5.5
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
Shallow Hal (2001)
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Traditional
Viewer Rating
Rating: 5.5
Overview
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.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Bias Dimensions
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Negative
Trans: Negative
Overview
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.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Detailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Leans Traditional
Primary
The film addresses the universally relatable issue of superficiality in dating by promoting the value of inner beauty and kindness through an individual's transformative perception, remaining apolitical in its approach.
The movie primarily features traditional casting without explicit racial or gender role reversals. However, its core narrative strongly critiques the protagonist's superficiality and challenges conventional beauty standards, promoting a message of inner beauty and acceptance.
Secondary
The film's portrayal of Mauricio, a character whose perceived gender shifts for the protagonist, is problematic. The reveal of Mauricio as a man is played for comedic shock and discomfort, using gender non-conformity as a punchline rather than exploring the character's identity with dignity or respect.
The film features a transsexual character, Katrina, whose identity is primarily used as a plot device for a comedic reveal and to elicit a disgusted reaction from a cisgender character. The portrayal lacks dignity or affirmation, framing her identity as a source of discomfort and mockery.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
Shallow Hal is an original film with characters created specifically for its narrative. There is no prior source material, historical record, or established canon for any character to have their gender changed from a previous portrayal.
Shallow Hal is an original film with characters created specifically for it. There is no prior source material, historical context, or previous installments to establish any character's race, thus precluding a race swap.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
User Ratings
6.0
6.2
Critic Ratings
4.9
4.8
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