Directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly continue their string of hilarious oddball comedies with SHALLOW HAL. Hal (Jack Black of HIGH FIDELITY) is a "regular guy" who has no luck with women because he only wants to be with women who look like supermodels. Then self-help guru Tony Robbins hypnotizes Hal so that he can see a woman's inner beauty. When Hal meets Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow), a Peace Corps volunteer who is smart and funny, he thinks his dreams have come true. Others, like Hal's slimy friend Mauricio (Jason Alexander), see Rosie for what she is, a 300-pound woman, but Hal can only see the beauty on the inside, so to him she looks like Gwyneth Paltrow.
Black shines in his first starring role. His engagingly manic energy keeps the film in high gear. Paltrow skillfully plays Rosemary as an obese woman in a thin woman's body. The Farrelly brothers' comedies work so well because they mix off-the-wall humor with characters the audience identifies with and cares about. SHALLOW HAL is outrageous and funny, occasionally exceeding the bounds of good taste, but it's also a touching love story. Fans of Black's band, Tenacious D, will be happy to see bandmate Kyle Gass in a small role.
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Single Side - Dual Layer
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Surround - French, Spanish
Additional Release Material:
Deleted Scenes: (11)
Audio Commentary: Bobby Farrelly - Director, Peter Farrelly - Director
Music Video: Shelby Lynne - "Wail in Your Heart"
Featurette:
1. HBO Special
2. REEL COMEDY Special
3. SEEING THROUGH THE LAYERS
4. IN THE DEEP END WITH SHALLOW HAL
Stars
Jack Black: Actor, HIGH FIDELITY
Gwyneth Paltrow: Oscar Winning Actress, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
Jason Alexander: American actor, director, SEINFELD
Zen Gesner: Actor
Susan Ward: Actress in 2000's THE IN CROWD
Laura Kightlinger: Actress, POOTIE TANG (2001)
Sascha Knopf: Actress
Joe Viterelli: American Supporting Actor
Kyle Gass: Tenacious D
Director
Peter Farrelly: Director/Screenwriter, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998)
Bobby Farrelly: Director/Screenwriter, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998)
Producer
Bradley Thomas:
Charles B. Wessler: PRODUCER\"IT'S PAT"
Peter Farrelly: Director/Screenwriter, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998)
Bobby Farrelly: Director/Screenwriter, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998)
Screenwriter
Peter Farrelly: Director/Screenwriter, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998)
Bobby Farrelly: Director/Screenwriter, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998)
Sean Moynihan: Screenwriter, SHALLOW HAL (2001)
Composer
Ivy: Adult star
Director of Photography
Russell Carpenter:
Review 1:
"...A touching story with a heartfelt message about inner beauty....It all manages to work..."
Source: Box Office
p.60 01/01/2002
Review 2:
"...There isn't a smug frame in SHALLOW HAL, due mostly to Black's persuasive, wide-eyed idealism..."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.54 03/01/2002
Review 3:
"...[The Farrelly brothers] manage a surprisingly moving outcome..."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.6 01/20/2002
Review 4:
"...It's cleverly done....Black makes a surprisingly goofy romantic lead and plays some enjoyably tender scenes with Paltrow..."
Source: Total Film
p.95 03/01/2002
Review 5:
"...Touching....A tender fable and a winning love story....The Farrellys present their parable with absolute conviction..."
Source: New York Times
p.E13 11/09/2001
Review 6:
"...[Featuring] a notably touching, sensitive performance from sylphlike Paltrow..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.141-2 11/16/2001