There's Something About Mary-It May Even Be Good For You
There are several factors that make There's Something About Mary such a hilarious and unforgettable film as well as a serious box-office success. First, the film is just plain funny and remains one of the very funniest films probably ever made. The factor behind the success of the film is that writers ignored many of insane political correctness rules that were dominating the cultural landscape at the time and simply told jokes that were crude and “wrong.” Audiences responded by making There's Something About Mary one of the top money makers of all time. With a very modest budget of roughly $15-$20 million dollars and a box-office take well over $300 million dollars. The third major reason that the film was a success was based on the Farrelly Brothers reputation. Having brought audiences such films as Kingpin and Dumb & Dumber, the average movie goer knew that the Farrelly Brothers could deliver one hell of a comedic punch.
The core of There's Something About Mary is pretty simple and straight forward and tells a very old story. Boy, Ted (Ben Stiller) longs for his dream girl, Mary (Cameron Diaz) through high-school and into adulthood. Ted hires a private investigator to track Mary down played very well by Matt Dillion. Dillion's character Pat, like every other male character in the film, instantly wants Mary for himself. Wrapped up within this simple set up is a series of interlocking comedic gems that make There's Something About Mary comedic genius.
There's Something About Mary is one of those very rare flicks, that if you don't find yourself laughing somewhere within the film, you are definitely taking life too seriously and will probably die many years earlier from heart disease. If laughter truly stimulates the immune system then There's something About Mary should be good for you.
It is a bit sad, however, that the Farrelly Brothers have not been able to recapture the massive success of their early films, as sadly, none of the later works matched the brilliance of There's Something About Mary, Dumb & Dumber and Kingpen. All three of those films are comedic gems as they fly in the face of political correctness, good taste, reason and logic. What makes the early works of the Farrelly Brothers so entertaining and such box-office draws is that their early works appeal to soulless lawyers and frat boys as well as soccer moms, teenagers and even if they won't admit it, the goths. That is rare stuff and you have to give the Farrelly's a gold star for their broad appeal. Perhaps some day they will return to their previous glory.
Story A+ (The simple script and the simple story of boy longing for his dream girl is expertly retooled in one of the funniest scripts ever.)
Acting A (Every actor hits their mark. Even the smaller roles in the film, such as Chris Elliott's part are done to near perfection. Often comedic films of this sort feel driven to cast largely from a pool of improvisers. The wise decision to add true actors to the cast injects an odd realistic undertone that to the film.)
Visuals B
Originality/Innovation A (The Farrelly Brothers take a simple idea and build a comedic masterpiece around it.)
Enjoyability Grade A+ (If you watch this film and do not find, at least part of it, funny then there is seriously might be something wrong with you. Odds are excellent that you are too tightly wound or are an academic intelligentsia poser.)
Home Theater/HD Factor B
Overall Grade A+ (There's Something About Mary is one of the funniest films every made. Period.
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