Shallow Hal

THESE GUYS COULD BE GOOD…

A Video Review of "Shallow Hal"

Copyright 2003 Glenn Walker

The Farrelly brothers, Bobby and Peter, are responsible for such films as Dumb and Dumber, Me, Myself and Irene, Say It Isn't So, There's Something About Mary and this classic Shallow Hal. Believe it or not I think they are fabulously talented filmmakers - I just think they might be a little embarrassed about it. Maybe they come up with great ideas and are unsure so slip in some toilet humor so it works. Or maybe they're just lazy.

Howard Stern suffers from the same malady. He is one of America's most talented and professional broadcasters. Yes, that's what I said. The paradox is why should he bother working at it when it's easier to fart and make dick jokes? Exactly. That's the problem with the Farrelly brothers as well. Toilet humor is easy.



There's a touching story at the heart of Shallow Hal just like most of their films. It's just so entrenched in disgusting vile putrid content it's hard to find. A subconscious suggestion makes Hal (played by the ever amazing Jack Black) see women as they are inside rather than superficially outside. He eventually falls for Gwyneth Paltrow, an overweight girl he would have never previously even considered talking to. Like I said, it's a touching story, but it seems like after they got the plot the brothers sat down and made a list of every fat joke they could think of and injected them into the script.

Maybe eventually they'll get the confidence to come out of the water closet and make a real film and surprise us - but not this time.