Shallow Hal (2001)

A good message does not a good movie make. This movie has a damn fine message but is it a good movie?

Title: Shallow Hal

Directors: Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly

Starring: Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jason Alexander

Rated: PG-13

Released: 2001

Rating: 3/5

Basic Plot: Hal is very shallow until an encounter with a hypnotist makes him see the inner beauty of people.

The Message
This is very much a movie with a message. The message is that it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside but inner beauty. Hal falls in love with Rosemary because her inner beauty looks like a hot supermodel. This is a good message, but all the people that are fat, injured, ect. all have great inner beauties and none of their inner beauties look ugly. While the pretty people either are normal looking or ugly as sin. In reality, some people that don't look good on the outside have similar inner 'beauties'.

Rosemary and Hal
Hal's relationship with Rosemary starts out as purely physical. Yes, he's seeing her inner beauty but that inner beauty is giving him a boner. Through the majority of the movie it is purely a physical relationship that starts to shift into Hal realizing that she's a great person to be around. By the end of the movie he has truly fallen for Rosemary despite her size.

Final Thoughts
This is a mediocre movie. The gimmick would work in a five minute skit and works decently in this movie. The story is interesting enough while being cliche (there is the classic misunderstanding). If you're looking for a good chick flick to watch this is a good choice. For those that don't like chick flicks: this won't kill you but it isn't something you'd want to put yourself through anyways.