There's Something About Mary Reviews

I do love comedy, some of my favourite films/shows are comedy based. But I have seen There's Something About Mary three times now, and I didn't like/wasn't engaged by it either time.

I do like how it looks, the film does look striking, I like the soundtrack, there was one joke that I was amused at(the one in the bathroom) and the performances of Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz are good.

However, apart from one joke, I just didn't find There's Something About Mary funny. The Farrelly Brothers I know are notorious for their lack of subtlety, but I was expecting something funnier considering the reputation it has. The script is full of dialogue that is rather juvenile and tasteless and the gags are puerile and fall flat more than they score. I know people will say this is what makes the film funny, I respect that, it's just not my kind of humour, that's all. The premise is simple, I have no problem with that. When the story is this thin and this predictable, I am not so kind. The film feels unevenly paced too, then again it probably has a lot to do with the lack of laughs from my experience, and the characters I don't care about.

Overall, I wanted to like it, but it didn't work for me. Maybe I'll see it again some day and pray that my reaction will be different then. 4/10 Bethany Cox

Honestly, I have never been a huge fan of this flick but since I hadn’t seen it for a while, I thought I might as well give it another try. 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. Which one ? All of them! 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 try to judge the characters who are discriminating Warren, the mentally disabled brother, but the makers themselves make fun of the guy throughout the whole thing. I mean, how messed up is that? To conclude, even though I don’t think it is a masterpiece whatsoever, at least, it was miles better than the inane ‘Dumb & Dumber’ and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

better than you average middle of the roan non-funny american comedy. Think Lee Evans was the best in it and Cameron is just gorgeous.

"When I was 16 years old, I fell in love..."

The directorial sibling duo of Bobby and Peter Farrelly earned themselves a revered place among the gurus of the comedy genre after unleashing There's Something About Mary upon the unsuspecting movie-going public of 1998. There's Something About Mary can best be described as an unalloyed exercise in gross-out humour and plain bad taste, punctuated by a surprisingly heartfelt screenplay and an intriguing plot designed to steer its characters from one gag to the next.

Without a doubt, There's Something About Mary is the best film the Farrelly Brothers have created thus far in their filmic careers. This is a gigantic step up from prior Farrelly Brothers titterfests wherein a string of extraneous gags were supplied to conceal the lack of depth (and variety, for that matter). Perhaps the brothers had just grown up by this stage, or perhaps this was the consequence of the brothers collaborating with Ed Decter and John J. Strauss to pen the screenplay. Whatever the case, There's Something About Mary is endowed with a delightful wide appeal. For sure, it's gross-out comedy to extremes, but there is a heart and a believable, grounded storyline. A plethora of explosively hilarious set-pieces such as the prom night saga have taken their place in contemporary comic history. Yet, this sequence isn't a mere succession of unrelated gags. The building ridiculousness serves as a suitable introduction to the film's central premise: a well-meaning person inadvertently inviting chaos at every turn.

"Franks and Beans! Franks and Beans!"

Ted Stroehmann (Stiller) is a metal-mouth geek in his high school days in Rhode Island. It's the lead up to his Senior Prom, and Ted is seeking a date. Enter the beautiful Mary Jensen (Diaz) who asks the bewildered Ted to be her date for the prom. Ted is amazed and overjoyed, to say the least. But the prom night ends in tears when an unfortunate zipper accident leaves Ted in hospital. Thirteen years following this episode, Ted still pines for his lost Mary, whom he considers the love of his life. Ever since the end of school, though, Ted hasn't seen Mary at all - she's disappeared off the grid. With some encouragement from a friend, Ted opts to hire sleazy private eye Pat Healy (Dillon) to track down his old flame. However, after Pat takes one look at the radiant Mary, he decides he wants her for himself. Much conniving, back-stabbing and lying ensues in order to steal Mary's affections.

The story is episodic, to be sure. It exists as a vehicle to convey masses of uproarious gags. Also, characterisation is at a minimum. However, some of the characters are satisfactorily developed through the gags. The aforementioned prom night saga establishes Ted's character, for instance. The jokes are frequently hilarious (rarely, if ever, hit and miss) and the characters are extremely endearing, and at the end of the day that's what counts in this genre. There's Something About Mary also offers something to offend almost everyone - it's politically incorrect (usage of the word "retard" is an example), outrageous, uncouth, bawdy and unapologetically lowbrow...truly nothing is out of bounds here. The true allure of the flick, however, is its sweet core - a quality the Farrelly Brothers have yet to replicate to the same effect. Some viewers may dismiss this flick as a simple gross-out comedy unworthy of a second glance, but the film's genuine charms extend beyond the repulsive jokes. Of course, it does rely on this humour heavily to entertain...nevertheless, There's Something About Mary remains an appealing romantic comedy that delivers a sweet payoff.

"Is that... is that hair gel?"

In all fairness, the Farrelly Brothers don't entirely depend on genitals, breasts, bodily fluids, or an assortment of other tasteless subjects to manufacture each joke. A group of travelling minstrels who follow Ted around, singing about his exploits in Greek chorus fashion, for instance, is a wonderful withdrawal from the lowbrow moments. This may not be subtle or intellectual humour (these two words simply don't apply to any Farrelly Brothers production), but it is less bawdy than their usual material. Similarly, the entire cast sing along to Build Me Up, Buttercup during the closing credits. There's Something About Mary additionally manages to be fairly light on emotion, yet distinctly memorable, which is a tribute to the strength of its brilliant comic structure. It wears its influences (from the Marx Brothers to Porky's) clearly on its sleeve, but is able to wrap them in a tight, original story where each joke serves a purpose.

One reason why There's Something About Mary succeeds is on account of all the actors being utterly perfect for their chosen roles. With different casting, half the jokes would most certainly have fallen flat. Ben Stiller appears to understand comedy. His lines are delivered with impeccable comic timing, and he allows a viewer to sympathise with Ted while concurrently laughing at him. Getting one's dangly bits excruciatingly snared in a zipper is a fear faced by every male on the planet, but due to Stiller's fine acting we don't feel bad as we laugh at his agonising situation.
The actors surrounding Stiller are top-notch. The vivacious and gorgeous Cameron Diaz is perfect as Mary. Not Oscar material, but she immerses herself into the character suitably and gives her character the required charm. This is proof that Cameron Diaz used to be hot. The Farrellys were so keen to cast Cameron that they delayed the filming start date in order to accommodate the film in her schedule. "Cameron is Mary," asserts Peter Farrelly. "Like Mary, Cameron seems like the ultimate woman. Every guy on the set was crazy about her."
Matt Dillon is equally excellent. He manages to build great charm, but at the same time be contemptible in his methods. Dillon is perfect in tacky clothes and a seedy moustache.
In the supporting cast there's Lin Shaye as the extremely tanned Magda, and Lee Evans as yet another man in love with Mary. Other performers, such as Chris Elliot and W. Earl Brown, are terrific. In a comedy flick such as this, actors of this calibre are required in order for the gags to work to their full potential. Thank God for this delightful bunch!

"Have you seen my weiner?"

There's no doubt about it, There's Something About Mary is one of the funniest comedies you'll ever encounter - a harmonious cocktail of over-the-top physical gags and raunchy humour. To be fair, though, the film is far from perfect. It runs a tad long at almost two hours, and (to be expected) a few of the characters aren't developed past the second dimension. This isn't Academy Award material, but it certainly achieves its evident goal: to entertain and deliver laughs aplenty. The fact that the geeky loser gets the girl - Mary predictably choosing Ted over the supposedly perfect Brett (real-life pro quarterback Brett Favre, a typical Farrelly casting) - makes this a curiously bloke-friendly rom-com. Adding to its unisex appeal (and therefore justifying its box-office success), There's Something About Mary is simultaneously one of the most romantic gross-out comedies, and one of the most gross romantic comedies. Laughter is such a blessed relief when one is in a bad mood, and this film is guaranteed to work as well as anti-depressants. After watching this hysterical gem, you'll never look at hair gel the same ever again.

"His friends would say stop whining
They've had an enough of that
His friends would say stop pining
There is other girls to look at
They've tried to set'em up with Tiffany and Indigo

But there's something about Mary that they don't know.

Mary, there's just something about Mary."

8.2/10

This would have to go up there in my 'Funniest films of all time' movie list. Because truly, it is HILLARIOUS! Ben Stiller.. Matt Dillon, Cameron Diaz...... All of them make this movie unforgettable!