"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," an old theme perhaps, but with Shallow Hal the Farrelly Brothers have used it to build an unusually restrained and effective film. The brothers are well known for their raw and raunchy trademark humor, (King Pin, There's Something About Mary) and while Shallow Hal certainly has it's funny moments, it's at it's heart, a romance.

Jack Black (High Fidelity) is Hal, a man whom, due to the advice of his father, is unacustomed to looking beneath the surface of a woman,. If they're not skinny and hot, he doesn't give them a second thought. Things change however, after his encounter with motivational speaker Tony Robbins (a real life pep talker), who, through the powers of hypnotism, changes Hal's perspective. Now, whenever he looks at a woman, he sees their inner beauty. As a result Hal soon falls hard for Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow), a sweet, insecure, obese creature who isn't used to being treated as a goddess. Of course Hal doesn't see the cellulite, but rather the beauty of this wonderful person for who she is on the inside.

Quite unexpectedly, the Farrelly's have not made a movie full of mean-spirited fat jokes that the trailer suggests. Shallow Hal is surprisingly empathetic, showing us how ridiculously superficial our society is when it comes to appearances and other topics such as people with various handicaps. This isn't to say that Shallow Hal isn't funny. After all, what would a Farrelly Brothers movie be without jokes. The difference here is that the humor is derived from situations. None of the gags come across as contrived.

We see Rosemary from Hal's view through about 90% of the film (aside from quick glimpses throughout the picture) which really makes this experience more effective. When Paltrow finally dons the fat suit, we've gained such a thorough understanding of who she is on the inside, that we can look at her in the same fashion as Hal. This isn't a fat woman, she's an extremely attractive human being.

Paltrow gives a wonderfully physical performance. Her mannerisms and movements suggest that she really is overweight even before she's buried beneath all that latex in the film's final act. She doesn't play this part for laughs. This is a sweet, sympathetic performance full of body and heart. Black is a revelation. This guy has already shown that he can steal a movie (see High Fidelity). He even has a brilliant comedy/rock album in which he is part of a comical duo called Tenacious D. While Black cruises through Shallow Hal strutting his stuff, he never comes across as abrasive or obnoxious. Actually, he's very funny and even charming in the role of a guy who has a most unusual awakening.

With Shallow Hal, the Farrelly's haven't set out to make another broad and irreverent comedy. They've already done that. This time out, they've tried something a little bit different. This picture is sweet, charming and even touching. With terrific turns by Black and Paltrow and a light touch supplied by the Farrelly's, Shallow Hal is a ton of well-intentioned fun.