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Shallow Hal Details

2001 Certificate 12
  • Rated:
  • 60
  • from 17,036 members

Hal Larsen is the ultimate shallow guy. Hal finds beauty only in supermodels and centrefolds. The first thing he looks for in a woman is looks. Hal won't even consider dating someone with a less-than-perfect body, smile and sense of style. But after an impromptu hypnosis by self-help guru Tony Robbins, Hal's view of woman makes .. Read more

Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black, Jason Alexander, Joe Viterelli
Director Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Genres Comedy, Romance

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Shallow Hal

Hal Larsen is the ultimate shallow guy. Hal finds beauty only in supermodels and centrefolds. The first thing he looks for in a woman is looks. Hal won't even consider dating someone with a less-than-perfect body, smile and sense of style. But after an impromptu hypnosis by self-help guru Tony Robbins, Hal's view of woman makes a 180-degree turn; he now sees their true inner beauty. Enter Rosemary, an overweight Peace Corps volunteer. Hal, envisioning Rosemary's kindness and humour as female nirvana, is instantly smitten and an idyllic romance begins. When the spell is broken, Hal must now face unrecognisable Rosemary and learns one of life's most important lessons.

Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black, Jason Alexander, Joe Viterelli, Susan Ward
Director Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Studio 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time DVD: 1 hr 48 mins
Certificate Certificate 12
Genres Comedy, Romance
Language DVD: English
Released DVD: 12 Aug 2002
Production year: 2001
Format DVD
  • Critics' reviews (3) of Shallow Hal

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  • 3 stars out of 5

    Gwyneth Paltrow dons a fat suit and pretends she knows what it's like to carry a few (well, about 200) extra pounds in this comedy from the Farrelly brothers. Prepare to be mildly offended (and intermittently amused) by Hal (Jack Black), a man who only goes for the most attractive gals, which in his mind means the slender, supermodel type. That is until he's hypnotised by a motivational speaker (Tony Robbins) into only seeing a woman's inner beauty. Hal then finds himself falling for sweet-natured Rosemary (Paltrow) who, in his eyes, meets his pre-trance criteria when in fact she's a bit heftier than he believes. A surprisingly tame offering from the Farrellys, this is more romance than comedy, and those expecting Dumb and Dumber-style gross-out laughs will be disappointed. However, if the premise doesn't offend, it's an enjoyable way to pass the time.

    • Radio Times
  • A movie that has its cake and eats it several times over, gorging on fat jokes and then adding a syrup of sentimentality to excuse them.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
  • Most helpful member's review of Shallow Hal

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  • 15 out of 17 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    Hilarious

    one of the most funniest films ive seen this year, the story was good with some really funny moments, grab your self some popcorn your in for a laugh.

      • A customer from Uk Derby
  • Most recent members' review of Shallow Hal

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  • 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars

    Not bad.

    I thought this film was pretty funny. I must confess to being a Jack Black fan and therefore slightly biased, but I've never been that keen on Gwyneth Paltrow so that kind of balances it out.

    I thought she played her role really well and although there were no real hard laughs in the film it was amusing throughout - though more for the dialogue comedy and Jack Blacks confused looks than any of the fat jokes. Worth watching if are in the mood for a light comedy.

      • mythgodz from Shropshire
  • News and features

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    Nacho Libre

    Jack Black sings up for comedy-fest

    • 04 Jun 2007

    School Of Rock star Jack Black has signed up for the new film from Columbia, Year One, adding his name to a list of funnymen that are involved with the movie. According to reports, the man from Shallow Hal, Nacho Libre and Orange County has pledged his acting talents to the movie, which is written and directed by Harold Ramis, who starred in Groundhog Day and played Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II. The film is being produced by Judd Apatow, who also lent his production talents Read more

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Rating breakdown

17,036 Member ratings
  • 100
1,010
  • 90
1,069
  • 80
2,483
  • 70
3,179
  • 60
4,177
  • 50
2,166
  • 40
1,431
  • 30
732
  • 20
538
  • 10
251

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    • Hal Larsen is the ultimate shallow guy. Hal finds beauty only in supermodels and centrefolds. The first thing he looks for in a woman is looks. Hal won't even consider dating someone with a less-than-...