There+s Something About Mary
It was with great trepidation that I approached +Mary+, the Farrelly brothers+ latest film. I knew the film would be funny--the trailer alone had me laugh harder than the actual comedy I went to see. But I also knew the film would be an equal-opportunity offender, attacking the sensibilities of the politically correct with reckless abandon. I figured the film would be raunchy, maybe another lucky escapee from NC-17 hell. I may laugh, but would I feel better in the morning?
I needn+t have worried. +Mary+ is the sweetest, warmest, all-out laugh-and-grossfest this side of _Animal House_. Surprisingly, the Farrelly brothers have walked that very tight line of making a touching romantic comedy on the side, and filling the details with five or six outrageous howlers. They make laughter, the toughest job for a filmmaker to do, look easy.
The plot is typical. Thirteen years ago, geeky Ted (Ben Stiller) lucked out in having dazzling Mary (Cameron Diaz) go with him to the senior prom. As luck would have it, on that very day, he was hospitalized. Why, I shall not tell, but I assure you, it isn+t pretty.
He hires a private investigator to find her: Pat Healy (Matt Dillon). He becomes one of the great comic villains. Upon finding her, he too is lovestruck, and so pursues her, lying about his occupation and getting his teeth capped. It is only a matter of time before Ted finds out that he had been double-crossed, and goes to get her for himself.
Would the geek get the girl? Puh-lease. The ending is pure Hollywood; no surprises there. But the absolute joy in this film is how this simple premise allows for humor in zippers, hair gel, the mentally disabled, the physically handicapped, interracial marriages, homosexuals, skin conditions, serial killers, tanning, and drugged-up dogs. The dog on speed sequence alone is worth the price of admission, and belongs in the Film Comedy Hall of Fame.
And yet, for all the targets that are hit, the film maintains its sweet tone. Mary, playing the straight role, is as sweet and caring as she is beautiful. She is totally devoted to caring for her mentally handicapped brother, Warren (W. Earl Brown--miles away from the cameraman in _Scream_). Mary+s sunniness carries the film here--it compliments the below-belt gags that come at you. Cameron Diaz makes her totally charming, and the audience respects her, even though women in general do not usually undress before an open window.
Ben Stiller also fares very well, totally changing his image from his _Reality Bites_ and _Flirting with Disaster_ straight men to being a, (how to say it?), a complete loser. Braces, greasy long hair, not too bright, and very very funny. Dillon is exceptionally creepy, especially with his capped teeth. And rounding out the cast is Ted+s friend Dom (Chris Elliot), tanning addict Magda (Lin Shaye), modern troubador/Greek chorus Ron Lichman, and Mary+s sweet mom, Markie Post (where has she been?!).
Not everything works. Chris Elliot+s role, skin blemishes and all, becomes merely tasteless and boring. There+s lousy dialogue about eight-minute vs. seven minute exercise tapes. And there are long stretches without much going on. But the wait is worth it. When those extraordinary sequences hit, the entire theater erupted with howls, tears. belly-aches, that in some sequences carried over to the following scene.
The Farrelly brothers have finally done it. Yes, there are some raunchy bits, but when it is all over, it+s not nearly as bad as it could have been. While tasteless, it didn+t cross any lines, at least not with me. While raunchy, it wasn+t nearly as bad as _Porky+s_ or _Boogie Nights_. And it is sweet enough to be considered a date flick. After the funny but sour _Kingpin_ left a negative aftertaste in my palate, comes the funniest sex farce since _A Fish Called Wanda_. Approach this with an open mind, and you will reap the benefits hugely.
Nick Scale (1 to 10): 9
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