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Shallow Hal

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Shallow Hal (2001)

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Reviews Counted:119

Fresh:60

Rotten:59

Average Rating:5.5/10

Consensus: While surprisingly sweeter and warm-hearted than previous Farrelly outings, Shallow Hal is also less funny and more bland.

Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly continue their string of hilarious oddball comedies with SHALLOW HAL. Hal (Jack Black of HIGH FIDELITY) is a "regular guy" who has no luck with women because he... Directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly continue their string of hilarious oddball comedies with SHALLOW HAL. Hal (Jack Black of HIGH FIDELITY) is a "regular guy" who has no luck with women because he only wants to be with women who look like supermodels. Then self-help guru Tony Robbins hypnotizes Hal so that he can see a woman's inner beauty. When Hal meets Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow), a Peace Corps volunteer who is smart and funny, he thinks his dreams have come true. Others, like Hal's slimy friend Mauricio (Jason Alexander), see Rosie for what she is, a 300-pound woman, but Hal can only see the beauty on the inside, so to him she looks like Gwyneth Paltrow. Black shines in his first starring role. His engagingly manic energy keeps the film in high gear. Paltrow skillfully plays Rosemary as an obese woman in a thin woman's body. The Farrelly brothers' comedies work so well because they mix off-the-wall humor with characters the audience identifies with and cares about. SHALLOW HAL is outrageous and funny, occasionally exceeding the bounds of good taste, but it's also a touching love story. Fans of Black's band, Tenacious D, will be happy to see bandmate Kyle Gass in a small role. [More]

Starring: Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jason Alexander, Zen Gesner

Starring: Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jason Alexander, Zen Gesner, Susan Ward, Laura Kightlinger, Sascha Knopf, Joe Viterelli, Kyle Gass

Director: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly

Director: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly
Screenwriter: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly, Sean Moynihan
Producer: Bradley Thomas, Charles B. Wessler, Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly
Composer: Ivy
Studio: 20th Century Fox

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Reviews for Shallow Hal

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
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N/R

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Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
12/15/03
Alexander Walker
Alexander Walker
This is London
N/R

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Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
12/15/03
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

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Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/30/02
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
N/R

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Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
06/20/02
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

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Full Review Source: FilmFour.com | comment Comment
02/26/02
FilmFour.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
02/10/02
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
02/03/02
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Hilarious in parts, sickeningly sentimental in others, Shallow Hal has the Farrellys trying to expand their range, with only mildly successful results.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
01/21/02
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
BBC
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/18/08
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Farrellys take an artistic step backward with this soft, disappointingly sentimental comedy about the true nature of beauty; they seem to have forgotten their roots in the outrageous and gross-out.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
01/13/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

[An] insulting new comedy from Bobby and Peter Farrelly.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
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N/R

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Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
05/08/04
Todd R. Ramlow
Todd R. Ramlow
PopMatters
N/R

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Full Review Source: Zap2it.com | comment Comment
02/24/04
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
Zap2it.com

There's just about enough charm and laughs here to keep Farrelly fans happy. Even the fat ones.

Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) | comment Comment
02/13/03
Tom Grealis
Tom Grealis
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

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Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

In delivering their message, the Farrelly Brothers seem to have compromised their nothing-is-sacred comedy spirit, but at least their hearts are in the right place.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
01/12/03
Jeffrey Chen
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies
N/R

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Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
10/21/02
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan
 
 
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Latest News for Shallow Hal

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