There's Something About Mary
Chad'z rating: *** (out of 4 = good)
1998, R, 118 minutes [1 hour, 58 minutes]
[comedy]
starring: Ben Stiller (Ted Stroehem), Cameron Diaz (Mary Jensen-Matthews), Matt Dillon (Pat Healy), Lee Evans (Tucker); written by Ed Decter, John J. Strauss, Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly; Michael Steinberg, Bradley Thomas, Charles B. Wessler, Frank Beddor; directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly.
Seen July 25, 1998 at 2 p.m. at Rotterdam Square Cinemas, theater #1, with Chris Wessell for free using my Loews/Sony critic's pass. [Theater rating: ***: good picture, sound, and seats]
If there's any genre that could use improvement, the lowbrow screwball comedy is it. One does not tend to associate such films with authentic romance, intricate plotting, and witty scripting, which are all qualities possessed by "There's Something About Mary" that make it a cut above the rest. There's an over-all sense of moderation here to make the jokes all the more funnier, especially considering how questionable the level of taste is.
The film starts out with a flashback to the mid 1980s, in the suburbs of Rhode Island where all comedies involving high school flashbacks might take place. The teens all appear to be in their 20s, but it keeps with the nostalgic, satirical atmosphere. We're quickly introduced to our main characters, Ted (Stiller), a dorky loser who inadvertantly charms the new foxy girl Mary (Diaz), after standing up for her retarded brother in a scene so generic it's original in its unapologetic approach.
Initially, the film is a little slow to demonstrate its comedic power. The atmosphere is rather sitcom-esque, but once the first bout of zaniness is unleashed, it's clear this is not going to be zinger-oriented comedy.
The promotions hint at the first major joke and plot device, which involves Ted having a painful accident with his zipper. To elaborate on the set-up of this joke would be an injustice to the film, but the way this gag is set up and the ultimate, hilarious delivery it provides goes to show how such a crude joke can be stretched out without snapping.
Ted's injury itself is funny, but the way the other characters react to it is the key. Penis jokes are pretty much the lowest of the lowbrow, but the film works in such a way as to let the viewer decide how gross the gag is (although it's still funny no matter how you see it).
Eventually a plot unfolds involving Ted's modern-day search for Mary. Through a series of connections he is put in touch with Pat Healy (Dillon), a slow- witted creepy character who fits in perfectly in such a screwball comedy. Healy tracks down Mary, who is now an orthopedic surgeon living in Florida, still foxy as ever, and still yearning for true love. It's no surprise Healy is attracted to her and proceeds to lie to Ted to discourage him from pursuing her. Using a bag of tricks James Bond might have thrown away, Healy learns everything about Mary. The conversations he is allowed to hear might seem a little too convenient to the plot, but the set-ups are funny and interesting enough to make them pay off. As Healy spies on Mary, we too feel the sense of voyeurism, which of course makes for many jokes and gags, but is something a film like this wouldn't usually inspire.
And it is this kind of surprising, subtle charm that gives the film merit. It's not meant to be any kind of achievement in film making, but just a good comedy which is becoming increasingly difficult to do. It takes the time to sketch out the characters - to provide motivation, backstory, and thematic elements. None of this is really necessary, as the film could have easily been more concentrated on the gags, but the fact it's here at all shows a level of maturity. Maturity in the midst of jokes involving slapstick, bodily functions and fluids, stupidity, and gross sight gags, but maturity nevertheless.
The entire middle hour can be used to illustrate this concept, as it's not just a series of jokes to string together a plot, but a story that constantly unfolds new layers without becoming confusing or predictable. New characters and minor sub-plots are introduced into the fray as natural transitions of the story. For example, another possible suitor for Mary named Tucker (Evans), is casually introduced as a supporting character. Gradually we learn he is not what he seems, as he too has been victimized by Mary's charm and beauty and will stop at nothing to gain the same affection both Ted and Pat Healy are striving for. More background material is lain out to give the plot some semblance of complexity. The gags and one-liners are plugged in at all the right points, but they all push the story just that much further.
Of course the film does get a little sidetracked for the really bizarre elements of the comedy. The Farrelly brothers have been known to push the envelope, but where as most do so for pure shock value, theirs seem to be natural progressions of the story. Somehow an elaborate gag involving masturbation provides for the slightest, idiosyncratic insight to the male mind. The same can be said for conversations about meat products on sticks and cones, or why movies like "Harold And Maude" aren't made anymore. Taken out of context this type of comedy might seem typical, but inside the film they work well.
Wrapping up zany comedies such as this usually involve a lot of cop-outs, sudden revelations, wild action, and predictable endings, and although some of these things are present here, the process of putting them together continues to highlight the film's subtle hook. As is most of the film, it's generic and off-the-wall, and yet funny and charming.
My only major grievance with "There's Something About Mary" might be the fact it's not as funny as it could have been, but that's because there's a sense of continuity and thoroughness here - something a lot of other movies could take a cue from.
e-mail: ChadPolenz@aol.com (C) 1998 Chad Polenz
Member of: The Online Film Critics Society The Internet Movie Critics Association The Online Movie-Goers Academy
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