, and it prods the emotional psyche with requisite impact. In a world that has become obsessed with the girth and weight of a person, especially with women - and as it happens is led by Hollywood, Shallow Hal is refreshing entertainment. 7/10

I think I should watch it once more

[zetes · 7/10 · 5 January 2003]

A frustrating film in a way. I was hugely disappointed in it for a long while, but as the film progressed I kept wondering if my disappointment was merely a product of my unfair expectations. That's probably the case. I expect a daring comedy from the Brothers Farrelly, but Shallow Hal is surprisingly low-key. It doesn't go for easy laughs, as it easily could have done. The plot concerns a looks-obsessed guy (Jack Black) who is hypnotized into seeing the inner beauty of others. He falls in love with a fat woman who appears to him as Gwyneth Paltrow. When the film came out, a lot of people complained that this was terrible; he only loves her because he is attracted to Gwyneth Paltrow, not the fat incarnation that appears in only a couple of shots in the first 90 minutes of the film. But these people didn't really stick around for the payoff in the third act. What's so surprising about this film is how emotionally involving it is. A lot of this is due to Gwyneth Paltrow, who actually gives one of her best performances. But fans of the Farrelly Brothers, as I am myself, will not be shocked to find that emotional center. It was there in both Kingpin and There's Something About Mary. It's just as fun when the Brothers are mean-spirited, however, as they were in Me, Myself, & Irene and, even better, the unfairly maligned Dumb and Dumber. The serious themes are really on full display here, though. The Brothers have a true and touching affection for physical outsiders. I still wish that they wouldn't have forsaken comedy so much, though. I suppose the only jokes would have been fat jokes, but maybe not. Jason Alexander provides almost all of the good laughs. We wonder why he and Jack Black are so mean about the looks of others when they aren't especially gorgeous themselves. Some people are still asking how such a man as Jason Alexander can be so shallow in this film, but they, as I've said before, didn't stick around until the end. This film may improve on repeat viewings, as it was bothering me for a long while. 7/10.

Reinforcing stereotypes

[annagreenaway · 1/10 · 5 February 2005]

I could not stop watching this film because I was desperate to know exactly how the Farrelly brothers could possibly get themselves out of the huge pit they had dug for themselves. This film claims to be challenging what is considered beautiful in our society. In one section a character expresses the moral heart of the film by saying that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and by suggesting that we are hypnotised into believing what is and is not beautiful by the media etc. Fair enough! However, all representations of inner beauty are portrayed in clichéd and predictable stereotypes of female beauty in exactly the same way you would find in any Hollywood blockbuster. Thus, the film reinforces the same notions of beauty that it claims it is trying to undermine. Also, all fat people are not nice with a "good sense of humour", this is as HUGE stereotype. I am fat, unpleasant and not funny.

Aged pretty well

[barseo · 7/10 · 2 May 2023]

Although times and culture have changed dramatically since this movie was released back in the early 2000's, especially as to what is considered offensive or not, the underlying message portrayed in this still remains strong and relevant. Vanity and shallowness have gone exponential in line with the rise of mobile phones, and yet, to acknowledge this vanity and make fun of it now is taboo. The movie exposes the brutal reality of this shallowness that is rampant across the dating scene, and probably even more so in the world of internet dating. Steriotypical tropes and risqué humour aside, the moral of this story is an important wake-up call for all those in search of a life partner.

Irritating and offensive (slight spoiler)

[mEnTaL_hOpScOtCh · 1/10 · 5 February 2003]

I saw this movie a couple of years ago and it offended me for a number of reasons:

I know that they're trying to say it's what's on the inside that counts, which is true, but they're also saying that fat women can't be beautiful, that it's something you have to *look past* in order to see the "true person". Like he loved her *despite* her being 350 lbs. If someone is gonna love me, then they're gonna love all 378 lbs. of me; there won't be anything to "look past". Another thing that proves my point is that they used Gwyneth Paltrow for one of the main roles. Now WHY didn't they use a *real* big woman like Kathy Bates (Fried Green Tomatoes) or Kathy Kinney (Drew Carey Show)? They used Gwyneth Paltrow in a "fat suit", which further makes me believe that they think fat women can't be beautiful or they would have used someone who was really big in order to make their point. Now, I thought that the way they showed what torment a lot of us big women go through everyday with the stares, comments....etc. was good, but they also countered that "good" act with making her eat like a pig and having her chair collapse, which also is a slap in the face to many big people, because not all of us eat too much (I'm a vegan, as well), some of us are big because of medical problems (like myself) and not all of us have had a chair collapse; I haven't. The way that she got made fun of brought back many memories for me being an overweight teen and I think that they could have done a LOT of good with this movie had they actually gotten input from big people and then tried to expose the stereotyping of big people. I give this movie a 1, it only perpetuates the stereotypes I have to live with every day as a big woman as well as many other heavy people, and I found this movie highly offensive.

Not even close to being as bad as you are led to believe!

[sethmlanders · 9/10 · 17 February 2015]

From the posters and trailers, you'd expect the Farrelly Brothers to be crude and offensive with this kind of material but it really isn't. It has a much deeper message than it appears. It knows when to be funny and knows when to be serious. Why so many people disliked it and why critics panned it is totally beyond me!

The movie is about a man named Hal, played by Jack Black, who judges women based on their looks. He keeps failing at it and his attractive neighbor, Jill, even turns him down after he begs her to go out with him. The next day at his job, he's bummed that he didn't get that big promotion and happens to bump into Tony Robbins in the elevator while leaving his work. They get stuck in the elevator and Hal explains him his love life. Robbins then puts a spell on him to see the inner beauty in women so that he can judge a woman based on her personality. Suddenly, things starts to change for Hal. His best friend Mauricio (played by Jason Alexander) notices Hal's fresh new standards with his taste in women and doesn't like it one bit. Hal then begins dating a woman who is overweight named Rosemary, played by Gwyneth Paltrow. He sees her as a beautiful, petite woman and they hit it off. Mauricio, who is much more picky with women and more shallow than Hal, can't believe it.

That's the plot for you and I won't spoil anything, but let's just say that the story is predictable and the characters are memorable. I can't give the cast enough credit for doing such a wonderful job and it's interesting to see Jack Black like you've never seen him before, departing from his usual slacker/stoner role that he's given. Shallow Hal is a movie with a lot of brains and heart to it, as well as a great date movie. There's more to this movie than it appears, so watch it before you say negative things about it and you may be surprised!

Better than you'd think

[Horror-yo · 7/10 · 6 December 2016]

It's the sort of mainstream comedy you immediately grasp the concept of just by looking at the poster and tagline. But here, the mere narrative in itself isn't the film. It's not as predictable as anticipated, and despite its total thick mainstream comedy atmosphere it actually isn't that unrealistic, despite the totally far-fetched elements, and the film makers made a real effort to make this stay together fairly plausibly.

The criticism: same as for 'Stuck Together' - another Farelly early 2000's film - this comedy is a tad too long though not boring at any moment, focuses on the story a bit too much and thus forgets about the humor; this really could've used a lot more funny having Jack Black in it and the Farellys behind the set. But the morality sticks out in a healthy, pretty handsome sort of way here in the end, rather than it feeling totally facile or force-fed as in other such comedies.

Disturbingly bad movie

[kingbad · 1/10 · 16 November 2001]

Truly disturbing treatment of an OK premise. While sanctimoniously trying to convince viewers that it's wrong to judge

people by outward appearances, it plays on every offensive

stereotype in every godawful movie in which obese people have

appeared. The movie also manages to poke mean-spirited fun at

the physically handicapped, balding, and other targets of

convenience, to no good end. The audience with which I watched

this movie barely laughed at all, and a number of people walked

out. Apparently, to the Farrelly brothers, all appearance-challenged

people are beautiful inside, and everyone good-looking is a

wretch. When are these guys going to figure out that EVERYBODY

is unique, and has something to offer? Forget shallow Hal-

should've called it Shallow Bobby and Peter Farrelly.

Missing the point

[cmqp · 18 August 2003]

It's easy to laugh at this film, because the jokes are so broad, but it's equally easy to be offended. The issue I have with the movie is that, in the course of making the point that we should see the inner-beauty in fat people, the Farrellys are implying that by being overweight you are universally ugly. In fact, in the world of Shallow Hal, if you are fat, you are a well-meaning mammoth who couldn't possibly be fancied unless under hypnosis or after an epiphany.

The movie also seems to suggest that the friends of fat people are ugly, and that uglies keep each other's company because no one else will want to associate with them, which is another reinforcement of social divisions. All of Rosemary's (Paltrow) friends are, as we see at the end, equally fat or gross or otherwise physically undesirable. Most disturbingly, the Farrellys undermine the inner-beauty point they've spent $40 million trying to make through Hal, because Hal's friends betray the judgmental reality. When his buddies see Rosemary for what she is, i.e. grossly fat, they are universally horrified in a "what are you doing with her?" way, which carries a more powerful punch than any of the tepid attempts to suggest she's beautiful because of her personality (moulded, we are told, by years of personal abuse because of her size).

The overall message is correct - inner beauty is ultimately what counts, because a sparkling character will outlast youthful good looks by decades. But the Farrelly's have approached the subject in a way that actually insults, rather than genuinely educates. It's not going to uplift anyone who's overweight, it'll just depress them. The majority of the film perpetuates the idea that being fat or ugly makes you a pariah or the object of sympathy or vulgar fascination.

There are some sweet moments, and a few laughs, so the movie's not a wholly worthless experience. But in the process of making its (valid) point it reinforces, rather than rejects, stereotypes.

A surprisingly touching film

[tenbitcomb · 7/10 · 14 March 2023]

First off, I wouldn't say that this is an amazing film. It's a very good one, though, with a few rough edges. This could have easily been an 8 or even 9 star film if some adjustments were made to the third act.

I'm guessing, like with Disney's The Kid, this film got poor ratings at the time because the audience was expecting rip-roaring laughter. Although Shallow Hal has some funny moments, it's definitely in the romantic comedy genre and leans way more into the former than the latter. I can see how someone seeing the trailer would have expected something more overtly funny. At the same time, I can see how a fan of romcoms would have passed it over given that it doesn't star a Hugh Jackman or a Hugh Grant type (or any hughs, it seems) that one might expect to be in such a flick. Shallow Hal is definitely a case of the audience being primed for the wrong movie.

In short, Shallow Hal is about a guy (named Hal) who, like many impressionable young men, got this idea in his head that he must be with women of stunning, conventional beauty. The beginning of the film does explain why he developed this attitude. He and his buddy (played by Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame) frequent night clubs in pursuit of gorgeous ladies, and are clearly accustomed to rejection after rejection. Hal couldn't even score a second date with his attractive neighbor across the hall. In a stroke of fate, Hal meets Tony Robbins, the motivational speaker, who hypnotizes him into seeing people for their inner beauty. Suddenly, Hal is having the time of his life with beautiful women, not just at the dance club but everywhere. What he doesn't know at first is that these women, whom he thinks are conventionally attractive, are "ugly" in some way. This leads to him meeting a morbidly obese woman with whom he falls in love with. The conflict in the movie begins when Hal's friend realizes he is hypnotized.

Shallow Hal is not a complicated movie. In fact, it's not hard to predict where the plot is going. Nevertheless, it's a unique depiction of the lesson that "what's inside counts most", and it's compelling enough that the audience cares about what happens next. Jack Black is surprisingly endearing in this. I haven't seen every Jack Black film, but for some reason I expected Jack Black to be more of a goofball and less sympathetic. Hal is a quirky guy, but he's sincere and more than just one note. Rather than make us hate-love Hal, which another film maker could have done for easy laughs, the Farrelly Bros made the smart move by letting Hal be a real person while giving Jack Black the room to add his own personal touch. Even if you aren't a fan of Jack Black, I think you'll have to admit that this movie shows that Jack Black is a competent actor who can do more than just funny.

I honestly think Shallow Hal should be required watching for young men, even if they don't get it at first. It's one of those films where the lesson is to touch grass and realize that life is about more than the superficial, and it's done in both a charming and convincing way. At no point are we made to feel like Hal is making a mistake. At least that's how I felt. Many people, both men and women, think they only deserve "hotties", failing to understand that people have more to offer than just their looks, and that someone can like something about someone that others think is "ugly". By seeing the inner beauty of others, he not only enjoys his life more but even becomes a better person as a result.

There's a few reasons why I didn't give this movie a star or two more.

While this film made an effort to be sweet and charming, there's a few scenes where they stuck in a bit of slapstick having to do with Rosemary and her weight. Although they seem to help segue from one scene to another, they stick out like a sore thumb and somewhat undermine the rest of the film. The film would have been better without these moments as they were out of place and unnecessary. It's as if the filmmakers were worried that people weren't going to laugh enough and stuck them in.

The third act of the film feels unfinished. The emotional climax is well set up, but its execution leaves something to be desired. It should have been more impactful. When the audience should have left feeling heartbroken for Hal and for Rosemary, they're left being a little sad. What I'm saying is the heart strings could have been tugged on a little more. They really missed an opportunity for some exceptional emotion, and it's primarily due to a key moment between Hal and Rosemary being outright missing from the script, in my opinion.

It would have also been nice if Jason Alexander's character, Mauricio, had been given a chance to absorb the same lesson Hal learned. We do get a hint that things might change for him, but if the movie had more time, we might have seen a glimpse of something more tangible.

Shallow Hal is definitely worth a watch. Go into it expecting something like an extended Twilight Zone episode but with more of an It's A Wonderful Life vibe to it. Don't expect to be constantly laughing. Appreciate for trying to have substance, rather than being shallow!

Wow! Gwyneth really had to gain weight for this flick.

[=G= · 7/10 · 3 July 2002]

"Shallow Hal" is yet another fresh, creative, and controversial comedy from the Farrlley Brothers. With Black in the title role as a superficial dating single, the film shows us what happens when self-help guru Tony Robbins gives Hal a post-hypnotic suggestion which changes his perception such that everyone's outward appearance is in rapport with their inner beauty. An intelligent flick which illustrates the strange similarity between comedy and tragedy, "Shallow Hal" is a love it or hate it flick which has left many saying "I don't get it". The only way to find out if you'll get it is to watch it.

Boring, Not Funny

[dromasca · 6/10 · 16 September 2002]

Quite a non-interesting comedy. Beyond the gag of having the slim Paltrow play an overweight, there is not too much fun in this film.

The saying 'see the interior beauty' is translated ad-literam when a bachelor confesses his problems to a TV host and wizard (?). From this moment he does not see any longer the real physical appearance of the opposite sex persons, but rather their true soul. Is the world better? Apparently yes, for him, but not for the viewer. The story is not convincing, and the film fails where any romantic comedy should succeed - making us identify with the characters, and see the darlings the way they see it. This simply does not happen, and even the excellent Paltrow marks a low in her acting career.

A film to forget. Avoid it! 6/10, and I feel I was generous.

A sweet rom-com film despite all the hate it gets

[ambusched94 · 7/10 · 7 February 2022]

Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow have pleasant chemistry. I think this is one of Jack Black's best film roles (aside from King Kong and The School of Rock). His charisma and sense of humor are incredibly vibrant. This is the only film where I find Paltrow likable and she delivers a genuine, heartfelt performance as Rosemary. Rumors or not, the actress has said she hated filming this movie. Yet in retrospect, it's her most affable film performance and I daresay perhaps one of her best? Because other than say the film Emma and The Talented Mr. Ripley films, she is an acutely overrated actress.

If you're a fan of the Farrelly Brothers films or a Jack Black fan, Shallow Hal is worth a watch or repeat viewings.

Will be offensive to anybody who isn't confident with their looks: every human being, in other words.

[Ben_Cheshire · 1/10 · 19 July 2004]

Hal (Jack Black) is shallow. He runs into a self-help guru who decides to teach him a lesson, and bends his mind so that he can not notice how fat and disgusting women are: he sees them as skinny young hotties.

Problem with this Farrelly Brothers pic is that Hal is not learning any lesson: he's not actually looking beyond their looks, he just sees them as good looking. So as far as Hal is concerned, he's still being shallow.

In order to be funny, Farrellys had to represent his "learning not to be shallow" as just a visual impairment where he hallucinates fat people as skinny. Its the only way the comedy would have worked, yes, but its fairly offensive.

The movie is still saying that these people are disgusting, and that only someone who has been brainwashed would want to be with them. Its ending is implausible, and has no impact on this message.

2/10. Anyone who doesn't look as cute as Gwynyth Paltrow does in real life don't see this film. You will find it offensive.

Are You A Shallow Guy?

[Lady_Targaryen · 7/10 · 25 January 2006]

Hal Larson is an average looking guy that has a big flaw: he is too shallow when the subject is women,finding flaws and every girl he meets and always dreaming with a difficult or an almost impossible standard. This make problems even for himself, since he never gets the girls he is attracted to. One day, inside the elevator, Hal meets a very famous guru called Tony Robbins, and when Hal explain his problems with girls the guru helps him with that: now, he will only look the inner beauty of the people, and in this way have success with the ladies. For Hal, life couldn't be better, since he is going out with lots of 'pretty ladies',but his friend Mauricio is really disturbed, specially after Hal introduces Rosemary, his new girlfriend, to Mauricio. Hal sees Rosemary as one of the most beautiful women he already met, but Mauricio sees a 300 pounds horrible lady. I know this movie is a comedy, but for me it also has some critics about our society today, and how shallow many people are with impossible standards.

Shallow Film for a shallow audience

[Filmfan-NL · 2/10 · 17 January 2007]

It's a nice thought experiment. How would you perceive the people around you if all you could see was their inner beauty? How clearly would it demonstrate we mostly judge people based on their looks, clothing, make-up and style. Unfortunately Hollywood has managed to use this premise and ruin it in Shallow Hal. It may seem to be a filmed version of exactly that experiment, yet is isn't once you think about it. It's not our shallow lead character only sees Rosemary's inner beauty, he is mind-tricked into seeing inner beauty translated into a hot and sexy package. So after all he is not wooing Gwynneth Paltrow because of her great personality, he is still chasing his usual hare, today's ideal in looks, who also happens to be a nice person. Duhh! THINK! In fact, this movie boils down to shallow jokes about fat people, like huge knickers and such, where the source of many of the corny jokes lies in the fact the audience know how fat his dream girl really is, a fact which he is oblivious to. And of course, in the end, when he 'wakes up' he cannot but conclude Rosemary is still who he wants to be with. So, lucky nice and fat people, there is hope after all. All you have to hope for is a blind or hypnotised goof ball who cannot see you are fat, and then, maybe you'll get lucky if this period lasts long enough. Be honest, would you have liked Rosemary (kind of a boring goodie two shoes gal if you ask me) if you had to constantly watch let's say Roseanne Arnold (Barr) play that exact same character? It amazes me how many people apparently don't see the hypocrisy in this flick and don't even feel their intelligence is abused here. Besides this stupidity the film just isn't funny, it hardly made me laugh. In a nutshell: trash it. Waste of your time and intelligence. 2/10

One of the sweetest movies I've ever seen!

[mattymatt4ever · 8/10 · 9 July 2002]

No contest, I will say this marks the best of the Farrelly Brothers. Not because this film is laugh-out-loud funny--it's funny, but not hilarious--but because it has a great heart and delivers a beautiful message without any corny Hollywood pretentions. Sure, the premise is funny--a shallow guy gets virtually hypnotized into thinking all the unattractive women he sees are foxes and ends up going out with a 500-pound woman who he also thinks is a fox. It's a great premise, but the Farrellys don't fixate on that premise alone, preventing it from turning it into a lame, one-joke slapstick comedy. This is a comedy with heart--a rare finding. In between laughs, you really get wrapped up in the characters and storyline. The gags flow quite naturally, without the Farrellys forcing any humor onto the screen. If a comic opportunity comes along, they take advantage, but there's no random acts of slapstick.

I am pleasantly surprised with Jack Black, who has proved in this movie that he doesn't only have what it takes as a comic actor, but also as a serious actor and a romantic lead. I've always enjoyed seeing him on screen, but he usually plays the same wound-up, hyperkinetic characters. Basically, he's funny, but you still know you're watching Jack Black on screen. This time he exercises his ability as a method actor, he succeeds well. Gwyneth Paltrow is adorable and sweet, capturing the audience's sympathy with her winning smile. Joe Viterelli is amusing as her overweight Irish father, and actually pulls off a fairly convincing Irish accent. The sizzling hot Brooke Burns makes a few appearances. And Jason Alexander is always a joy to watch.

I think "Shallow Hal" does the best job at conveying the message that beauty is on the inside. It has been conveyed before in films like "The Nutty Professor," but I feel this film conveyed it best. This could've easily been a 105-minute fat joke, but it doesn't travel that route. There are no crude or mean-spirited gags. Could it be that the Farrelly Brothers matured? Even of the films of theirs that I liked (ex.: "Dumb and Dumber," "There's Something About Mary") are a little uneven and contain a few gags that are just plain cruel. Like in "Mary," Cameron Diaz's brother is mentally ill and the butt of a few jokes. Here, we have a character that walks on both his arms and legs, but he's portrayed as a normal character, and not as a gimmick for some cheap laughs. There are moments that really tugged at my heartstrings. The "burn victim" scene brought quite a few tears to my eyes. The story is solid, with no boring lulls. And the soundtrack is pretty good--I have criticized the Farrellys in the past for using crappy music in their sountracks.

If you're looking for a good romantic/date movie with some good laughs and a good message, "Shallow Hal" will be an absolute delight.

My score: 8 (out of 10)

Flawed but funny

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 14 February 2021]

First things first: remember that this movie has quite the big holes internally. The logic it sets out, the world it builds ... a house of cards seems like a concrete and solid strucure if you'd compare them. That is especially true when you think about the perception thing. A very funny (if you are not easily offended) sight gag ... that is not completely thought through or made just for those it feels the jokes are working for.

Again don't overthink it, don't be too PC about the premise either. I doubt the movie could be made nowadays. When Avengers had "fat Thor" the outcry was massive ... what would they say about this then? One can only imagine. And before you say well this is a comedy, Thor is a God (well supposedly, even if not at least not a human)! So if people were mad about that ... and I'm not trying to tell anyone how they should feel about certain things. Perception again is key ... it would be just a waste of your time if you were to be easily offended. I found myself cringing at moments and I do give movies like this some slack to say the least.

It was also important that Hal would not be the shallowest person in the movie ... though with his friend you also don't see him changing ... than again maybe his exterior matches his interior? Or maybe not ... again why am I even thinking about this? I shouldn't ... enjoy this if you can

Shallow Hal is just that- Shallow

[tanya_lamb · 1/10 · 23 November 2001]

Poor acting, poor directing, terrible script with tasteless cliches about overweight people. Gwyneth Paltrow acted as if she was thinking about what she'd do that evening rather than her role. Jack Black was good but this role was not suited for him. By far the worst movie I have seen in a very long time.