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by Alex Keen Published: November 7, 2001
Directed by Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow as Rosemary Shanahan Jack Black as Hal Jason Alexander as Mauricio Additional information available at Internet Movie Database. In case you are unfamiliar with how “attached” movie trailers work, I’ll explain briefly. Whenever you go to the movies, you will usually see 4-6 trailers before the feature. While the first set of trailers is added to the film by the theater itself, the final one (or two) trailer is “attached.” An “attached” trailer is sent as part of the film. It is expected that projectionist will not remove that trailer from the film at any time. What was interesting about “Shallow Hal” was it had two “attached” trailers, neither of which were “Star Wars: Episode II.” The first trailer was “The Black Knight,” starring Martin Lawrence, and the second was “Behind Enemy Lines,” with Luke Wilson. Both are 20th Century Fox films. Even more interesting was a splice between “Behind Enemy Lines” and the feature. A splice is when a projectionist cuts out something and then tapes it (aka splices) back together. Was the “Star Wars: Episode II” trailer cut out because the theater was not allowed to show it? Was the film “coincidentally” cut? We’ll see soon enough. “Shallow Hal” is the story of Hal (Jack Black), a man addicted to loving superficial women, who is forced to see the inner beauty of the most unattractive women. After an opening sequence of Hal and best friend Mauricio (Jason Alexander) groping super-hot ladies in a bar, Hal has a magical run-in with empowerment guru Tony Robbins. Stuck in an elevator together, the two men discuss Hal obsession with external beauty. Hal is magically altered by Robbins, forcing him to see less attractive women for their true beauty. Despite that the Farrelly brothers are responsible for the direction and script of “Shallow Hal,” this film avoids becoming a gross-out comedy like "There's Something About Mary" and is instead akin to a romantic comedy like “Roxanne.” Sure there are numerous mini gross-out moments in "Shallow Hal," they are of the PG-13 variety, and are not typically fat jokes (with the exception of the montage seen in the trailer). In concept, "Shallow Hal" does not appear to be a romantic comedy at all. From all the trailers and advertising, it appears to be more about making fun of fat people. In reality, "Shallow Hal" is about the beauty of honesty and stupidity of superficiality. Jack Black as Hal plays the straight man for much of the film. Unlike his maniacal troublemakers in “Saving Silverman” and “High Fidelity,” Black is calm and only slightly “coo-coo.” Although at first it feels awkward, as the film progresses, Black begins to look and feel comforting. In some scenes the guy is downright huggable. The only real weakness in Black's portrayal is that sometimes he comes across over-muted. Gwyneth Paltrow, not known for her comedic talents, is quite good as Rosemary. Although her biggest laughs are obviously ironic fat jokes, she is at her best when she ditches the comedy. In the few dramatic scenes she has with Black, there is a genuine chemistry that has to be attributed to Paltrow. Black is not typically the nice guy, but Rosemary’s love for Hal seems so genuine, Paltrow must be responsible. The Farrelly brothers did a good job of creating a character not too over the top for Paltrow to portray. Paltrow is poised and charming portraying the inner beauty of Rosemary. Jason Alexander, Hal’s best friend Mauricio, is the comedic relief that fails to deliver on multiple occasions. In fact he was practically wasted, until “the scene.” Every Farrelly brothers has a scene of ridiculousness never seen before. Humor and disgust collide to create a laugh riot. With Alexander’s help, “Shallow Hal” has a moment you may never forget. Unfortunately with all these great performances, the film has a serious fault - brevity. The comedy is sometimes too drawn-out, while some of the emotional scenes feel repetitive. If “Shallow Hal” had about 5-10 minutes trimmed of, and the pace was quickened a bit, it would surely be considered as one of the best comedies this year. As long as the concept does not offend you, “Shallow Hal” should successfully entertain and charm you. I would like to admit, that when entering the theater, I expected to hate “Shallow Hal.” While the film had flaws, it surprised me throughout. The Farrelly brothers successfully made a mildly disgusting, but mostly romantic comedy. Also keep your eyes out for a solid cameos performance by Joe Viterelli and Anthony Robbins (in addition to the foxy Jill Ward). Overall Rating: B- Other Early Reviews: Monsters, Inc., Amelie, and Tape. MY 100th COLUMN!!! |
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