There's Something About Mary

I don’t remember the last time I laughed this hard at a movie. There’s Something About Mary is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen lately.

The story is simple. There’s a girl named Mary, who everyone thinks is a fox. Guys will do anything to get Mary - everyone except for Ted, a genuinely nice guy who had a mishap with Mary while in high school. Now, thirteen years later, Ted wants to find Mary and maybe get back together with her.

Mary is about the only character in There’s Something About Mary that is sane. Played by the beautiful Cameron Diaz, Mary is the object of lust for all the on-screen men. Diaz does a good job with her part, projecting a naive, appealing warmth. Opposite Mary is Ted, played by Ben Stiller. Ted’s life is an absolute mess - everything that could go wrong for Ted does go wrong. Stiller is hilarious as Ted.

The script by Ed Decter & John J. Strauss and Peter Farrelly & Bobby Farrelly definitely deserves its R rating; the gross sexual humor makes this movie unfit for kids.

Direction from the Farrelly brothers is good, though at points they seem to lose focus and drift. The movie does have its slow moments - moments in which I found myself looking at my watch wondering either when the movie would end or when the next laugh-out-loud-sequence was going to appear.

Speaking of laugh-out-loud-sequences, an early scene is hilarious. The scene consists of Ted, a bathroom, and a stubborn zipper. The Farrelly brothers leave nothing to the imagination with this scene. A lot of what happens in the opening is shown in trailers, but there are some sight gags that are not (and couldn’t be) shown during trailers. There are other moments, like the one with a dog on speed and a hair gel incident that left the audience howling. Small moments with a singing duel are silly. And there’s a scene with fake nudity that will shock you.

There’s Something About Mary is a film that will not suit everyone. There will be those who think that this crude humor really doesn’t belong in theatres. But, if you’re willing to let go of some of your respectability when you walk into the theatre, you’ll love There’s Something About Mary. The guy who sat next to me during the screening kept screaming, “Oh, that’s just not right!” Right or not, it was funny. Don’t Miss There’s Something About Mary.

On a side note, I think that the advertising for There’s Something About Mary was skewed a bit, which resulted in my seeing the film this late. “Warning The guys who did ‘Dumb & Dumber’ and ‘Kingpin’ bring you a love story.” That is what the ads said and I took heed of the warning because I didn’t like Dumb & Dumber at all. And I’m sure there are many who didn’t either. For the record, There’s Something Like Mary is a lot more enjoyable than Dumb & Dumber. I regret seeing the film so late.

Edited by Cher Johnson.