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There's Something About Mary Dir: Bobby & Peter Farrelly Stars: Cameron Diaz, Ben Stiller, Matt Dillon, Chris Elliot. Ted, a sweet oaf played by Ben Stiller, falls for Mary, the perfect girl, played by Cameron Diaz. A twist of fate pulls them apart, and he tries to pull them back together. Everything happens to keep them from falling in love, but Ted is too smitten to abandon what he feels is true love. Standard romantic comedy fare, right? Not when the Farrelly brothers are responsible for it. These are the guys who tried to raise fart jokes to high art in Dumb & Dumber and King Pin. The enduring images from these works are Jeff Daniels on a broken toilet and Randy Quaid in his Amish dress. Some gags worked, and some didn't, but they were all geared toward the lowest common denominator. It didn't matter how sick or exploitive it was, as long as it made you laugh. If anything, There's Something About Mary is more crude and disgusting than either of the previous films. But thankfully, it passes the laugh test. And the gags this time around are likely to become the stuff of legends around the water cooler the next morning after work. Bodily fluids are certainly not sacred here - they're hair gel. And let us not forget the most unnecessary close up in film history of Ben Stiller's imprisoned member, caught between metal teeth. But that's what the Farrelly brothers do best - unnecessary. There is no lack of offensive material in this film, and no doubt if you even start to take it seriously you'll feel like running out of theater. You might even run home to shower if you actually found yourself laughing. Everything and everyone is fair game, including the mentally handicapped and very small dogs. You might not feel very good about yourself later, but you will probably laugh. And if you're a bit squeamish, the film has mercy on you. There is a fairly engaging story going on behind all of the site gags. Stiller plays Ted about as understated as possible in a film like this, giving him a charm that rescues the him from the creepiness of the fact that he tracks Mary down after more than ten years. He seems to blow his chance every other scene or so, but Mary is too kind to hold it against him. It's most definitely a fantasy, but Ted and Mary are likable enough that it works. And lost in all the fanfare is the fact that Jonathan Richman provides the musical narration for the bulk of the film, a goofy stroke of genius that puts this movie even further over the top. In the final analysis, if you're repelled by the description of the movie, simply don't go. But if it sounds even the least bit funny, go by yourself, sit in the dark in the back, and try not to laugh so anyone will recognize you. -Nick |
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