Shallow Hal wants a gal. 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
***Fun romcom with a worthy message*** A shallow man (Jack Black) from Charlotte, North Carolina, falls in love with a 300 lb. woman (Gwyneth Paltrow) after Tony Robbins enables him to see inner merit. Jason Alexander is on hand as his best friend. “Shallow Hal” (2001) is a romcom that’s both amusing and meaningful. The movie stresses the importance of inward beauty, which Hal was incapable of seeing because of his focus on solely physical attractiveness. When the latter is removed through Tony Robbins' mesmerism he's finally able to see the former. Whiney libs that are unable to grasp fantasy and humor might be offended by the fat jokes, but the overall moral is commendable. The flick scores pretty well in the feminine department with Paltrow in her prime and never looking better, speaking as someone who was never overly wowed by her. She’s jaw-dropping here and the movie doesn’t fail to spotlight her beauty. Other beautiful women are featured, like Susan Ward as Hal’s neighbor, Jill. The film runs 1 hour, 54 minutes and was shot in Charlotte, North Carolina. GRADE: B+
Really good watch, could watch again, and can recommend. Now, I'm honestly not the biggest fans of this cast: Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jason Alexander, but that's not to discredit their acting abilities, and I don't just limit that to these performances as everyone did a great job. Because of the complexity of the story itself, they clearly wanted to make this as silly and palatable as possible so everything essentially has rounded corners and rubberized edges. Hal is purposely left as a generic stock character to endear the audience as lesser but relatable, when it's actually a representation of the expectant audience. Mauricio is clearly a similar representation of our self-loathing, self-sabotaging selves: anytime we actually get something we think we might not deserve we take it away. Even Rosemarie is a generic representation of women's self-view (granted it is wildly simplified in this "guy's" movie), and by "blurring" the view between taught beauty (very clearly Jack learned from his dad) and personal connection you're able to find real happiness with people that might actually matter to you past an image. I and the movie aren't "glorifying fatness" (people say weird stuff), you should of course continue to work and be the best version of you that you can be, but "but he/she/it is fat" shouldn't be the only factor. It touches on real issues in the work and that ruins the escapism for me a little bit, but it does it in such a odd, fun, philosophical way it's easy enough to overlook.
**Shallow Hal might have a pretty divisive premise in today's culture, but the message and character growth champion worth and dignity while making you laugh.** This movie would never be allowed to release in today's world, but it was a hit when it came out in 2001, and it's because it really is a funny, sweet movie. What could be a crude and offensive movie is thoughtful and even deep at moments while being laugh-out-loud hilarious. Jack Black plays the same lovable goofball as always, except this time, his character struggles with only caring about a person's appearance and his particular expectations on how they should look. But as the movie progresses, Hal grows and matures, discovering the beauty in everyone, both inside and out. Shallow Hal ultimately shares a meaningful message while also pouring on the laughs and poking fun at every character in the film. So don't balk at the premise of the movie. Instead, give it a shot, and you might just enjoy it.
In this comedic short, a man assumes his brother's identity as a doctor to avoid a speeding ticket. Complications ensue when the police officer later asks the "doctor" to examine his wife.
Movie Star Rating : 0 Read More
Robbie, a local rock star turned wedding singer, is dumped on the day of his wedding. Meanwhile, waitress Julia finally sets a wedding date with her fiancée Glenn. When Julia and Robbie meet and hit it off, they find that things are more complicated than anybody thought.
Movie Star Rating : 6.8 Read More
Cecilia is a waitress in New Jersey, living a dreary life during the Great Depression. Her only escape from her mundane reality is the movie theatre. After losing her job, Cecilia goes to see 'The Purple Rose of Cairo' in hopes of raising her spirits, where she watches dashing archaeologist Tom Baxter time and again.
Movie Star Rating : 7.4 Read More
A pair of buddies conspire to save their best friend from marrying the wrong woman, a cold-hearted beauty who snatches him from them and breaks up their Neil Diamond cover band.
Movie Star Rating : 5.6 Read More
A politician's wife and the mortician who has secretly loved her for years plan to fake her death so they can run away together.
Movie Star Rating : 6.1 Read More
During their first year of internship at New North Hospital, a group of aspiring doctors undergo both personal and professional upheavals.
Movie Star Rating : 5.4 Read More
The writer of a bad TV series begins to rethink his life when he meets and falls in love with a beautiful actress.
Movie Star Rating : 4.2 Read More
While visiting his hometown during Christmas, a man comes face-to-face with his old high school crush whom he was best friends with – a woman whose rejection of him turned him into a ferocious womanizer.
Movie Star Rating : 6.2 Read More
Min-Soo is a playboy who can't tolerate long term relationships. However, fate takes him to beautiful Hye-Won. While, Min-Soo becomes totally captivated by Hye-Won, Hye-Woon tries to resist Min-Soo, fearing their love will be shortened by her terminal illness.
Movie Star Rating : 6.7 Read More
When Berke Landers, a popular high school basketball star, gets dumped by his life-long girlfriend, Allison, he soon begins to lose it. But with the help of his best friend Felix's sister Kelly, he follows his ex into the school's spring musical. Thus ensues a love triangle loosely based upon Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", where Berke is only to find himself getting over Allison and beginning to fall for Kelly.
Movie Star Rating : 5.6 Read More
Revealed How to Poison a Planet 2024 - Movies (Apr 28th)
Branching Out 2024 - Movies (Apr 28th)
The Assembly 2024 - Movies (Apr 28th)
Dora Say Hola to Adventure! 2023 - Movies (Apr 28th)
Boy Kills World 2023 - Movies (Apr 28th)
Curious Caterer Foiled Plans 2024 - Movies (Apr 27th)
Robert De Niro Hiding in the Spotlight 2023 - Movies (Apr 27th)
Clockwork Orange The Prophecy 2023 - Movies (Apr 27th)
Madame Web 2024 - Movies (Apr 27th)
Mean Girls 2024 - Movies (Apr 27th)
The Fall Guy 2024 - Movies (Apr 27th)
The Idea of You 2024 - Movies (Apr 27th)
The Doomsday Cult of Antares de la Luz 2024 - Movies (Apr 25th)
Sayen The Hunter 2024 - Movies (Apr 26th)
You Can Call Me Bill 2023 - Movies (Apr 27th)
Breaking Olympia The Phil Heath Story 2024 - Movies (Apr 26th)
Cash Out 2024 - Movies (Apr 26th)
Infested 2023 - Movies (Apr 26th)
All India Rank 2023 - Movies (Apr 26th)
Hack Your Health The Secrets of Your Gut 2024 - Movies (Apr 26th)
Humane 2024 - Movies (Apr 26th)
Match of the Day 2 - (Apr 28th)
CSI- Vegas - (Apr 29th)
Inside with Jen Psaki - (Apr 28th)
Mammals - (Apr 28th)
MotoGP Unlimited - (Apr 28th)
Be My Guest with Ina Garten - (Apr 28th)
Girl Meets Farm - (Apr 28th)
The SmackDown LowDown - (Apr 28th)
Blue Ridge - (Apr 28th)
Krempoli - A Place For Wild Children - (Apr 28th)
Earth Odyssey with Dylan Dreyer - (Apr 28th)
Ninja Kamui - (Apr 28th)
Horrible Histories - (Apr 28th)
LEGO Masters - (Apr 28th)
All Elite Wrestling- Rampage - (Apr 28th)
Harlem Globetrotters- Play It Forward - (Apr 28th)
The Kelly Clarkson Show - (Apr 28th)
ROH On HonorClub - (Apr 28th)
All Elite Wrestling- Collision - (Apr 28th)
Marvels Spidey and His Amazing Friends - (Apr 28th)