"There's Something About Mary"
A Review by Ryan Kohler
Movies are made to be fun. . .remember that. Some movies try to be fun and still stink (which seems to be the case with "Armageddon", but since I haven't seen it I won't judge.) "There's Something About Mary" is the, simply put, the most fun and funniest movie you are going to see this summer (and, perhaps, all year.)
A lot has been made about "Mary's" political incorrectness, about its treatment of retarded people, about its use of bodily fluids. Does "Mary" go over the line with some its humor. . . maybe, but, pardon my language, who gives a shit? Nothing is sacred to Peter and Bobby Farrelly, the people who directed (and wrote with Ed Decter and John J. Strauss), and that is one of the most refreshing things about it.
We see the beginnings of romance in Rhode Island circa 1985 as Ted (Ben Stiller) lusts after mar (Cameron Diaz). A tragic (for Ted, at least) prom night accident ruins things and he spends the next 13 years wondering what happened to her. Enter Pat Healy (Matt Dillon), a seedy (and I mean SEEDY) private investigator hired to track Mary down. When he finds her in Miami he decides to make HIS move on Mary and Ted is soon in hot in pursuit of both of them.
All three leads shine. Diaz isn't just a pretty face, she really shows some comedic ability. A lot of comedy comes from Mary's reactions to the people around her and Diaz is able to make it funny (like the look on her face when Pat tells her, the sister of a mentally handicapped person, that he likes "working with retards.") Dillon, last seen getting in on in "Wild Things", is surprisingly funny. I had never been that impressed with his acting before, but in this setting he was really quite good. He captured the right amount of sliminess and buffoonery in his role. These may seem like simplistic observations, but, in comedy especially, if an actor doesn't capture the right mood, things will most definitely NOT be funny, no matter the material (and vice versa.)
The best of the lot, though, is Stiller. His Ted, hurt (in more way than one) for so many years, is a sad character (there were more than a few "Aws", including from me, when he got a sad, puppydog look on his face.) Very rarely in a comedy, especially one with humor like "Mary"'s, is a character liable to draw much sympathy. Because Stiller is one the best all-around comedy talents in Hollywood, he is able to pull off that unlikely feat. Credit must also go to the writers for giving Stiller enough stuff to create someone like Ted.
The Farrelly Brothers obviously know how to direct comedy. The problem is, the parts that don't have a lot comedy (there is a LOT of exposition) sometimes drag. For a comedy of this kind, "Mary" is long at 119 minutes, though this is not a bad thing (except for said slow parts.) Of the comedic set pieces that are in this I would not be able to do without any. In fact, some of these instances, one in particular, will be talked about for years (including one I'll bet you don't see coming.)
I hadn't laughed REALLY hard at a movie in quite a while (to be honest, I can't remember the last belly laugh I had inside a theater). "Mary" is full of laughs, of the belly kind and others. I don't care how hardened you are, you WILL laugh. And when was the last time you were guaranteed that?
Rating (based on a 4.0 cumulative average): 3.75
"There's Something About Mary" (1998). Directed by Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly. Written by Ed Decter and John J. Strauss and Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly. Music by Jonathan Richman. With Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller, Lee Evans, Chris Elliot, Harland Williams. Distributed by 20th Century Fox. Running time: 119 minutes. Rated R.
--- 13 July 1998
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