Shallow Hal

Name: Shallow Hal
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Released: 2001-11-01
Cast: Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jason Alexander, Joe Viterelli, Rene Kirby

2001 | 114 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance

Weeknight Watch

Why it’s a Weeknight Watch

It was a solid box office hit, but middling reviews (49% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a lukewarm 6.2 out of 10 from audiences held it back. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it: Made for romantics, anyone who wants a laugh and fantasy fans.
The mood: Light and funny, romantic.
The pace: Breezy, at 1 hr 54 min.
What might put you off: Nothing much: an easy pick for most people.

After taking his dying father's advice, Hal dates only the embodiments of female physical perfection. But that all changes after Hal has an unexpected run-in with self-help guru Tony Robbins. Intrigued by Hal's shallowness, Robbins hypnotizes him into seeing the beauty that exists even in the least physically appealing women. Hal soon falls for Rosemary, but he doesn't realize that his gorgeous girlfriend is actually a 300-pound-not-so-hottie.

How it earned its rating

CriticsBelow par
49% on Rotten Tomatoes
AudiencesBelow par
6.2 out of 10
AwardsNot counted
Awards data unavailable, so this isn't counted
Box office & staying powerStrong
$141 million worldwide on a $40 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 406K people sought it out in the past year