User reviews

When this film came out with all of the PR and things, I hated it. I hated it without even seeing it. Then, as with many movies, I caught this on Digital Cable TV, by accident. I had NO intention of seeing it, but once I did, I cannot tell you how much I loved it.

This is the Farrley Brothers at their funniest. The idea is simple, a guy (Ben Stiller) who had a crush on a woman (Carmen Diaz) he knew since high school and continued to yearn for her privately, finally getting an opportunity to try to reconnect what never got going. This is something almost everyone can identify with.

What makes this work...is its a dead-on hard hitting comedy. The Farrley Brothers spared no one: male or female, handicapped or able bodied, black or white, rich or poor, job or not, straight or gay, animal or vegetable, blonde or brunette, educated or not. It is NOT a cinematic masterpiece so don't look for one, it is not a punch line comedy or slapstick comedy, it is sophomore humor done very well because you're going to be laughing at what you think you shouldn't no matter how much you want to say you would never laugh at something like that.

Plus the Farrley Brothers added in "some things" that...well... may have just happened to you at some point in your adolecence, and put a comedic/gross quality to it that shocks you into laughing at it. All through the film you might laugh because you're thinking, "Better them than me".....even if it was you!

Not for eveyone's taste, even those who think they know comedy, but this is that kinda comedy that is hard to do once you've reached maturity and forgotten what it was like to laugh at simple things. This is as simple as it gets. Don't put too much into it, it is what it is, and to me, it was really funny! Good Show!

Whenver we refer to modern comedies I think we have to go all the way back to "There's Something About Mary" to see where this all started. It set the new standards for comedy and also became a much imitated movie. Movies however very rarely reached the level of this movie ever again, including all of the Farrelly brothers own later work.

It's the sort of raunchy comedy, that makes some completely inappropriate jokes and makes for instance fun of both psychically and mentally handicapped people, among many other things. This is the foremost reason why some people can't really stand this movie but luckily most others are able to see the talent and effort that were put into making this movie and why the movie works out so well.

As strange as it sounds, it's actually a real subtle done comedy. It's not predictable in any way and the build up and execution of it is spot on. It even makes all of the moments, that usually seem like something totally lame and forced, work out as something hilarious.

It also has a great, yet very simple premise, of a bunch of guys all falling for the same girl. It's the sort of story that provides the movie with plenty of silly comical moments, in which the characters lie and constantly are backstabbing each other, all to get the girl in the end.

Cameron Diaz forms the perfect centerpiece for this movie and the movie is filled with plenty of comical characters, all played by some capable genre actors. This movie is still from the time when it was cool to like Ben Stiller and yes, he also really is perfect in his role. But basically everyone is perfectly cast in this, which is obviously also a reason why the movie and all of its comedy works out so well.

Comedies like this only seem to come once every 10 years, or so.

8/10

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This is gross out comedy classic; Its aged relatively well as 20 years have passed now. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes crude and disgusting, maybe the very best movie from the Farrelly Brothers. Outstanding Matt Dillon in one of his best roles. The hair gel scene is infamous now as is the bathroom scene. Very funny and Cameron Diaz was so gorgeous in this. Classic stuff

A lot of my friends said they hated this, but after i saw it and loved what I saw, it became apparent that many of these people hadn't seen it, they just KNEW they would hate it from the degradingly mysoginistic slapstick it supposedly represented. Sorry, wrong movie. This is a classic satire, replete with balladeer narrator. The gags flow fast and funny and expertly walk the tightrope between politically incorrect and unkind. This is surprisingly a movie that is very true to itself and its characters with a lot of plotlines that tie up nicely in unusual ways. And, it's a feel-good movie too. Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller are marvelous together in the leads.

I desperately wish that the Farelly brothers would go back to doing gross-out comedies like they did with Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, Me, Myself, and Irene, and this. This is by far the best of all their movies. There are three kinds of comedy. Comedies that make you smile (Sixteen Candles), comedies that make you laugh (Airplane), and comedies that cause you to nearly asphyxiate yourself from laughing so hard. This is one of those rare third category movies. With the friends I watched it with, the laughs sounded like nuclear bombs going off in my room. It's that funny.

Thirteen years ago, Ted (Ben Stiller) landed a prom date with the most popular and beautiful girl in school, Mary (Cameron Diaz). Unfortunately, the date wasn't meant to be, for Ted has his manhood damaged right in front of Mary, and ends up in the hospital instead of the prom.

Thirteen years later, Ted decides to track Mary down, and have a second chance with his dream girl. He hires sleazy private eye, Pat (Matt Dillon)to find her for him. Pat finds her, and she's grown up beautiful. Pat decides he wants to date her. He stalks her, finds out everything she wants in a man, and poses as just that. Meanwhile, Ted has been led to believe that Mary has become fat white trash in a wheelchair. Pat and Mary start dating.

Well, by the end of the movie, every man who is involved in the story has tried to make a move on Mary. We all know how it ends, but it's one funny ride. One thing about this movie that's commendable is how the mentally retarded character is treated. He is treated in a way that isn't rude, or offensive. Mary sticks up for him, and he's really innocent. The funniest gag in the movie involves a NEW brand of HAIR GEL (compliments of Ted, and tested by Mary). I won't tell you what's really being mistaken for hair gel, but when you find out, you'll laugh so hard, you gag. This movie knows what a comedy of this type should be like. Each gag goes somewhere, and is really big. They're usually extended scenes with punchlines. Me, Myself, and Irene goes for the cheapest laughs you can find, but There's Something About Mary takes it's time, carefully planning each gag, in order to make it gut-bustingly hilarious. That's just what this movie is. 10/10.

It is rated R for Strong Comic Sexual Content, and Language. Sex: 8/10 Violence: 3/10 Swearing: 9/10 Drugs: 2/10

Insanely off the wall comedy from the Farrelly Brothers that delivers from start to finish. Wonderful early sequence with Keith David as Diaz's father busting heavily braced Stiller's chops. Stiller's zipper scene goes down as one of the funniest and most painful things I have ever witnessed on film. Diaz is divine the woman of Stiller's dreams...Dillon is hired to find Diaz...He falls in love with her and gives Stiller a bum story... Lee Evans, a pizza boy, is in love with her too... then Brett Favre comes into the picture. Every scene has something memorable from Dillon's attempts at reviving a dog to Stiller's "pre date entertainment." A classic that doesn't take itself too seriously.

The shock comedy aside (zipper and hair gel scenes), purposeful unpolitically correct moments (humor at expense of handicapped, animal cruelty), the most surprising thing about this film is it has heart and is rather sweet. It's not the completely nasty, cruel comedy you might have been expecting. There's a nice love story in here too. It's corny and cliche'd and doesn't feel overly cloying because there are enough shockingly funny moments to offset it. The acting is good, the pacing brisk, and the jokes, well... you've heard all about the best ones by now.

In the past I have not been a great fan of the Farrelly brothers films, however this film is an exception. The dog scenes were probably the funniest personally, but there were heaps of other scenes that are well worth a mention. Cameron Diaz was fantastic as Mary, the girl everyone is after and Ben Stiller was excellent. Matt Dillon was way too over the top- I know his role somewhat warranted it- but did he have to be so excessive? He seemed so irritating. There is no doubt that the humour in this film is of the lowest possible calibre, but it really works- think Dumb & Dumber, but only quite good. Despite all the comic situations in the film, there is still something undeniably sweet in the centre of the story, I think thats what made it work. Its certainly not top class entertainment, but its highly recommended for when you are in a stupid mood and need a good laugh.

The plot is nothing new: A guy trying to get the love of the one he admired. We all have seen something like this in the past, and we will see something like this in the future. But in this movie the plot isn't important.

When you watch it you just know how it's gonna end, and so the focus is not on the plot but the actual happenings in the movie, and there's a lot. First, the movie is funny, with its many gags that just keeps on coming (a Farrelly Bros. tradition). They might not be in everyone's taste, but at least they aren't forced or out of place. Second, the people seem real enough to be in the situations they brought themselves into (kudos for the great acting, though it could be better). Third, Cameron Diaz is adorable, beautiful, and a marvel to look at. Plus, she got the job carrying the whole movie and she accomplished that ever so gracefully. You just can't help but fall in love with her too, along with every guy in the film.

This is a very good romantic comedy by the Farrelly Bros.. Just like in "Dumb and Dumber" or "King Pin", the brothers have made a comedy that has just the right amount of everything. Excellent job!!

There's Something About Mary (1998)

A goofy, mixed bag of a film, but with a few gut-ripping hilarious scenes that you can't miss. You have to like silly stuff. You have to put up with some padding here and there (I don't recommend the longer version unless you are already love the movie). And you have to turn a blind eye to political correctness (it has none, though not like Borat, which feeds off it, more just incidentally).

Ben Stiller is great in his own way, lovable and dull at the same time, which is the idea. The other supporting male actors are comic regulars, and not my favorites, but they do what this kind of movie needs them to do. Even Bret Favre is as stiff on camera and as beefy as a quarterback is supposed to be.

But there is, naturally, something about Cameron Diaz, that clicks with audiences--her cute, perky charm, most of all. That fact that all these guys like her for her looks is not the most enlightened approach to love, is it? But then, this isn't a high brow movie, or one with scruples in particular. It's a pretty clumsy movie, in many ways, just a series of gags that sometimes are just too funny for words. "Sometimes" being more often than a lot of other comedies.

I don`t like comedies but I do enjoy much of the Farrelly Brothers stuff and THERE`S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY is their greatest achievment which is probably down to their casting . Ben Stiller is perfect as Ted while Matt Dillon is absolutely outstanding as sleazy ( And boy do I mean sleazy ) private investigator Pat Healy . My only criticism is of Cameron Diaz who`s slightly bland , but she is attractive and that`s all that matters

I suppose how funny you`ll find this film is down to your own subjective opinion of what should or shouldn`t be made fun of . I`ll be honest and say that jokes featuring stalking , serial killers , semen , spiking doggie snacks with drugs and learning difficulties are all fair game ,and perhaps I`m being too honest in saying I laughed out loud at these serious subjects being made fun of ?

Sorry if this review has been very short but I find it difficult to write hundreds of words about a film I love

Thats the way the world is unfortunately. There are two types of people those who love movies like this beacuse they are very funny and those who don't because they have a manner which means they have to look for problems wherever they look (Read politicians, minority groups). There really is no need to go and see a movie like this if you want to come out and complain. You've seen their previous movies, don't buy a ticket. The deal with the Farrellys is that they understand that if something is funny then it should be laughed at. Someone falls over, laugh. Don't go and help him up. Mary has the ability to make the viewer laugh. More than once and more frequently than not. In my opinion that makes a comedy a good comedy. I truly believe that you stick any old actors into brilliant material and situations as are in mary then you will laugh. That being said though the ensemble really do pull together and play off each other to startling effect and even the Farrelly regulars have some great moments. Lee Evans in particular has broken America and looks to have a bright future ahead of him in film. Stiller is Stellar and Diaz a bombshell once more. Even Matt Dillon proves 'I can do comedy'.

Well if you can't seem to get enough of jokes about the handicapped, sexual stalkers and pointless masturbation scenes then Something About Mary is just the movie for you. However, if you have an inkling of taste leave the sophmoric humor to the sophomores and spend the evening doing something a lot more fun like getting a root canal. Not only did I find the movie offensive and humorless but this pointless dribble droned on for over two hours. When I looked at the time on the VCR counter at 1 hour I thought at least it will be over soon. Please don't think I'm just some prude who is easily offended. I can appreciate silly and moronic humor with the best of them. This movie is like a two hour episode of Beavis and Butthead without the class and wit of Beavis and Butthead. Please avoid this movie at all costs.

There's definitely something about this film. When I saw this film, I was thinking of The Wedding Singer because both movies were set relatively the same time and both lead actresses happened to be blonde.

I thought Ben Stiller played an excellent character in Ted as he tried locate the girl he had a crush on in high school. Cameron Diaz was superb in her role as Mary and the actor who played her brother was an excellent addition to the movie because he played his part as a disabled man really well. I'm not a real huge Matt Dillon fan and his role in this movie didn't do much to change my mind. He was very despicable as the sleazy private investigator who has the task of tracking the high school crush down; however, what he doesn't tell Ted when he does find her makes this film more interesting.

Who would think that this film has twists that would blow the audience away; it does and not just one, it has two. These twists are really something of a shock, especially to me who was not expecting it to occur the way it did.

Overall, this film was enjoyable I wouldn't mind seeing it a second time.

This movie is one of the funniest movies ever I have watched so many comedy movies but this one of the best comedy movies ever.

I shall assume that most people know the basic plot of this romantic comedy about a man trying to track down his High School sweetheart and cut directly to the chase. This is not nearly as good a film as the critics would have you believe. The styles that make up this film (gross out comedy and romantic fluff) really do not work together. The result is a film that, like some of the characters, is schizophrenic. However, there are many good points to be going on with.

In many places the film is very, very, funny. The infamous `trapped in trouser-fly' scene is cleverly put together, and the whole 1985 prologue is extremely well thought-out. Keith David walks away with the acting honours for the whole movie as Mary's black step-father, who also gets the best line: `Don't make me open a can of Whoop-ass now!'. Bad taste proliferates here like fungus in a petri dish. A dog is poisoned, resuscitated with an electric cord, set on fire and fed Speed, there is some terrifying nudity, and the hair-gel sequence has already passed into American movie folklore. Do not watch this film if you are easily offended. The performances are not bad in general, but there is something lacking. Ben Stiller gets surprisingly little to do, and Lee Evans' American accent is very bad for such a talented comedian. On the other hand, Diaz is surprisingly good, making the best of a badly written character.

The Farellys seem to think that they can handle the gentler sections, but the opposite is unfortunately the case. They are incapable of the softer scenes between Stiller and Diaz, and constantly inject humour into all the wrong places. On the whole the film is quirky, with popular folk singer Jonathan Richman narrating through song and getting shot at the end. If you don't expect too much from this then you will enjoy yourself, particularly if you see it with friends as I did. But when the trailers are more exciting than the film itself, you can't help thinking twice about whether you should have seen Armageddon instead.

This film is without doubt one of the funniest films ever made. Amazing performances from everyone combined with a fantastic script make it laugh out loud hilarious. Will make your stomach hurt from laughing so much.

it disappointed me in all ways... So very corny, so predictable One type of humour that I do not really appreciate (too ironic, I guess)

cheap entertainment...

"Theres Something About Mary" stands as a pioneer for the early 2000s crass commedies. The Farrely brothers begin their comedic stride with this mostly hilarious film.

Mostly Hilarious. I mean that.

There were probably 5 bits in this film that made me laugh harder then any other film has EVER. Particularly that opening prom bit. Holy cow i have never laughed like that in a movie.

The big laughs this film pulls makes it memorable alone. But aside from those huge laughs, this movie falls short in my opinion. It lacks real heart. When it isnt funny, its mostly really dumb and almost cringeworthy.

When i wasnt laughing i wasnt having that great of a time.

Its worth a watch for ben stillers teeth alone. No but really it is funny and worth a watch. Mostly Funny.

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

Naturally the first of its kind it is very funny.

Ted Stroehmann had a slight accident requiring Magda (Lin Shay) to do a little triage. This messes up his prom night with Mary Jensen. Mary is last scene moving to Florida. Later in the years, he decides to rectify this. Ted heirs a detective, Pat Healy (Matt Dillon), to find Mary. The report is disappointing however he still peruses her and in the process has some interesting experiences. Some will make your hair stand on end. Soon he finds that there is not a clear track as he is one of many admirers.

Will Ted and Marry get together?

Will they want to?

And what about Pat who fell in love also?

Cameron, a blue-eyed natural blond from California, had already been in ten movies so she was well known at the time of this movie. The script and part fit her well. Off-screen she has a sense of humor that could appreciate the sight gags.

Ben Stiller has been in several films before and since he always plays the same character. He has been pigeonholed a sort of modern-day bathroom humor slapstick.

I was expecting this movie to be at least a decent romance movie. I was wrong. It was my own fault. I decided to watch this movie because I judged it by the title and the plot line. I thought it would be a good romance comedy like "When Harry Met Sally". I should have researched about this film more. That's 119 minutes of my life that's gone now. Do yourself a favor and don't watch this. I don't get why it's rated a 7.2, there have been much much better films that were rated much lower. Goes to show that IMDb ratings suck.

I would have liked this movie if there weren't so many tasteless jokes inserted into it that weren't even funny. If you like movies with raunchy humor that repeats its gags over and over, then maybe you'll like this movie. I know I didn't.

Viewed on: April 7, 2011

There's Something About Mary (1998)

**** (out of 4)

I remember seeing this film on opening night at the very first screening. The place was about full and I really wasn't sure what to expect from the film but I went in since it was the only movie playing that I hadn't already seen. From the opening scene to the end it hit me as a masterpiece and I think it still stands as one of the greatest comedies ever made. About half of the crowd members in that first showing walked out in disgust and one even asked me how I could laugh at such things but I went back and watched it four more times and it seemed, weeks after its release, people finally got what was so special about the movie. This is one of the few comedies that keeps my eyes watered up from laughing so hard. The hilarious prom sequence, the drugged up dog, the wacky group of characters and the hilarious jail sequence. There are so many hilarious moments in this film that I think it deserves it's statue as a classic. Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller, Lee Evans and Chris Elliott are all wonderful in the film and all of them have the perfect comedy timing to really make all of their characters blend together well. I also think Keith David, as Mary's stepfather, doesn't get the credit he deserves because the hysterical prom sequence gets a lot of laughs due to his humor. The gross out nature of the film is something that was original and of crouse ripped off in future years. After this film was released we started getting all sorts of "gross" comedies but I think the majority of them missed the boat because they didn't realize that this film had a very big heart, which helped the movie.