THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY
A Film Review by Brian Takeshita
Rating: *** out of ****
When I saw the trailer for this film, I laughed harder than I had in quite some time. While I was therefore pretty well psyched to see it, I was ever mindful that a trailer can make even the most mediocre film look good. I'm happy to say that THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY is not one of those trailer let-downs. In fact, watching this film was quite a fine way to spend two hours.
The film opens up in flashback to 1985, at a high school in Cumberland, Rhode Island. Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) is a social reject who can't seem to get a date to the upcoming prom, until he comes to the defense of the mentally retarded Warren (W. Earl Brown), who's being harassed by one of the school jocks. It seems Warren's sister is the campus queen, Mary Jensen (Cameron Diaz), who is impressed with Ted's willingness to stand up for her defenseless brother, despite a very real chance of getting beaten up. Mary takes an immediate liking to Ted and asks him to the prom. Ted was just flattered that she even knew his name. Unfortunately, prom night is ruined when Ted has an accident with his zipper (at which every man in the theater will wince), and is sent to the hospital.
Fast forward to the present, where Ted has cleaned himself up, now writes for a magazine, but has weekly therapy sessions in order to deal with his obsession of the past 13 years: Mary, whom he hasn't seen since that fateful day. With the help of his friend Dom (Chris Elliott), Ted hires slimy private investigator Pat Healy (Matt Dillon) to track down his only love. However, when Pat finds Mary, he falls for her too, and soon the both of them are competing for her affections.
THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY is directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly, who brought us DUMB AND DUMBER and KINGPIN. Not exactly intelligent comedies, they are of the guilty pleasure variety where you might not want your friends or co-workers to think you had such a great time watching them. With their current film, the Farrelly brothers have come up with something you'll not only enjoy, but also won't mind talking about the next day at the water cooler.
The film succeeds in employing a pretty wide range of comedic styles, from the subtle to the ridiculous, and while a few of the gags might be offensive to some (seeming like residuals from the Farrelly brothers' last two films) they almost all work. I have not seen many movies in the recent past that shoot for the mark and so often hit it dead on. One minute you'll be laughing at something Ted says, and the next you'll be howling at the sight of a dog dragging him across the floor of Mary's apartment.
One of the great things this film has going for it is Ben Stiller. He is perfectly cast in the role of Ted, because he's a guy who just looks awkward in almost every situation. Ted's a nice fellow and tries to do his best, but for some reason or another things just don't always work out. It's comical, but also has that kind of appeal where you really feel for the him and want him to come out on top. Actually, I've liked Stiller since he did a short which aired on Saturday Night Live back in the mid-eighties. The film was like a theatrical trailer for a spoof on the Tom Cruise/Paul Newman film THE COLOR OF MONEY, entitled THE HUSTLER OF MONEY. In it, Stiller played Wince (not Vince) who is taken under the wing of an older man (played by John Mahoney) to become a big-time bowling hustler. It was parody at its finest, more of which showed up in the short-lived "The Ben Stiller Show" on the Fox network in late '92/early '93. Like "The Critic" (which aired on ABC, then Fox), I still mourn that show's cancellation.
Cameron Diaz is absolutely enchanting for most of the film, although her character seems obsessed with perfection in the men she dates, and some of the qualities she looks for make Mary look paper-thin at times. However, Diaz pulls the role off with such panache and charm, that you can still see why she's got guys just falling over each other to be with her. Heck, I even found her laugh to be cute, even though I thought it was annoying during an appearance she made on The Tonight Show last week.
My girlfriend remarked that Matt Dillon doesn't change, and you know, it's really true. He and Ralph Macchio must hang out or something. Maybe they live in Dick Clark's pool house. Anyway, here's another good piece of casting, as Dillon slips beautifully into the role of the guy who tries to worm his way into Mary's heart.
The supporting performances are also good. Chris Elliott has a bigger part than in THE ABYSS (yes, check it out next time), and less annoying than in CABIN BOY. Lin Shae, who plays Mary's neighbor Magda (and also appeared as the landlady in KINGPIN), provides some good laughs, especially in scenes with her Benji-like dog, which acts as the focal point for a few of the funniest moments of the film. Lee Evans, as Mary's friend Tucker, displays a flexibility in acting and accents which surprises and contributes to an interesting plot twist.
The Farrelly brothers and scriptwriters Ed Decter and John J. Strauss keep the comedic pacing going so that there aren't any noticeable times where the film drags. The only problem I saw was their use of a couple of musicians who provide segues between several key scenes. They appear out of nowhere and actually sing plot-relevant information right toward the camera. It's a device which was amusing for about three seconds when they opened the film. After that it got a little annoying, and it's unfortunate that those spots interrupt what would otherwise be a smooth flow. Fortunately, filled with sight gags, humorous lines, and solid comedic acting, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY will still have you laughing after you leave the theater.
Review posted July 16, 1998
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