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Shallow Hal poster

Movies that feel likeShallow Hal (2001)

After taking his dying father's advice, Hal dates only the embodiments of female physical perfection. But that all changes after Hal has an unexpected run-in with self-help guru Tony Robbins. Intrigued by Hal's shallowness, Robbins hypnotizes him into seeing the beauty that exists even in the least physically appealing women. Hal soon falls for Rosemary, but he doesn't realize that his gorgeous girlfriend is actually a 300-pound-not-so-hottie.

If you loved Shallow Hal, the closest films we have are The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), The Mermaid (2016) and Bruce Almighty (2003). All three share Shallow Hal's witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Being John Malkovich (1999).

🍅 49% Rotten Tomatoes★ 6 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Peter Farrellywittyplayfuldreamlikeromantic
8 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Paramount Plus Premium

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If Shallow Hal hit the spot, these will too

The Purple Rose of Cairo poster
The Purple Rose of Cairo
1985 · dir. Woody Allen
🍅 93%★ 7.6fantasy · comedy · romance

One thread runs through both: falling in love

The difference: Reviewed even better

Cecilia is a waitress in New Jersey, living a dreary life during the Great Depression. Her only escape from her mundane reality is the movie theatre. After losing her job, Cecilia goes to see 'The Purple Rose of Cairo' in hopes of raising her spirits, where she watches dashing archaeologist Tom Baxter time and again.

The Mermaid poster
The Mermaid
2016 · dir. Stephen Chow
🍅 95%★ 6.2comedy · fantasy · romance

Both land wit and play at once

When Xuan's real estate project threatens the home of mermaids, Shan is sent to stop him. When they fall in love, he is encouraged to cancel the project. However, he must save them from bigger danger.

Bruce Almighty poster
Bruce Almighty
2003 · dir. Tom Shadyac
🍅 48%★ 6.8fantasy · comedy

The same mix in both: dream logic, then romance

Bruce Nolan toils as a "human interest" television reporter in Buffalo, NY, but despite his high ratings and the love of his beautiful girlfriend, Bruce remains unfulfilled. At the end of the worst day in his life, he angrily ridicules God — and the Almighty responds, endowing Bruce with all of His divine powers.

Bedazzled poster
Bedazzled
1967 · dir. Stanley Donen
🍅 74%★ 6.7fantasy · comedy · romance

Comedy with a pulse of wit, in both cases

The difference: 34 years apart, and the 1960s show

A hapless loser sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for seven wishes, but has trouble winning over the girl of his dreams.

Groundhog Day poster
Groundhog Day
1993 · dir. Harold Ramis
🍅 93%★ 8romance · fantasy · comedy

Both lean on play more than on fantasy

A cynical TV weatherman, along with his idealistic producer and his sardonic cameraman, is sent to report on Groundhog Day in the small town of Punxsutawney, where he finds himself repeating the same day over and over.

Being John Malkovich poster
Being John Malkovich
1999 · dir. Spike Jonze
🍅 94%★ 7.7comedy · drama · fantasy

Dreamlike romance in both cases

The difference: Sits closer to drama than Shallow Hal does

One day at work, unsuccessful puppeteer Craig finds a portal into the head of actor John Malkovich. The portal soon becomes a passion for anybody who enters its mad and controlling world of overtaking another human body.

Practical Magic poster
Practical Magic
1998 · dir. Griffin Dunne
🍅 31%★ 6.4romance · fantasy · comedyMax

Romantic comedy, and it commits to that

Sally and Gillian Owens, born into a magical family, have mostly avoided witchcraft themselves. But when Gillian's vicious boyfriend, Jimmy Angelov, dies unexpectedly, the Owens sisters give themselves a crash course in hard magic. With policeman Gary Hallet growing suspicious, the girls struggle to resurrect Angelov -- and unwittingly inject his corpse with an evil spirit that threatens to end their family line.

The Invention of Lying poster
The Invention of Lying
2009 · dir. Ricky Gervais
🍅 56%★ 6.4comedy · fantasy · romance

Fantasy built on wit, twice over

Set in a world where the concept of lying doesn't exist, a loser changes his lot when he invents lying and uses it to get ahead.

When We First Met poster
When We First Met
2018 · dir. Ari Sandel
🍅 45%★ 6.4comedy · romance · fantasyNetflix

Playful romance in both cases

Using a magical photo booth that sends him back in time, Noah relives the night he met Avery over and over, trying to persuade her to fall for him.

Click poster
Click
2006 · dir. Frank Coraci
🍅 34%★ 6.5comedy · drama · fantasyStarz

Two things both keep coming back to: obesity and hospital

A married workaholic, Michael Newman doesn't have time for his wife and children, not if he's to impress his ungrateful boss and earn a well-deserved promotion. So when he meets Morty, a loopy sales clerk, he gets the answer to his prayers: a magical remote that allows him to bypass life's little distractions with increasingly hysterical results.

Dark Shadows poster
Dark Shadows
2012 · dir. Tim Burton
🍅 35%★ 6.2comedy · fantasy

Both lean on dream logic more than on comedy

Vampire Barnabas Collins is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate and family have fallen into ruin.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason poster
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
2004 · dir. Beeban Kidron
🍅 27%★ 6comedy · romanceParamount+Starz

Both keep coming back to the same thing: dating

The difference: Trades the dream logic of Shallow Hal for an angle of its own

Bridget Jones is still dating her new love, barrister Mark Darcy, for a perfect six weeks. However, while on assignment in Thailand with her disreputable ex, Daniel Cleaver, claiming to be reformed, Bridget questions if she has everything she's ever dreamed of having.

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The best-reviewed films that share Shallow Hal’s defining feeling.