A Complete Review of the Farrelly Brothers' work

Unfortunately, I haven't seen this one yet...

Unfortunately, I haven't seen this one yet...

Even though Peter Farrelly did direct this movie, Bobby Farrelly was however not involved.



Cast : Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini

What was it about?
A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.

My two cents:
To be honest, I’m surprised the damned thing reserved so much praise. I mean, sure, it was a decent watch but not really much more than that, in my opinion. As pointed out by many people before me, it was pretty much a reversed version of ‘Driving Miss Daisy’, a rather weak which at least had the excuse that it had been released 30 years ago. Seriously, it is rather sad that ‘BlacKkKlansman’ which was also nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award was snubbed when it was not only an impressive come-back from Spike Lee but also gave a much more provocative view on the very same subject than this movie. On top of that, even though the story was rather generic and predictable, it was also rather condescending. The worst example was probably when Donald Shirley helped Tony writing these letters. Seriously, can you imagine if it would have been the other way around, with a white guy showing a black man how to write a romantic letter? It would have been a scandal. At least, there is no doubt that both Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali both delivered some solid performances but I just didn’t care much about anything else in this movie.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Laurie Holden, Kathleen Turner, Bill Murray

What was it about?
Twenty years since their first adventure, Lloyd and Harry go on a road trip to find Harry's newly discovered daughter, who was given up for adoption.

My two cents:
I didn't expect much from this sequel and, indeed, the whole thing was pretty lame confirming me in my beliefs that there was and there is still nothing funny about these 2 characters. I mean, I'll have to admit it, I did chuckle a few times but I didn't happen really often and most of the movie was just really painful to watch. At least, you'll have to give Jim Carrey some credit as, except for 'Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls', the guy managed to stay away from all these lame sequels for 20 years, even if he was sometimes offered a big fat paycheck and I guess you can't blame him for going back to one of his most famous roles after all this time but I'm afraid it gives also the feeling that this actor seems slightly desperate to finally get a hit (which he didn't even get with this movie).

My rating: 04/10

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Even though Peter Farrelly did direct several segments for this movie, Bobby Farrelly was however not involved.



Cast : Dennis Quaid, Greg Kinnear, Common, Seth MacFarlane, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Liev Schreiber, Naomi Watts, Anna Faris, Chris Pratt, Kieran Culkin, Emma Stone, Richard Gere, Kate Bosworth, Justin Long, Jason Sudeikis, Uma Thurman, Bobby Cannavale, Kristen Bell, Leslie Bibb, Katrina Bowden, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloë Grace Moretz, Gerard Butler, Seann William Scott, Johnny Knoxville, Elizabeth Banks, Josh Duhamel, Tony Shalhoub

What was it about?
A series of interconnected short films follows a washed-up producer as he pitches insane story lines featuring some of the biggest stars in Hollywood.

My two cents:
Of course, I had some low expectations before watching this flick but even so I thought it was really awful and easily one of the worst movies I have seen for a while. Indeed, basically, it is a collection of supposedly funny segments but they were just really cringe-inducing and I don't think I can pick up a segment which was actually slightly worth a look. The most bewildering thing about this project is the stunning number of famous and sometimes even really good actors that got involved into this. Apparently, it all started with the segment directed by Peter Farrelly called 'The Catch'. Hugh Jackman was the first one to get on board, then Kate Winslet was next so they shot first their segment that was shown to convince the rest. Anyway, this flick is an utter commercial and creative failure and you might wonder how many decent low budget features could have been made instead with all these talented actors and directors.

My rating: 03/10 (for Peter Farrelly's segment and for the whole movie)

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Cast : Jane Lynch, Sofía Vergara, Jennifer Hudson, Larry David, Kate Upton

What was it about?
While trying to save their childhood orphanage, Moe, Larry and Curly inadvertently stumble into a murder plot and wind up starring in a reality television show.

My two cents: I have to admit it, even though I have heard about The Three Stooges, I have actually never seen one of their sketches but, apparently, this movie was quite respectful. Anyway, maybe this kind of humor was awesome back in those days but I'm afraid it didn't grow old very well and now it looks just annoying and not entertaining whatsoever. For the Farrelly brothers, this movie was yet another flop, even after spending about a decade on this project but the fact that all the famous actors involved at some point (Jim Carrey, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn) dropped was not a good omen and the actors they got instead didn't really impress me but, on the other hand, they weren't not helped by this material. Anyway, maybe the fan of The Three Stooges will love the damned thing but I thought it was rather cringe-inducing to behold.

My rating: 5/10

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Cast : Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate, Richard Jenkins, Alyssa Milano

What was it about?
Rick and Fred, two husbands who are having difficulty in their marriages, are given a Hall Pass by their wives: for one week, they can do whatever they want.

My two cents:
This movie actually definitely had some potential and I liked how they started with some pretty genuine portrayals of average family life, although, in my opinion, Owen Wilson was rather miscast for this part. However, even though the whole thing could or should have been a really oversexed raunchy party, it was actually surprisingly tame. Indeed, it was only towards the end that you get to see the very hot coffee lady topless (the only moment it seems that something will actually happen but it doesn’t go further than this and she puts her clothes back on pretty quickly) but, for the rest of the movie, those guys just spent their hall pass hanging out together and not actually chasing the ladies which I thought was the whole point . While, in the mean time, one of their wives was having sex with a college student, that’s how dubious the whole thing was. Eventually, even though it could have been fun, it was just rather disappointing.

My rating: 05/10

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Cast : Ben Stiller, Malin Akerman, Michelle Monaghan, Danny McBride, Eva Longoria

What was it about?
A newly wed man who believes he's just gotten hitched to the perfect woman encounters another lady on his honeymoon.

My two cents:
Well, it is not with such an underwhelming remake that the Farrelly brothers will make a come-back anytime soon, that’s for sure. I mean, I do believe that Ben Stiller is a decent actor and sometimes he can be really hilarious. For this movie, he did his usual awkward unlucky guy which has become a little bit overdone by now. Anyway, even though there were some bits here and there which were fairly amusing, most of it was rather tedious, I’m afraid, and even pretty lame at some points. The most difficult thing to swallow was the really sudden change of behavior displayed by Malin Akerman. I mean, I’ll give you that, she is a pretty girl but she wasn’t really convincing here and, as a result, the whole premise pretty much fell apart. Anyway, even though I didn’t care much for the whole thing, I still think it was a decent watch and I guess it is worth a look.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon

What was it about?
Lindsay is stuck in the middle of her relationship with Ben and his passion for the Boston Red Sox.

My two cents:
This movie is probably one of the least known movies made by the Farrelly brothers but, even though it might be surprising, it turned out to be their best one I have seen so far. Recently, I was told it is actually a remake of a movie starring Colin Firth and I was also told that the original version was actually a much better movie and I will definitely check it out when I have the opportunity. Anyway, in this remake, I thought there was a good chemistry between Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon but what I love about this movie was that it gave a really realistic romantic relationship. The guy loved baseball but she didn't. The girl had a busy job and he couldn't see her all the time he would like to. Guess what happen at the end ? They just accepted this and loved each other in spite of these complications. Ok, it doesn't really sound romantic but it was really romantic. I have to admit it, a re-watch might eventually drop my rating but I just really liked this movie a lot.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Eva Mendes, Cher, Luke Wilson, Rhona Mitra, Meryl Streep

What was it about?
Conjoined twins from Martha's Vineyard move to Los Angeles so that one of them can pursue an acting career.

My two cents:
Of course, with these directors, the whole thing started with a very lame concept (in this case, Siamese brothers) but the big difference was that it actually worked this time, at least, for me. To start with, instead of the usual suspects like Jim Carrey or Owen Wilson, they made a master move by casting 2 very good dramatic actors (Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear). And, indeed, thanks to Damon and Kinnear, this movie managed to go beyond their usual gross jokes but during the more serious moments, it was still interesting because those guys had the necessary acting chops. Of course, the whole thing was pretty messed up and not everything was really funny but I believed in those brothers and I did care about what they were going through. Eventually, even though it was nothing amazing, I think it was actually a pretty good comedy and one of the very few movies directed by the Farrelly brothers that I really enjoyed.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black, Jason Alexander

What was it about?
A shallow man falls in love with a 300 pound woman because of her "inner beauty".

My two cents:
Back, there was a nice buzz before this movie was released but, eventually, it didn’t make many waves at the box-office after all. To be honest, I have never been a fan of the Farrelly Brothers’s work but I thought that this movie was not bad. I mean, pretty much like in all their other movies, it was terribly raunchy and even though they tried to hide themselves behind some dubious morality (beauty is not everything and it is personality that should be important), it was very often quite misguided. And yet, I thought it was a decent watch. Nowadays, after 10 years of basically playing the same character over and over again, Jack Black has become rather annoying, but back then, it was his first leading part, and the guy was still pretty funny.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Chris Rock, Laurence Fishburne, Brandy Norwood, William Shatner Ron Howard, Kid Rockl, Bill Murray

What was it about?
A policeman white blood cell, with the help of a cold pill, must stop a deadly virus from destroying the human they live in, Frank.

My two cents:
Among all the movies delivered by the Farrelly brothers, it must be the most obscure so far and, yet, I thought it was actually pretty good. First of all, I really loved the concept. Indeed, they usually have a concept in their comedies but, most of the time, this concept is just lame or doesn't attract me whatsoever. Not this time though. Indeed, I thought it was pretty neat to go inside someone's body with some wacky animated figures. On top of that, we had the opportunity to go inside Bill Murray's body which was again a pretty far out idea. So, it was quite an ambitious project but, of course, they had to dumb down the whole thing somehow so it was nothing really amazing. Still, I thought the damned thing was quite intriguing and pretty entertaining.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Jim Carrey, Renée Zellweger, Chris Cooper, Richard Jenkins, Robert Forster

What was it about?
A nice-guy cop with dissociative identity disorder must protect a woman on the run from a corrupt ex-boyfriend and his associates.

My two cents:
After the huge success of ‘Dumb & Dumber’ and ‘There’s Something About Mary’, the Farrelly brothers came up with this flick which would be their last box-office hit. This time, they were reunited with Jim Carrey who had his breakthrough thanks to them with ‘Dumb & Dumber’ and the end-result was another really daft comedy. As usual with the Farrelly brothers, most of the jokes were pretty outrageous and, back then, it still worked and I thought it was actually better than the appalling ‘Dumb & Dumber’. Anyway, the biggest asset in this movie was the impressive one-man-show provided by Jim Carrey but there were also a couple of juicy supporting parts as well. Of course, you could always argue that the whole thing was terribly gross and obviously not really accurate concerning the depiction of this mental disease but I enjoyed most of it.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Sarah Silverman

What was it about?
A man gets a chance to meet up with his dream girl from high school, even though his date with her back then was a complete disaster.

My two cents:
When it was released, back then, the Farrelly brothers were still really popular and this flick was their biggest success so far (though you might argue that ‘Dumb & Dumber’ was even more successful). To be honest, it is not a bad flick. Indeed, Cameron Diaz was perfectly cast, she looked really stunning and her character was just really charming and sweet. Ben Stiller was also a good choice here and the combination of those 2 characters worked fine. Unfortunately, I had a hard time to care about the other characters. Indeed, even though Diaz and Stiller’s characters were pretty much down to earth, the rest was just some underwhelming cartoonish figures. Concerning the jokes, I have to admit it, some of them were pretty good but some of them were just gross and awkward. For example, they were judgemental about the characters who were discriminating Warren, the mentally disabled brother, but the makers themselves made fun of the guy throughout the whole thing. I mean, how messed up was that? Anyway, even though I don’t think it is a masterpiece whatsoever, at least, it was miles better than the inane ‘Dumb & Dumber’.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel, Bill Murray

What was it about?
A star bowler whose career was prematurely "cut off" hopes to ride a new prodigy to success and riches.

My two cents:
The weird thing with this movie is that it is one of the most obscure features delivered by the Farrelly brothers, a movie they made between their 2 biggest success, ‘Dumb & Dumber’ and ‘There’s something about Mary’ and, even though it was barely noticed when it was released, I thought it was actually one of their best movies. Of course, the story was completely preposterous and filled with gross jokes but I thought it worked quite well this time. Indeed, this time, they decided to make fun of bowling which is a rather ridiculous sport when you think about it, and it was really funny. Furthermore, they decided to cast 2 comic geniuses, Woody Harrelson and Bill Murray, and they just rocked their performances, as usual. Since then, it has been a while since Woody Harrelson has played the lead and that’s a shame because he is so charismatic and just plain badass. Eventually, even though it is nowadays pretty much forgotten, it is actually a solid comedy and it is definitely worth a look.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Lauren Holly, Teri Garr

What was it about?
The cross-country adventures of two good-hearted but incredibly stupid friends.

My two cents:
To be honest, I have never understood the appeal of this movie but, on the other hand, it has been a while since I saw it so maybe I should give it a 2nd chance. In fact, I even saw the damned thing in the movie theater when it was released. Back then, out of nowhere, Jim Carrey took over the box-office following ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’ and ‘The Mask’ and this movie would be his 3rd box-office hit all during 1994. Since I enjoyed both ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’ and ‘The Mask’, I was quite eager to check this movie and I was expecting it to be seriously hilarious. Well, eventually, it turned out to be a massive disappointment, that’s for sure. Of course, I fully understand that this movie was supposed to be dealing with some really stupid characters but, as far as I was concerned, I thought it was seriously cringe-inducing to behold and I can’t recall a single moment when I thought I was watching something really hilarious. The Farelly brothers would manage to strike gold again with ‘There's Something About Mary’ (another rather overrated comedy in my opinion) but most of their following movies would eventually under-perform at the box-office.

My rating: 04/10

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