Review of Shallow Hal

Introduction

The Farrelly brothers aren`t the most tasteful writer-directors in the business. Looking at a resumé that includes There`s Something About Mary and Me, Myself & Irene, it is clear that they don`t make serious films about serious issues, with a dollop of ethics and a sprinkle of emotion. Nah, they just make flat-out, gross-filled films, with enough toilet-humour to make you cringe.

But here we have a `12` rated Farrelly film (yes, Osmosis Jones was a `PG`, but that was a cartoon, so that doesn`t really count). Ah. So, toilet out the window then? No, not really. It is still present, but apparently, this is a new Farrelly film...deeper, more substance. But before we dissect it, what is it about?

Hal is a guy who thinks he is better than he is. Much better in fact. He thinks he can have gorgeous girls queuing up, and he doesn`t care how they feel or what they think of him - yep, just in it for the sex then...One day, Hal gets stuck in a lift with a self-help guru, and after a long conversation about the root of his problems (it all revolves around the 10 year-old Hal witnessing his father dying of cancer, and his last words are something to the effect of: Find yourself a beauty, with a perfect figure...sod everything else) and the guru proceeds to `hypnotise` Hal, so he sees inner beauty, and not just skin-deep, physical beauty. Shortly after this meeting, Hal meets Rosemary - a girl who to Hal has the perfect figure, but to others weighs 350lb...

Jack Black (High Fidelity) plays Hal, and plays him with the same kind of comedy that has made his name...funny in places, quite funny in others. Co-starring with Black is Gwyneth Paltrow as Rosemary (you might remember her from such dignified occassions such as controlling her emotions at the Oscars and meeting a happy ending in Se7en. She plays `normal` Rosemary (as in Paltrow-Rosemary) for most of the film (since the film is seen mainly through Hal`s POV), and for the rest she plays `other` Rosemary, the clinically obese version.

Video

It is presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, and as one would expect from a film released in 2002, the visuals are deep and well defined, with no compression signs visible. The print is crisp and clear throughout, and the transfer is free from dust and grain. In two words: trademark DVD.

Of course, the main visual in the film is Miss Paltrow`s make-up. From the latex face to the foam suit, it is done well and does look realistic. The visual jokes in the film are OK, although this isn`t as visually-amusing as other Farrelly outings.

Audio

A DD 5.1 track is on offer, and the surrounds are used well, and even though this is a dialogue-driven film, there are still moments of subwoofer-action, such as music pieces. The main audio stream is crisp and clear, and the ambience levels are good. Again - trademark DVD.

The script is OK, although this isn`t really a straight comedy. It`s more of a drama then comedy, with yes, jokes in there, and Black drawing laughs, but really it is deeper than the title suggests.

Features

First up, there is an audio commentary featuring the vocal talents of Bobby and Peter Farrelly. Their commentary is good - anecdotal and insightful, and worth listening to on a repeat viewing. Off to a good start...

Next, there is an HBO documentary, presented by one of the actresses in the film. She provides interviews, and it is good, if a little short (it clocks in at 13 minutes).

A Comedy Central featurette is next, featuring soundbites with cast and crew over the making of the film. Interesting, and meatier than the documentary, it clocks in at just over 20 minutes and is interesting and well worth a watch.

There is also a featurette entitled "Seeing Through The Layers" - a look behind-the-scenes at how the make-up was achieved. Featuring an interesting sociology experiment (Paltrow in full kit mingling with people in a bar), this is a good look at how one of the most important parts of the film was achieved.

Carrying on with the featurettes, here is the third and final one: "In The Deep End With Shallow Hal", which looks at how a swimming pool effect was done. Short but sweet.

Moving onto the `fillers`, there is a music video by Shelby Lynne - "Wall In Your Heart", a pretty dire track to be honest.

Finally, there is a theatrical trailer to compliment the extras.

The menus are animated with music in the background and clips from the film.

Shallow Hal is presented in a black Amaray case with a leaflet containing chapter listings.

Conclusion

The main problem with Shallow Hal is that it doesn`t know what it wants to be - is it a comedy or is it a drama? In my opinion, it is filed under the latter, but it has comic elements to space out the narrative. Another sour point is the acting: Jack Black isn`t particularly entertaining and neither is Gwyneth Paltrow, who always seems to get on my nerves. The supporting actors are quite good though, and add some flair to the proceedings.

The disc is solid - good presentation with nearly-good extras, a diverse bunch that have their finger on the pulse (cheesy pun alert) but can`t read it exactly right (cheesy pun alert over), therefore there is the odd gap in the production process, but better than average, which is pleasing.

This wasn`t the best career move for the Farrelly`s, but is enjoyable nonetheless. One to rent on a Saturday night with a group of mates and some beer on tap, which will hopefully help to gel the flaws together...