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Shallow Hal
Peter and Bobby Ferrelly, the creative force behind films like There's Something About Mary and Me Myself and Irene actually fare a little better with a 2001 oddity called Shallow Hal, which is not nearly as bad as its reputation. The underlying theme of the movie is important and doesn't get buried behind a lot of the bathroom humor we're accustomed to from the Ferrellys.
The film stars Jack Black as the title character, a so-called ladies man who was trained from boyhood that women should be judged purely from physical appearance. One day, Hal gets stuck in an elevator with spiritual guru Tony Robbins, who, shocked by Hal's attitudes regarding women, actually puts some kind of spell on Hal that only allows him to see the inner beauty of a woman.
Hal then meets a sweet, but overweight woman named Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow), but Hal doesn't see the extra pounds, just a really beautiful girl, who also happens to be his boss' daughter. When Hal refuses to believe that Rosemary is really fat, his BFF Mauricio (Jason Alexander), goes to Robbins to take his hex off Hal.
The screenplay by the Ferrellys and Sean Moynihan has a lovely theme simmering underneath a story centered around a central character who is kind of a jerk. Hal does eventually learn the lesson that he's supposed to but it takes way too long. Didn't initially understand the gimmick of never seeing fat Rosemary in full face until the final act of the comedy, but that gimmick does pay off eventually. There was an added pleasant surprise when it's revealed that Hal's new way of looking at Rosemary didn't just apply to Rosemary.
The story is pleasant and absent a lot of the smarmy humor the Ferrelly brothers usually provide and Jack Black offers one of his most charming and intelligent performances in the title role, that actually made this film worth watching. Paltrow is a little one-note as Rosemary but Alexander was funny, as was Joe Viterrelli, who stole every scene he had in Analyze This as Paltrow's father (actually doing an Irish accent). It's no classic, but not as bad as I thought it was going to be.
Peter and Bobby Ferrelly, the creative force behind films like There's Something About Mary and Me Myself and Irene actually fare a little better with a 2001 oddity called Shallow Hal, which is not nearly as bad as its reputation. The underlying theme of the movie is important and doesn't get buried behind a lot of the bathroom humor we're accustomed to from the Ferrellys.
The film stars Jack Black as the title character, a so-called ladies man who was trained from boyhood that women should be judged purely from physical appearance. One day, Hal gets stuck in an elevator with spiritual guru Tony Robbins, who, shocked by Hal's attitudes regarding women, actually puts some kind of spell on Hal that only allows him to see the inner beauty of a woman.
Hal then meets a sweet, but overweight woman named Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow), but Hal doesn't see the extra pounds, just a really beautiful girl, who also happens to be his boss' daughter. When Hal refuses to believe that Rosemary is really fat, his BFF Mauricio (Jason Alexander), goes to Robbins to take his hex off Hal.
The screenplay by the Ferrellys and Sean Moynihan has a lovely theme simmering underneath a story centered around a central character who is kind of a jerk. Hal does eventually learn the lesson that he's supposed to but it takes way too long. Didn't initially understand the gimmick of never seeing fat Rosemary in full face until the final act of the comedy, but that gimmick does pay off eventually. There was an added pleasant surprise when it's revealed that Hal's new way of looking at Rosemary didn't just apply to Rosemary.
The story is pleasant and absent a lot of the smarmy humor the Ferrelly brothers usually provide and Jack Black offers one of his most charming and intelligent performances in the title role, that actually made this film worth watching. Paltrow is a little one-note as Rosemary but Alexander was funny, as was Joe Viterrelli, who stole every scene he had in Analyze This as Paltrow's father (actually doing an Irish accent). It's no classic, but not as bad as I thought it was going to be.