Shallow Hal Sociology

Interested in a movie that will entertain, while also bring attention to an important social issue; therefore, Shallow Hal (2001) is the perfect movie. Directed by Peter and Bobby Farrely, the movie revolves around the life of Hal, who is portrayed by Jack Black. The plot begins with a traumatic event during Hal’s childhood that subconsciously dictates his decisions throughout the movie. That event was the death of his father, who in his deathbed encouraged his son to live superficially and never settle in any aspect of his life especially when it came to picking out the right women. Despite his unproportioned figure, Hal emulated a lifestyle that left him unfulfilled as he discriminated and stereotyped women based on their outward appearance.

But everything would change when Hal was stuck in an elevator with Tony Robins. Robins, an inspirational speaker who encourages Hal to look more into the soul of a human being rather than their physical features. Hypnotized and entranced by Tony Robin’s suggestions Hal meets a 300lb women named Rosemary, whom he sees as the most beautiful women in the world. Unaware of her obesity Hal finds himself falling for a women who is ridiculed by society for her looks rather than her personality. Although the movie pokes fun and humiliates fat people in a demeaning manner, the movie does a phenomenal job in addressing the issue of body shaming which is shown through their intriguing characters, powerful dialogue, and creative camera techniques.
The reason behind the films ability to create a connection with the viewers primarily falls upon the way the characters are introduced, and whether the portrayal of the characters were perfectly executed.

In the movie, Hal is presented as a guy with great charisma, overwhelming confidence, and shallow views on life. His fixation on outer beauty compels him to set unrealistic standards that affect the way he perceives women, and yet he completely disregards the fact that he himself is not a very attractive man. In turn Hal is often rejected and doesn’t seem to learn that his superficial tendencies are what is standing in the way of him being in a fruitful relationship. Therefore, this character is a representation of the way most men and women in society today tend to act, and they often omit a demographic that may not meet their improbable standards. But in contrast the viewers are also introduced to a morbidly obese, self-conscious Rosemary who is played by Gwyneth Paltrow, who throughout the movie is very loveable and unloving towards herself. Hal brings awareness to the issue of body shaming, while Rosemary is displaying how the effects of these prejudicial views affect the people that are being shamed. Ultimately the intriguing characters played by these brilliant actors throughout the movie really helped build a strong foundation, but the dialogue is what really helped solidify the movies stance on body

shaming.
Despite the fact that the movie has a comedic approach in displaying the issues of body shaming, the message within the dialogue is what truly captures the essence of the theme.

The interactions between Rosemary’s father “Steve Shanahan” and Hal displays the heartbreaking reality that Mr. Shanahan did not believe that his daughter was eligible or worthy enough to find a man that truly cared for her. Instead of telling Hal not to hurt his daughter he said this instead, “you can cut out the act now...But l think we both know that we won't soon be seeing her twirlin' the baton, marching along with the Dallas cheerleaders. ” Meaning that his daughter was too big, too obese to be able to embrace her body like the cheerleaders and no one would ever want to see her do so. This moment between these two characters really displays the brutal truth of body shaming, but Mr. Shanahan did not say those words with malicious intent. Instead he knew that the society under good intentions would not openly welcome his daughter the way Hal has. The relationship between Hal and Rosemary is presented as a stable and healthy relationship; however, the conflict that surrounds the couple is not only the fact that Hal does not truly know that Rosemary is obese but the way outside forces such as friends and objects cause a strain on the relationship. These forces makes Rosemary doubt herself and her self-worth and it lowers confidence that she barely has. It is shown through the way she responds to

Hal when he says, “You are beautiful”. She responds,”Hal, do me a favor and stop saying that l'm pretty and that l'm not fat, OK?” The dialogue is not only powerful, but bluntly tells me the effects body shaming has on the way people view themselves and their self-worth. The way Hal’s friends like Maurico makes fun of her, brings to light how cruel people can be towards someone they barely know just based on their appearance.
However, the directors’ direction in the movie was not only witty and charming, but the technical aspects such as the way things were shot and presented really helped calcify on stressing the issue of body shaming. The images that were shown and the setting really helped emphasize where the movie was coming from. The movie was told from the view in third person limited omniscient. The only way I can tell and understand a character was through the way they spoke or the behavior they displayed throughout the movie. The camera techniques were also very unique because the viewers were able to see the shadow or the true mirror image of Rosemary’s size while Hal could only see the physique of Gwyneth Paltrow who was tall and skinny. The lighting and the way the character were placed in a scene helped show the mood and a true intimacy between the two love birds Hal and Rosemary. Another shot of brilliance was the way the directors decided to show the ICU children in the hospital through the eyes of Hal’s hypnotic state as beautiful and unscathed. When in reality the children were recovering from nasty burns that disfigured their faces. The quality of the movie’s images and plot line made it very easy to follow along the storyline.
In conclusion the storyline and its premise was by itself very interesting to watch. The way the characters were portrayed and their interactions towards each other really made the movie memorable. It really made me question on whether society was persuading me to let vanity to dictate my decisions. When the movie ended I could see a lot of growth mentally when it came to all of the characters that played a role in the movie. The movie was not only hilarious but it helped bring awareness to the issue that body shaming in any way or form is not okay; therefore, the movie does a decent job in displaying that.