Plot: What’s it about?
As a child, Hal watched as his father died, but before he passed, he told his young son never to settle for ordinary poontang. Now that he’s grown up, Hal (Jack Black) has followed the advice of his deceased father and has impeccable standards for the woman he dates, which might surprise people that didn’t know him. To be blunt, Hal is an overweight slob and while his friend Mauricio (Jason Alexander) is the same, both refuse to date average girls. Even when a hottie comes to them, they dismiss her because her toes are too long, or some such nonsense, though Mauricio is much more shallow than Hal in that respect. Hal has been working his way up the corporate ladder, but he just missed out on a promotion and his neighbor won’t go out with him, so feels like he’s in a funk of sorts. He winds up on an elevator with Tony Robbins and when it malfunctions, Hal reveals his story to the motivational guru. Robbins puts on one hell of a pep talk and tells Hal that from this point on, he will see only the inner beauty, since that is what counts. But with a shallow guy like Hal, will even Robbins’ be able to draw out real substance & character?
This is not the usual effort from Bobby & Peter Farrelly, but Shallow Hal does have their signature touches, without a doubt. Shallow Hal seems to be more about the characters and carry more of a message, whereas the prior efforts from the team have had heart, but focused more on the bathroom humor instead. This film has plenty of lowbrow laughs and always keep a sharp focus on the humor, but the filmmakers are able to also run a coherent, character driven picture, no small feat, to be sure. I commend the directors for taking a chance, as this could have pushed some of the usual fans away, but they were able to blend their trademark style with richer characters, with humorous and even warm results. I have to admit, Shallow Hal is not as hilarious as movies like Dumb & Dumber and Kingpin, but it still has the expected elements and if you enjoyed those films, you’ll want to check out this one. If nothing else, the scenes with Tony Robbins are enough to warrant a look, without question. If you’re interested, Fox has put together a terrific package and as such, Shallow Hal is more than recommended.
It is humorous to see a guy like Jack Black in a movie about images, since he is an overweight, rather oafish looking person. But this seems to mesh with the premise of the film and in a flick like Shallow Hal, you want the laughs to come, no matter where they come from. So Black’s mere presence is often worth a chuckle or two, especially in the film’s start, when he tries to pick up on attractive women. Black has been on the rise for some time now, thanks to a couple popular turns, but I think his steam will run out soon, unless he can refine and expand on his skills. I find him to be hilarious in Tenacious D and in movies like Saving Silverman, but Black needs more than a one note joke, to be sure. Other films with Black include Jesus’ Son, Orange County, The Cable Guy, High Fidelity, and Bongwater. The cast also includes Gwyneth Paltrow (Sliding Doors, Shakespeare in Love), Jason Alexander (Dunston Checks In, Brighton Beach Memoirs), and Joe Viterelli (Mickey Blue Eyes, Analyze This).
Video: How does it look?
Shallow Hal is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. As has become typical for Fox on new releases, the image here looks terrific and shows minimal flaws, so fans should be most pleased. I did see some slight edge enhancement, but aside from that, this is one clean, sharp looking visual presentation. The print used is as clean as we’d expect from such a recent film, while colors look vivid and really stand out, but no signs of error can be seen, which is good news with hues this rich. I saw no troubles with flesh tones either, as they look natural and as for contrast, black levels appear refined and well balanced here. All in all, another superb day & date treatment from Fox, let’s hope they continue this level of dedication, unlike Disney, who insists on giving us pan & scan transfers of some titles.
Audio: How does it sound?
The usual comedy mix is found here, but that proves to be enough, thanks to a more than acceptable Dolby Digital 5.1 track. I wouldn’t recommend this disc as a reference track, but the material sounds good and while surround use is not that impressive, the material never really needs it to be, so it all works out. The musical soundtrack adds some depth and enhances the presence, but outside of that, this is a conservative audio presentation. But the dialogue is crystal clear and no problems surface, so I see no need to complain on this one. This disc also includes Spanish and French language options, as well as English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This extras laden disc kicks off with an audio commentary with directors Bobby & Peter Farrelly, who provide their usual kind of session. This means pointing out various friends & relatives seen in the film, but little in terms of insight or behind the scenes information. This track is a little better than most of their previous ones, but still ranks toward the low end of the spectrum, since the comments become dull after a while. Next is a selection of eleven deleted scenes, which have optional comments from the directors, in case you’re interested in why a certain scene was trimmed from the final version. The usual promotional featurettes come next, with both Comedy Central and HBO produced behind the scenes pieces, both of which have some good interviews, but follow the typical press junket formats. This disc also includes two brief additional featurettes (one on the stunts, the other one the makeup effects), a Shelby Lynn music video, and rounding out the disc, the film’s theatrical trailer.
