Shallow Hal


Shallow Hal

3/4

Starring: Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jason Alexander, Susan Ward, Joe Vitrelli

Rated PG-13 for Language and Sexual Content

The Farrelly Brothers are the kings of mixing raunchy humor and sweet romance ("Hall Pass" aside).  They became famous with "Dumb and Dumber," but fell aside with "Kingpin."  Their status in Hollywood was cemented with the hysterical "There's Something About Mary," which set the new bar for raunchy comedies.  "Shallow Hal" is just as politically incorrect, but not nearly as gross.  It's primarily a love story (albeit a funny one).

On his deathbed, Hal's father (a cameo by Bruce McGill) gave a morphine-induced piece of advice to his son: marry the hottest person you can find.  Love means nothing.  That's something that Hal takes to heart.  The problem is, he looks like Jack Black, and most women don't want to have anything to do with him.  His best friend Mauricio (Alexander) is just as shallow and just as chubby.  But when Hal gets stuck in an elevator with Tony Robbins, the self-help guru enables him to see the "inner beauty" of women.  In other words, a nice girl will look like a supermodel to him even if she looks like a train wreck to everyone else.  
That's when he spots Rosemary (Paltrow), a stunning blonde with an image problem.  He falls for her head over heels.  But what he doesn't know is that in real life, she weighs about a half-ton.

The beauty of this story is that the romance works.  Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow have great chemistry.  We want them to end up together.  Jack Black shows aptitude for drama underneath his trademark crass humor, and Gwyneth Paltrow has never been more radiant.  They're both good people with rough edges (he's a superficial jerk whose been duped for the better, and she has an image problem).  Jason Alexander is very good as Hal's friend whose high standards mask his insecurities.  Susan Ward is good as Hal's neighbor who suddenly finds him attractive, and the late great Joe Vitrelli is terrific as Rosemary's father (who happens to be the CEO of the company that Hal works for).

The Farrellys have never known the meaning of the term "subtle," and that hasn't changed here.  What makes their project work is the chemistry they germinate from their stars and their focus.  There are a few subplots running around, but the Farrellys position them as extensions of the main plot.  They all orbit the central love story, and that's what makes it work.  The majority of the time is spent with the two lovebirds.

While no one is going to mistake "Shallow Hal" for a message movie like "When A Man Loves A Woman," it has something to say about inner beauty.  It's not revolutionary, but it reminds is why it's good to never judge a book by its cover

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