Review of Shallow Hal (2001) by Kante A — 01 Aug 2011
To me Shallow Hal is the dividing line between whether you are a Farrelly bros. fan or not. Most of the critics, IMO, were trying to play the white knight assuming that over weight people would be embarrassed out of the theatre.
That attitude is exactly what people mean when they say they hate being politically correct. This film is hilarious, very touching and makes a very real point about how society programs people to think the same way.
It's rude and ridiculous, witty and fast paced while staying as firmly planted in reality as necessary not to blow a good gag. The Farrelly's have a specific comedic edge that seems to stay firmly ahead of the curve.
Their sense of humor is obviously (and unfortunately) not for everybody as evidenced by the number of their films on this site that are rated rotten (yet consistently feature the most popular actors of the day, hmm?).
They make rom-coms for guys, and they do it well. For that reason alone they deserve a there own subgenre. One that comes with a warning to the uninitiated that any and all lines will be crossed. Four stars.
This review of Shallow Hal (2001) was written by Kante A on 01 Aug 2011.
Shallow Hal has generally received mixed reviews.
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