The Farrelly Brothers veer far from their usual gross-out material here. The core of There's Something About Mary hinted at a talent for warm-hearted romance; with only a couple of zany slapstick moments, this is a straightforward rom-com. And a very good one at that. Hal (Black) is obsessed with looks to the exclusion of everything else, including any sense of reality in his relationships. And his best friend Mauricio (Alexander) is just like him. Then Hal has an encounter with a self-help guru (Robbins as himself) who gives him a post-hypnotic suggestion that he look beyond appearances and see the beauty in everyone. Next thing he knows, he's madly in love with Rosemary (Paltrow). He sees her as a gorgeous wafer-thin model; everyone else sees that she weighs closer to 300 pounds.

Well at least the Farrellys are still skating on thin ice! The film plays on every aspect of appearance--not just weight, but also disability, injury and age. In using the lovely Paltrow it kind of undermines its own point ... until we see Paltrow in her "fat suit" (which is utterly brilliant) and the film becomes a sublime lesson in seeing the quality of a person. Yes, it's a bit heavy handed, but the Farrellys are remarkably clever in the way they approach it, keeping the love story at the centre and drawing startlingly good performances. Black slides into leading man status effortlessly--charming, hilarious and utterly winning. While Paltrow delivers a remarkably subtle and layered performance both chubby and skinny (she could stand to put on a few pounds!). Despite a couple of ill-judged comic routines in the middle, the story keeps its feet firmly on the ground with characters who are, astonishingly, real people! In the end it might be a little too nice for its own good, but by then we've fallen for these people hook, line and sinker.

adult themes, language

13.Nov.01