Grade: B

Verdict: Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black make this a sweetheart of a movie. And, yes, it's those Farrelly brothers.

Details: Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black and Jason Alexander. Directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly. Rated PG-13 for language and sexual situations. One hour, 54 minutes.

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Review: “Shallow Hal” may be the most unexpected movie of the year.

The misleading trailers make it look like something for the pimple set, with scores of fat-girl jokes.

And, yes, there are some fat-girl jokes. But seen within the context of the Farrelly brothers' entire film, they're more crude than malicious. And, it being the Farrellys, some are quite funny, even when they are quite crude.

Interestingly, the brunt of the best jokes — the cruelest jokes — are guys. Guys like Mauricio (Jason Alexander doing Evil George). Mauricio is a rotund insecure twit whose pathetic toupé looks like spray-painted Astroturf. Yet he still drops a girlfriend with swimsuit-issue potential because her second toe is too long.

Hal (Jack Black) is Mauricio's best friend, and he's every bit as superficial. Hal's hooked on looks and sees no reason to think differently even though he's hardly stud-muffin material himself. An encounter with self-help guru Tony Robbins changes all that, and Hal begins seeing people for what they really are, not what they look like. Only he doesn't know that.

Sure enough, he falls for Rosemary, who looks like Gwyneth Paltrow to him. She's really a plus-size girl who has endured a lifetime of jokes and ugly laughter (Paltrow plays her resigned expectation of daily humiliation beautifully). From there, the plot deepens.

Best known for the gross-out glories of “Dumb and Dumber,” “Kingpin” and “There's Something About Mary,” Peter and Bobby Farrelly have done a 180: “Shallow Hal” is a terribly sweet film, with — they can't help themselves — a few idiot gags and some politically incorrect provocations.

The Farrellys' film personality has seemed pretty specific until now. They specialize in laugh-till-you-puke outrages, right? But look back at “There's Something About Mary” or “Me Myself and Irene.” You can see a decency. Or maybe a sense of honor. They don't take on easy targets. And they can get away with all their naughty-boy stuff because they're so accurate and inventive.

“Shallow Hal” can be predictable in a fairy tale way, but thanks to Paltrow and Black, you don't mind. Paltrow totally convinces us that she's someone insecure about her looks, someone not used to being paid attention to in an admiring way.

Black, who's been on the rise ever since he stole scenes in “High Fidelity,” is every bit as good. He plays the transformed Hal perfectly straight. He's generous and considerate, ardent and good-hearted. He manages what few can do: making a good guy seem interesting.

Watching Black and Paltrow together is a wonderful case of good acting enhanced by good chemistry enhanced by good writing and directing. The Farrelly brothers have done themselves proud with this movie. They've shown us their inner beauty. Who'da thunk it?

— Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution