Farrelly brothers say they will always defend decried Jack Black movie
The early 2000s was a complicated time for comedy, with many titles from this era simply not ageing well. One of these is Jack Black‘s movie, Shallow Hal, which was heavily criticised for its overuse of fat jokes when it was released in 2001.
The movie starred Jack Black and Gwenyth Paltrow, with the latter donning a fatsuit to play a clinically obese woman, Rosie, with whom Black’s Hal falls in love. That might sound like a sweet story, but the fatness ends up being the whole butt of the joke, with Hal only falling for her after attending a hypnotherapy session which makes him see everyone’s inner truth, no matter what they look like on the outside.
Thus, with a legion of jokes made in poor taste, the movie’s attempt to comment on beauty standards and not judge people based on how fat or how thin they are fell flat. However, the directing duo behind the film, Peter and Bobby Farrelly, have defended the movie in a new interview, despite the fact that both Black and Paltrow have previously expressed regret over appearing in it.
In a 2006 interview, Black revealed, “I had an opportunity to work with some dudes I thought were really funny, but it didn’t turn out as I’d hoped, I wasn’t proud of it, and I got paid a lot of money, so, in retrospect, it feels like a sell-out.”
Meanwhile, Paltrow once told The Guardian that deciding to appear in Shallow Hal was a “shite” idea that she regrets, explaining that as soon as she donned the fat suit, “No one would make eye contact with me,” leaving her feeling “humiliated.”
While few people had good things to say about the movie, in an interview with Variety, the Farrelly brothers explained that the movie seems to have been seriously misunderstood.
Bobby said, “I think the movie was always coming from a good place. ‘Don’t judge people by what they look like. Look what’s inside of them — that’s where the real beauty is.’ That was the point of the movie, and I think if you watch it now, It still says that.”
Despite regretting Shallow Hal, Black has teamed up with the Farrelly brothers for a new movie, Dear Santa, in which a dyslexic child accidentally sends his Christmas list to Satan. Alongside Black, Ben Stiller, Keegan-Michael Key, and Post Malone also star in the festive flick, which is out now.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.