There's Something About Mary (1998)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Directors:

Bobby Farrelly
Peter Farrelly

Writers (WGA):

Ed Decter (story) &
John J. Strauss (story) ...

Release Date:

15 July 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Warning: The guys who did 'Dumb & Dumber' and 'Kingpin' bring you a love story.

Plot:

A man gets a chance to meet up with his dream girl from highschool, even though his date with her back then was a complete disaster.

Plot Keywords:

Prom | High School | Accident | Dream Girl | Idiot

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 16 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Cameron Diaz	...	Mary
Matt Dillon	...	Healy
Ben Stiller	...	Ted
Lee Evans	...	Tucker
Chris Elliott	...	Dom
Lin Shaye	...	Magda
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Sully
Markie Post	...	Mary's Mom
Keith David	...	Mary's Dad
W. Earl Brown	...	Warren
Sarah Silverman	...	Brenda
Khandi Alexander	...	Joanie
Marnie Alexenburg	...	Lisa
Danny Murphy	...	Boss' Brother (as Dan Murphy)
Richard Tyson	...	Detective Krevoy (as Richard M. Tyson)

Also Known As:

There's Something More About Mary (USA) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong comic sexual content and language.

Runtime:

119 min | USA:134 min (director's cut) | Turkey:107 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:Unrated (uncut video version) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Philippines:PG-13 | Canada:14+ (Ontario - 2006) | Iceland:L | Ireland:15 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | Malaysia:18SX | Finland:K-11 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA (original rating) | Australia:M (TV rating) | Brazil:14 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Mexico:B | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:R16 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (Approved No. 36073)

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The reporter in the closing credits speaking to chest-holding Ted is from Providence's WJAR NBC-10.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Norm and Healy are talking at the bar in the strip club you see a stripper place an ashtray between Norm and Healy. The camera turns toward the bartender than when the camera is back on Norm and Healy now a Tabasco sauce bottle in right in front of the ashtray (previously not there).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ted: [voice over] When I was 16 years old, I fell in love.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "20 to 1: Adults Only 20 to 01: Hottest Stars on the Planet (#8.7)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Brazil

There's Something About Mary and there's also something about this movie that makes me like it more than most other gross-out comedies

There's Something About Mary is an apt title, for there is something about this movie that is quite endearing, particularly if you are a gross-out fan. Even if you are not a real fan of gross-outs, as is the case with me, you can still enjoy this film. This is because I find it to be funnier and more enjoyable than most other gross-out comedies (and that includes Team America). As a romantic comedy, it is also enjoyable and that is saying something as romantic comedy is, to me, a bastardised version of real comedy, often with a weak romance and diluted laughs. This is certainly not the case here. Having said that, it is not perfect: The Farrelly Brothers use a retard for cheap laughs once too often, which I did not like, the disabled guy wasn't that funny and the plot is a bit clichéd and predictable, but I expected that.

The story is about a man named Ted, who we see meet a beautiful girl, Mary, during his teenage years. However, their budding romance falls away when Ted gets his dick caught in his zipper. By the way, this scene is absolutely hilarious and so is the aftermath, after the police officer tells him to 'pull it out'; next minute, he is being carted off in an ambulance, never to see Mary again...or so we think for a minute.

Until of course, he finds himself fantasising about Mary years later. He hires a private investigator, Pat Healy, to do some snooping on her. This takes a turn for the worse, as the investigator falls in love with Mary and lies to Ted. Ted finds out about his deceiving ways, thanks to Woogy and goes to see Mary himself.

This movie is hilarious at times, funny at others; occasionally, it falls flat. There are too many hilarious and funny scenes to mention here, so I'll mention the best ones: the 'dick zipper' one, the 'fishing line' one and the one where the retard goes psycho and hits Pat Healy in the face. To be impartial, I will say that I have already mentioned some of the imperfect bits above.

The acting is quite good too. Ben Stiller does a good job as the nervy, fantasising, sensible Ted, while Matt Dillon is good as the 'sleazy investigator'. Cameron Diaz, in the days when she was still hot, is OK, but not much more than your typical love interest. The rest of the cast is nothing more than OK, including W. Earl Brown, the guy who plays the retard (as anyone could play his role).

I'll finish by saying that this is one of the best gross-out/romantic comedies I've ever seen and is definitely worth a Friday night or a DVD rental. There is a good chance that you'll be laughing like I did throughout the movie. To clinch this review, I will say that:

There's Something About Mary!

4/5 stars