Shallow HalMovie Reviews

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 48 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 Iffy for 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 80
    The New York Times | Dana Stevens

    The most shocking thing about it may be its unabashed sincerity. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Bob Graham

    The belly laughs finally start to come --legitimately. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Paltrow is truly touching. And Black, in his first big-time starring role, struts through with the blissful confidence of a man who knows he was born for stardom. Read full review

  • 67
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Something is happening to our boys: They're getting mushy. Shallow Hal is not so much about how gross people are as how beautiful they are once you get beyond the rude, noisy flesh. It's a sermon wrapped in a fat suit. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Mike Clark

    The movie is shrewd by giving the bulk of its piggish dialogue to Alexander, an actor incapable of projecting genuine cruelty on screen. Read full review

  • 40
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    Could use a little extra comic poundage. The Farrelly brothers' latest sees the team tapping a sweeter, milder vein of humor than their outrageous norm. Read full review

  • 30
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    For the first time, the Farrellys seem to be embarrassed by their own crudeness. For the first time, they should be. Read full review

  • 30
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    Lacks even a vestige of subtlety and is rarely so much as amusing. Viewers with fond memories of the brothers' wildly funny "There's Something About Mary" will be astonished at how few laughs the current venture has. Read full review

  • 20
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    Shallow Hal makes the case for restricting the Farrellys to mere gross-out movies. Read full review

  • 20
    Washington Post | Rita Kempley

    Nothing could save this movie. These guys make a fortune off the comedy of cruelty. How dare they climb on a soapbox? Read full review

View more reviews for Shallow Hal on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 14+ Romantic comedy is pretty tame for Farrelly bros.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie has very strong language for a PG-13, especially the sexual references. Characters drink, and several scenes are set at a bar/nightclub. The overall theme of the movie is the importance of judging people based on their behavior, not their looks. Robbins explains that Black is not hypnotized now -- he was hypnotized before, when he thought that all of the TV and movie images of beauty were what mattered. Some viewers may feel that the movie itself makes fun of people who do not fit current standards of beauty. A disabled character is treated with complete naturalness -- he is by no means perfect (because he gets around on all fourts, he tells girls he recognizes them by their panties), but he's good-hearted and respected.
  • Families can talk about what we look at and what we look for when we meet people. If we saw the way Hal does, who would be the most beautiful person you know? How would you look? Would you like to see people the way Hal does?
What to watch for
  • sex false3 Sex: Sexual references and situations.
  • language false3 Language: Strong language for a PG-13, including one use of "f--k," plus several "s--t"s, "d--k," "t-ts," "hell," "ass," "crap," "damn," "oh my God," and other crude/slang terms.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Drinking and smoking
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Shallow Hal Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

So-so 23 fan reviews

Critics say

So-so See all critic reviews

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