SHALLOW HAL     - A Narada Film Review
   
Stills from SHALLOW HAL, Directed by B & P Farrelli, Produced by B Thomas, C Wessler.

   SHALLOW HAL  and movies like it are sadly becoming Hollywood's norm for what is meant to pass for comedy.   It was excruciatingly apparent from the git-go that the movie was meant to give us a gentle spanking to remind us about TRUE beauty being on the inside - by the end of the movie we felt we had our noses thoroughly rubbed in it.   (Gawdamighty !  -- Give it a break, guys.)   I cannot speak for others in the theater that night with respect to the warm and cozy feeling they got from their 2-hour immersion therapy, but I can say that I was not the only one not laughing - the (mixed Thai/Foreign) audience was absolutely quiet the whole time.   Things that might have been funny fell flat - Directors Farrelli couldn't seem to agree on whether to be outrageous and irreverent or politically correct.   There were no plot twists - it was obvious from the tone of the movie that it was going to end exactly as it was "supposed to".  
       Casting, with the exception of Gwyneth Paltrow as the 'beautiful' incarnation of 'Rosemary', was appalling.   Gwyneth Paltrow was the only one who came to the party ready to go to work - and inspite of what must have been insufferable odds, managed to do some real acting.   She was the sole reason   SHALLOW HAL  even got a "one star" rating.

       LEAST enduring Line Or Phrase:   "I'm probably more immature than you,..but I got a bigger willy."

  Reviewed by Narada for Bangkok Eyes - 13 February 2002

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