I appreciate a little mindless fun as much as the next viewer, but this one was a bit too "shallow," even for me. The tragically formulaic plot rests on several ridiculous premises, the movie breaks no new ground and the humor stoops rather low on several occasions.

In the first scene, there is an attempt to establish Hal (Jack Black) as a likable character by showing that his supra-judgmental tendencies are indeed "not his fault" but rather, the result of a traumatic childhood experience. The scene fails, however, in the areas of believability, humor and emotional impact, immediately placing the movie on poor footing in a puddle of faux pas and comedic quicksand.

As if that weren't enough, more incredulity follows when Hal finds himself trapped in an elevator with motivational speaker and self-help guru Tony Robbins, who then gives him the ability to see only the inner beauty of anyone he meets. Here is where the movie becomes truly offensive.

The film outrightly assumes that inner and outer beauty are mutually exclusive, as expressed in one of the most memorable lines, spoken by Hal's best friend (Jason Alexander): "Pretty girls aren't funny. They're certainly not nice … not to us."

But this is almost harmless when compared with the depiction of the women who do possess inner beauty. These women are all shown to be 'naturally' quite unattractive, and act, for the most part, giggly, desperate and incredibly insecure.

While the movie does call attention to the fact that our culture has a very limited, programmed sense of what constitutes beauty, nothing is really done to challenge this view. The movie points fingers without following through.

When Hal falls in love with Rosemary, he falls in love with the body of Gwyneth Paltrow. Hal chooses her in exactly the same way he has chosen women in the past, and her brilliant personality and genuine interest in him are only a bonus. What's worse is that, in a great many places where the movie is attempting to be funny, it is instead rather insulting.

There is a lot of name-calling and a number of derisive comments-not to mention the fact that no furniture can seem to hold Rosemary. There is a disturbing focus on the difference between Paltrow's figure and Rosemary's "real" figure (created by Paltrow in a very large 'fat suit') and almost every time, this juxtaposition is supposed to elicit laughs.

The novelty of Tony Robbins and the natural charisma of Jack Black are the only redeeming qualities of this movie. Generally, the audience isn't given any reason at all to connect to the characters or to their plights-unless, of course, you count abject pity or disgust as a 'connection.'

The film relies heavily on tactless toilet humor and bluntness which the filmmakers have tried (and failed) to pass off as honesty, and in the end, we're left with only a few funny lines, a handful (at most) of touching moments and, ultimately, a mundane message that does not quite get sent.

Those expecting the hearty laughs of the ridiculous and feel-good "There's Something About Mary" (also directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly) will be let down. Those beckoned by a fascination for Jack Black as he appeared in "High Fidelity" will be chagrined at the comparative dullness that is Hal's character. Finally, those hoping for a truly positive message about beauty and body image will be sorely disappointed.

On the other hand, if you are merely looking for a way to waste two hours and four to seven dollars, watching something that doesn't make you think too hard (or at all for that matter)-assuming that you are neither pretty nor ugly nor thin nor fat-

Assuming you are a member of the Peace Corps or devote your life to working with the blind (because, obviously, this is the only way to have inner beauty)-

Assuming you don't have a tail (don't ask) … this is your movie.