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Shallow HalRating:
Release Date: 17 February, 2004 Retail Price: $14.98 OUR Price: $13.48 You SAVE: $1.50! Cast: Complete Cast (7 total) |
Shallow Hal Reviews
Shallow Flick...
The Farrelly Brothers have made a name for themselves with their 'nobody is safe' brand of comedy. And SHALLOW HAL is a high concept film that attempts to again deliver on that expectation. However, it falls short here for a few reasons.
First, we now expect the ruthless comedy at some unfortunate's expense so there is no shock surprise. But, more disasterous is that their 'message' that "beauty is within" is contradictory to that ruthless comedy. How can they shamelessly have fun at someone's expense and then water down their own resolve by saying "Don't judge the book by the cover..."?! Their brand of comedy is based on the cover...
And the worst infraction of all is that this film is occasionally funny, but we've seen it all in the trailer. TONY ROBBINS does a great job in the role of TONY ROBBINS. Not only does he deliver a standard Tony Robbins message but, it serves as the thrust for the whole story. But, landing Tony in the role seems to be the best thing going for the film. Gwyneth is beautiful and has moments of sharp comedy but is often trapped in the gimmick of her role. Jack Black can be funny but I haven't seen anything worth carrying a film yet. Jason Alexander is pretty sturdy in the supporting role that adds a Farrelly twist to the tail... err tale.
"Would You Rather Have A Woman With One (...) Or Half A Brain?'
After taking gross out comedy to new heights with "There's Something About Mary" and "Me, Myself And Irene", Bobby and Peter Farrelly decided to tone it down for their next film. The result was this wonderfully offbeat comedy about a womanizer who learns the hard way that there is indeed beauty on the inside.
Jack stars as Hal Larson, a relentless skirtchaser who, ever since his dad advised him on his deathbed, has always looked for the right women. However, instead of a woman who's kind and accessible (ie, the average looking, marrying type), Hal's idea of a perfect woman is one with a nice (...), long legs and big (...). Along with his friend Mauricio (Jason Alexander, trying desparately to add some life into his post - "Seinfeld" career), Hal scowers various dance clubs looking for beautiful women. One day, everything changes. Hal gets stuck in an elevator with self help guru Tony Robbins. Hal and Tony have a discussion. Tony is bothered by Hal's superficiality when it comes to women, and puts a spell of sorts of Hal. Hal is now able a woman's inner beauty. In his eyes, all women are beautiful. The problem is, in everyone's else's eyes, they're really not all that attractive. So when Jack meets the 300 pound plus Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow in a fat suit), he sees her as the typical stick thin blonde he's used to. Hal hits it off with her without ever knowing what she really looks like. As Mauricio becomes increasingly worried about his friend, Hal and Rosemary fall deeper in love. Until the spell is broken. Of course, by the end, everything wraps up in a preditable fashion, but it still works out.
The film is every funny. I applaud Gwyneth changing her look for her role. Most actresses would balk at the idea, but Gwyneth is about showing off her acting talents rather than her looks (though she is a very beautiful women). Jack Black is very funny as Hal, and though as I said earlier he's trying shamelessly to revive his career, it was nice to have Jason Alexander along for the ride. Loaded with extras, this is a dvd that I would recommend to most people.
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