Jared's Pick - Movie Reviews: There's Something About Mary

There's Something About Mary

It's odd - drama is universal, but humor is intensely personal. A well-done drama will leave no dry eye in the house, but although I think John Cleese is brilliantly funny, some people like Sinbad. I generally prefer the satirical, witty humor of a Dennis Miller type, so if you told me I'd be recommending a film by the kids who did Dumb and Dumber and Kingpin (Peter and Bobby Farrelly), I'd think you were nuts. But you can't help what makes you laugh, and only slaves to Political Correctness try. That's exactly the audience this film tries to slam, rubbing your nose in ridiculous scenarios that involve sex, the handicapped, animal abuse and bodily functions. I couldn't believe what I was laughing at, because this kind of anti-intellectual "humor" usually just pisses me off.

Just to make sure we're absolutely clear - check your brain at the door. There's Something About Mary is stupid, offensive, ridiculous, and an exercise in bad taste. It's also frequently hilarious. The aforementioned Dumb and Dumber and Kingpin were equally inane, but weren't funny in the way this one is. The Farrelly brothers have perfected their craft, such as it is, and have finally scored a winner.

Cameron Diaz is the prettiest girl in High School who develops a crush on Ted the braces-bound dork (Ben Stiller) when he defends her retarded brother against bullies. She asks him to the prom, and in the film's opening sequence, he picks her up at her house. Through a swift set of odd circumstances, he ends up in the bathroom and pulls up his zipper before tucking away his Business. A cheap laugh, if any laugh at all. Most movies of this kind simply move onto the next gag. The Farrelly brothers, however, stay with it, building the situation upon itself in unexpected ways that will either shock you or make choke on your popcorn with laughter. This is their mode of attack throughout the film - taking a merely silly situation, and expanding it beyond belief.

It works because the actors are perfect in their roles. Ben Stiller makes us sympathize with Ted as he gets swept into utterly absurd situations. The painful prom incident 13 years in the past, he hires a sleazy private investigator to track down Mary so he can follow up on a crush that never went away. Matt Dillon is great as Healy the investigator, pencil-thin mustache and all. He finds Mary, and falls for her himself, telling Ted that she weighs 250 pounds, has four kids by three men and is a mail order bride. He then taps her phone, learning what she likes so that he can meet her "accidentally", pretending to be an architect from Nepal. Apparently, Mary inspires this kind of odd behavior in men, as other stalkers appear throughout the film. It's easy to understand, too, as Cameron is as luminous and desirable as she has ever been on screen. Too bad she can't pull off the same trick in more serious roles.

There's Something About Mary also works, although in an admittedly bizarre way, as a romantic comedy. Ben Stiller is just believable enough as a smitten guy to make you root for him, and credible enough as a loser to allow you to laugh at him. But now I'm thinking way too hard, and this film wants none of that. Don't expect any social commentary - it's just plain stupid fun, but stupid like a fox. This film is a little better constructed than it seems. But don't think about it. Just dig it.

Additionally, there's a running musical theme in the film, as the camera keeps cutting to a guy strum- and lip-synching theme songs that narrate some of the action. This alone is pretty damn funny, but the fact that the troubadour is Boston's one-and-only cuddly Jonathan Richman (yes, That One, from The Modern Lovers) is just the icing on this wacko cake.

- Jared O'Connor

MOVIES