Chad9976's Full Review: There's Something About Mary
If there's any genre that could use improvement, the lowbrow screwball comedy is it. One does not associate such films with authentic romance, intricate plotting, and witty scripting – which, ironically, are all qualities possessed by "There's Something About Mary.” There's an over-all sense of moderation here to make the jokes funnier, especially considering how questionable the level of taste is.
The film starts out with a flashback to the mid 1980s, in the suburbs of Rhode Island where all comedies involving high school flashbacks seemingly take place. The teens all appear to be in their 20s, but it keeps with the nostalgic, satirical atmosphere. We're quickly introduced to our main characters, Ted (Ben Stiller), a dorky loser who inadvertently charms the foxy girl Mary (Cameron Diaz), after standing up for her retarded brother in an original take on a generic scene.
Initially, the film is a little slow to demonstrate its comedic power. The atmosphere is rather sitcom-esque, but once the first bout of zaniness is unleashed, it's clear this is not going to be zinger-oriented comedy.
The promotions hint at the first major joke and plot device, which involves Ted having a painful accident with his pants zipper. To elaborate on the set-up of this joke would be an injustice to the film, but the hilarious delivery it provides goes to show how such a crude joke can be stretched without snapping. Ted's injury itself is funny, but the way the other characters react to it is the key. Penis jokes are pretty much the lowest of the lowbrow, but the film works in such a way as to let the viewer decide how gross the gag is.
Eventually a plot unfolds involving Ted's modern-day search for Mary. Through a series of connections he is put in touch with Pat Healy (Matt Dillon), a slow-witted creepy character who fits in perfectly in such a screwball comedy. Healy tracks down Mary, who is now an orthopedic surgeon living in Florida, still foxy as ever, and still yearning for true love. It's no surprise Healy is attracted to her and proceeds to lie to Ted to discourage him from pursuing her. Using a bag of tricks James Bond might have thrown away, Healy learns everything about Mary. The conversations he is allowed to hear might seem a little too convenient to the plot, but the set-ups are funny and interesting enough to make them pay off. As Healy spies on Mary, we too feel the sense of voyeurism, which of course makes for many jokes and gags, but is something a film like this wouldn't usually inspire.
And it is this kind of surprising, subtle charm that gives the film merit. It's not meant to be any kind of achievement in film making, but just a good comedy which is becoming increasingly difficult to do. It takes the time to sketch out the characters - to provide motivation, backstory, and thematic elements. None of this is really necessary since the film could have easily been more concentrated on the gags, but the fact it's here at all shows a level of maturity (in the midst of jokes involving slapstick, bodily functions and fluids, stupidity, and gross sight gags, but maturity nevertheless).
The entire middle hour can be used to illustrate this concept, as it's not just a series of jokes to string together a plot, but a story that constantly unfolds new layers without becoming confusing or predictable. New characters and minor sub-plots are introduced as natural transitions of the story. For example, another possible suitor for Mary named Tucker (Lee Evans), is casually introduced as a supporting character. Gradually we learn he is not what he seems, as he too has been victimized by Mary's charm and beauty and will stop at nothing to gain the same affection both Ted and Pat are striving for. More background material is lain out to give the plot some semblance of complexity. The gags and one-liners are plugged in at all the right points and they all push the story just that much further.
Of course the film does get a little sidetracked for the really bizarre elements of the comedy. The Farrelly brothers have been known to push the envelope, but where as most do so for pure shock value, theirs seem to be natural progressions of the story. Somehow an elaborate gag involving masturbation provides for the slightest, idiosyncratic insight to the male mind. The same can be said for conversations about meat products on sticks and cones (or lack thereof), or why movies like "Harold And Maude" aren't made anymore. Taken out of context this type of comedy might seem typical, but inside the film they work well.
Wrapping up zany comedies usually involves a lot of cop-outs, sudden revelations, wild action and predictable endings. Some of these things are present here but the process of putting them together continues to highlight the film's subtle hook. As is most of the film, it's generic and off-the-wall, and yet funny and charming.
My only major grievance with "There's Something About Mary" might be the fact it's not as funny as it could have been, but that's because there's a sense of continuity and thoroughness here - something a lot of other movies could take a cue from.
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