Everything wrong with... Shallow Hal (film) or "romantic movies and the representation of plus-size characters"

Pic from Filmaffinity

Last week I watched "Shallow Hal", "Amor ciego" in Spain. I must confess that I fell asleep before it finished but I think I got the message. And even better, I got to discuss it with my friend Bibi, who is also very into body image and how the media deals with it and its consequences to society.

For those of you who don't know about this movie, it was released in 2001, aka the golden years for skinny bodies. (Low rise jeans, Monica and Rachel from "Friends", Britney Spears and the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show).

Synopsis

Hal Larsen is a superficial boy who only likes to date supermodel-looking girls. However, after undergoing a hypnosis session by a well-known guru, he will only be able to see (literally) the inner beauty of women. Rosemary, an obese and kind girl, will cross her path and Hal will fall madly in love with her. (FILMAFFINITY)

To say it in a few words, he falls in love with a fat woman only because in his mind she is skinny. 

And now is when we start to see some problems with this movie.

It is supposed to tell us that inner beauty is what really matters. Which, in the early 2000s, with all the background we had going on with those super skinny super models, is quite daring to make. (I guess?) Anyway, you wouldn't see this kind of movies at that time. 

BUT, keep reading because it only gets worse

1. As I said, in the movie they are actually telling us that he ONLY falls in love with her because he thinks she is skinny.

2. He sees her as a pretty girl because he was hypnotised, otherwise, no man would like to date a fat woman.

3. Everyone keeps asking him why is he dating her, since she is so fat. Like, they keep repeating during the whole movie, "why would like to date a fat girl?".

4. All the time in the movie they keep emphasising the cliché that fat girls eat all the time unhealthy food and that they are so fat that they break all the chairs they use.

So, maybe at that time it was a criticism to the superficial culture that was taking over the new millennium but I don't think it empowered anyone to feel better about their body. 

                                         

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Comentaris

  1. Luego volveré, me cuesta leer en ingles y el traductor no funciona.

    ResponElimina
  2. I couldn't sit through this one either. And now that Rebel Wilson has lost 70 pounds, you just can't get away from that knowledge on the internet. Thanks for sharing. I really liked the review. Hope you are well.

    ResponElimina
  3. I agree 100%! I think fat and skinny is the worst dichotomy in existence. I prefer ill vs healthy.

    ResponElimina
  4. No he visto la pelicula y lo cierto es que me ha llamado la atención la trama que comentas, es cierto que algunas peliculas envejecen mal, chistes que ahora son groseros o pensamientos que te hacen pensar, ¿qué diablos?, gracias por tu reseña.

    ResponElimina
  5. I've never seen this but wow it sounds horrible. I remember vaguely seeing it around somewhere but never really paid attention to it... wow not good.

    ResponElimina
  6. Si no estàs grassa, resulta una pel·lícula que fa gràcia, però no m'agrada gens com ens presenten el comportament dels nois davant d'una noia amb sobrepès, al fi i al cap, ell s'enamora d'ella perquè la veu prima i bonica i contínua burlant-se de les noies grasses fins i tot estant al seu costat i això queda fatal.

    ResponElimina
  7. ¡Hola! Hace poco que volví a ver esta película y es sin duda una de mis favoritas. Un saludo.

    ResponElimina
  8. ¡Hola! No conocía esta película pero la verdad es que lo que dices sé que es algo que no me gustaría. Últimamente estoy viendo varias reseñas de algunas obras en las que la gordofobia está muy presente y es algo que me saca completamente de quicio.

    ¡Nos leemos!

    ResponElimina
  9. Boa tarde Victória, parabéns pela excelente dica, um filme maravilhoso. Bom final de semana.

    ResponElimina
  10. Hola! No la conocía, casi no he visto pelis de él pero si que es cierto lo que dices sobre que las cosas que antes hacían para hacer reír ya no se podrían hacer hoy, pues para nuestra suerte las mentalidades comienzan a cambiar y ya no se toleran cosas que antes sólo creaban prejuicios o lastimaban a otros.

    ¡Nos leemos!

    ResponElimina
  11. A mi no me gusto esa película. Me parece ofensiva. Te mando un beso

    ResponElimina
  12. Vi esta película hace varios años y me gustó mucho

    ResponElimina

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