Overall Rating
  Awesome: 14.55%
Worth A Look: 27.27%
Average: 31.82%
Pretty Bad: 17.27%
Total Crap: 9.09%
6 reviews, 74 user ratings
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| Shallow Hal |
by JFactor
"Very second-rate - at best!"
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The Farrelly Brothers are not your average directors. Any fan would be able to see that. Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, King Pin and Me Myself and Irene make up the bulk of their resume, and, if only in their early days, have become very bankable directors that certainly turn in the profits. But lately, their reputations may have gone to their heads. The quality we have come to expect from the masters of the rude and crude is certainly lacking.Me, Myself and Irene was the first of their efforts, after the high of Mary that is, that was dismal compared to its predecessors. Besides a small outing with producing films here and there since Irene, which also became flops, it is not looking good, and everyone would certainly looking to this little one to put them back on top where they really do belong.
Unfortunately though, this could be another one to plonk on the old scrap heap along with the other misses. Shallow Hal certainly has the guts to try and get up there, but fails more than it really should.
It follows Hal Larson (Black) and his egotistical self-indulgent attempt to meet up a hot babe and score. Of course, this isn’t an easy task as he is not actually that attractive at all.
After getting stuck in an elevator with self-help guru Tony Robbins and spilling his guts on how he tries to get in good with the ladies, gets a “whole new perspective on life” to quote the movie. Indeed, as Hal now sees everyone according to how his or her heart feels. This is portrayed quite funnily in his first encounters, but things change as he falls for Rosemary (Paltrow), his boss’s daughter. Thinking she is a skinny, beautiful goddess, he becomes more and more wrapped up with her and falls head over heels in love, despite what other people, and in particularly, his friend Mauricio (Alexander) have to say.
While he seems happy that his new love doesn’t feel repulsed by him like other women usually are, the truth in time is revealed and Hal has to see for real what Rosemary really looks like.
So how can this be bad? Surely the Farrelly’s screwball humour in this movie would create a kick-ass comedy. But sadly they have once again missed the mark.While Me Myself and Irene went a little too far with the stupidity and failed to capture the simplicity that made Mary a hit, Shallow Hal actually fears to leave the shallow end of the pool to make us laugh.
The trailer delivers all the best bits that are on offer, a dilemma that sends far to many promising movies into the trash pile well before they are due. Shallow Hal certainly has some pearlers that echo exactly what we have come to expect from the directors. Perfect example is the subtle scene of Paltrow and Black walking past the museum of fine art! Simply hilarious.
But the lack of consistency on their behalf leaves us with empty spaces where they leave us more time to think about what we are actually watching.
Laughing at the expense of fat, ugly and unpleasant people that society would rather scrape off the road like garbage is hardly something that makes for highly entertaining viewing. But, it is a card that the Farrellys play all the time. However, most of Shallow Hall makes the viewer feel guilty at what we are doing, then ambushing them in the closing acts by saying that we are scum ourselves. A little bit over the top.
Everything then concludes with the PC ending that is shoved down your throat ends the session.
However, you can hardly feel robbed of admission price after the credits roll. Anyone wanting to see this should know that they are in for a lesson in good manners, good morals and good behaviour. But simply the fact that the names behind the creation of Shallow Hal are not know for being quite this obvious when it comes to say how we should really behave, it comes as a disappointment that they were not a little more risqué than their usual efforts.
Black’s Hal is, of course shallow, and there is no sympathy for him when he has to make the decision. And while Paltrow’s Rosemary gets the respect in the movies finale, being the pawn of the jokes and trying to maintain whatever respect she has seems a little wasted.
Even Alexander reeks of the same old formula that Black and Paltrow are composed of, rendering their precence dry and lifeless with little appeal.
Shallow Hal is very second-rate at best. The “safe” style that the Farrelly’s have gone with here is just not what was expected. It can’t be denied that the film is of good quality, and certainly funny in its fair share of scenes. But getting a lesson in morals, well, the last Disney fare had that.A little more subtlety in the lesson will be fine. But until that comes along, it looks like the classics will have to do.
 del.icio.us 
link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=5567&reviewer=290
originally posted: 01/08/02 19:06:12
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USA
09-Nov-2001 (PG-13)
UK
N/A
Australia
01-Jan-2002
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