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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
some misconceptions, July 13, 2002
By A Customer
I've perused some of the less favorable reviews of this film and I believe there are some misconceptions about its humor and message. One misconception is that the movie makes fun of fat people. It doesn't. There isn't one scene where we ever find ourselves laughing AT Gwyneth Paltrow. What we laugh at are the reactions of Jack Black to what she does. For example, when she downs the milk shake she shares with Black, it's not the gulping of the shake that makes us laugh but Black's incredulity when he turns around and sees an empty cup. And when we see the two in the canoe, it's not the canoe we chuckle at, but the sight of the befuddled Black paddling air. So the laughs don't come at Paltrow's expense; they come at Black's. Yes, the movie relies on typical fat-type jokes - ie, overeating and crumpled funiture. But there is a subtle point in these hackneyed images that distinguishes them from your usual fat fare. Paltrow only seems to overeat by the standards society imposes on women. Like Black says, many women when they go out just order "water and a crumppette"; they deny themselves to satisfy society's expectations. But if they were to eat what THEY wanted, how many do you think wouldn't love to order that pizza burger with the fries and milk shake? Or take more than a "little" slice of cake? We all would! That is, we would if we weren't so concerned about what other people would think. Paltrow eats the way she does NOT because she's fat, but because she feels FREE to eat what she wants. Eating less makes no difference so she has no reason not to do what she wants - which is what the rest of us would also do if we were less uptight. And as for the crumpled chairs and the poor little car's suspension, there's a subtle point here, too. It's not that Paltrow is too heavy; it's that these people are not only ignored in the media but they are also forgotten in the design of the most basic artifacts of everyday life (chairs, cars, etc.). In other words, society treats fat people as if they don't exist. Now, is that a comment on fat people? Or on society? Where's the insult here? Another common misconception is that by using a model-like beauty like Paltrow in the lead role, the message of the film is still that "fat is ugly, thin is beautiful". I disagree. I can see why this might be the first impression because Paltrow IS used to represent Black's ideal of beauty, indeed, OUR ideal of beauty. But the reason this is done is because the film has to use a common language of beauty to communicate its ideas to the audience. The only common language everyone speaks is the one we see everyday in the media - ie, the thin, waif-like model ideal. So when we see Paltrow, the message ISN'T "thin is beautiful", the message is "thin REPRESENTS beauty". Because that's the only kind of beauty we RECOGNIZE. In other words, thinness is NOT beauty but a signpost pointing to beauty. And the direction the movie points is inwards: true beauty is NOT thinness at all - in fact, it has nothing to do with what a person looks like on the outside - true beauty is what a person is on the inside. If you still doubt this then just ask yourself this: at the end of the film did you or did you not think the fat Paltrow was beautiful? I did. Not because of the way she looked, fat or thin, but because of who she was. A good movie. Funny and touching AND it made it's point worth making w/o preaching.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Bigger The Better!, July 4, 2002
Being that I am a heavyset person myself, I was able to put that fact aside and appreciate this movie for what it really is. Truthfully, I didn't find this movie funny but I did find a strong message. This movie goes to show that size doesn't have anything to do with the person on the inside. Gwyneth Paltrow's character Rosemary goes to show how underneath all that excess flesh that there is still a person. I think "Shallow Hal" is a movie that helps demolish discrimination against heavyset people. This movie didn't only give examples of heavyset people but of people who were skinny and just not physically attractive to that of one's expectations. Hal is a very shallow character and he is an example of all those people who discriminate against heavyset men and women and people who are not attractive. Like Hal in the movie, people can change and widen their horizons for something more beautiful. "Shallow Hal" is less of a comedy and more of a motivational, moving story about life. I think this is a family friendly movie, something that kids would like as long as the situation is explained to them. Let this movie touch you on several different levels and check it out.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly sensitive; feel-good DVD!, July 9, 2002
Okay, I sheepishly confess that I watched this DVD expecting to see some patented Farrelly brothers humor: crude, insensitive, and in-your-face. WOW, was I surprised. This movie is definitely humorous (we laughed out loud at times) but when it's over, you come away with a heightened sense of sensitivity for those people society categorizes as "ugly", "fat" or "undesirable." And if you're not careful, you may just approach life a bit differently once you've watched this excellent movie. Hal (portrayed wonderfully by Jack Black), and his best friend Mauricio (Jason Alexander) are a couple of obnoxious, shallow guys who make no apologies for their fixation on dating ONLY young, beautiful women. This is tough for both of them, as neither one is particularly good-looking. But, they drive on doggedly in their pursuit of women who are consistently "out of their league." Everything changes when Hal is stuck in an elevator with a self-motivational guru, who gives Hal a "gift". In fact, Hal is hypnotized; now, he sees a person's inner beauty, not their outward physical appearance. Unattractive or obese women look like supermodels to Hal; and when he approaches them, genuinely attracted to their true beauty, they respond. After years of being unable to connect with beautiful women, suddenly Hal has an unprecedented run of success...only, the women are really not physically attractive, and this is evident to Mauricio, and everyone else...except Hal. In short order, Hal hooks up with Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is smart, funny, caring, and to Hal, stunningly beautiful. One problem: to the rest of the world, Rosemary is a 350-pound behemoth who breaks restaurant furniture simply by sitting on it. Rosemary and Hal fall madly in love, and it turns out that Rosemary's father is the CEO of Hal's investment company. Taken by Hal's sincerity, and his insightful ideas for improvements to the firm, Rosemary's father promotes Hal to his right-hand man. Everything is going wonderfully for Hal and Rosemary...that is, until Mauricio decides to "rescue" Hal by breaking the hypnosis. What will happen now that Hal can see the REAL Rosemary? This is a great movie, and can even be watched and appreciated by preteen children. The sexual situations are mild, and there is little or no foul language or nudity. Gwyneth Paltrow, and especially Jack Black, give excellent acting performances. Make it a point to watch and enjoy this DVD. It just might change your life, and make you wish we could ALL see only the "inner beauty" of others. Our world today is much too preoccupied with physical appearance, and other shallow concepts that don't truly matter in the grand scheme of things.
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