ChrisJoker's Full Review: There's Something About Mary
When I sat down to compose an entry for the “Favorite Comedy Movie Write-Off” (details at the end of this review), I had a tough choice. First, I thought about submitting the imrovisational humor of the news organizations on November 7th: Dumb and Dumber (sample dialogue: “It’s Gore…no, it’s Bush…no, wait, it’s too close to call…oh, what the heck, let’s give it to Nader and go the heck home.”) But I figured there would be too many calls for recounts of my vote to determine whether it was actually my favorite or not.
Then I considered the comic operetta (in the vein of Gilbert & Sullivan) about confusing punch cards in Florida, Madame Butterfly Ballot. (Note to the producers of Wheel of Fortune: when you use that as one of your “Before & After” puzzles, I expect credit!) But then I recalled the tragic scene of ticket holders not having their stubs punched all the way through, and all of those poor chads just dangling there, and I got all choked up.
Instead, I decided to go for the less political, and almost as comical, blockbuster There’s Something About Mary, coincidentally set, for the most part, in that bastion of modern voting techniques, Florida.
From someone who generally avoids "gross humor" movies like the plague, it probably seems odd that I would select There's Something About Mary as my entry. After all, this movie took humor based on body parts and functions to a new level (which, of course, has since been shattered many time over).
However, Mary had more than just demented jokes going for it. Deep down at the core was a fundamentally sweet, and in some twisted way even romantic, story that gave those gags a context lacking in most other films in the gross-out genre lack. Creating a genuinely sentimental film loaded with ideas that seem to have sprung from a most demented psyche is a nearly impossible task, and in this case, the writers & producers caught lightning in a bottle.
It also helps that most of the jokes were actually clever, demonstrating some thought on the part of the writers. They were worked into the tapestry of the movie as if they belonged there---what a concept!---as opposed to so many films that simply stuff as many attempts at humor as possible into two hours, regardless of their value to the plot. In Mary, the feeling is that the story came first, with jokes added, while in some others (to remain nameless), the idea of a story seems like an afterthought.
The plot seems simple enough on the surface: Ted (Ben Stiller) is pining away for the "one that got away." He had one date with this remarkable girl in high school...or more accurately, he almost had one date with her, before fate, and clothing, cruelly intervened.
Flash back to the '80s, when Ted was something of an outsider (to put it mildly) in high school. Mary was that girl (not the Marlo Thomas variety): the one who turns hormone-inflicted teenage boys into mush, incapable of stringing together a coherent sentence, the one who causes whiplash as she walks by…and the one who seemed to always be dating a football player.
When Ted witnesses some loathsome slime picking on a developmentally challenged young man who inadvertently crosses their path, he bravely intervenes. From the "Yeah, like that would ever happen to me" category, the young man happens to be Mary's brother. Impressed by his bravery and his instant rapport with her brother, Mary asks Ted to attend the prom as her escort.
Every boy's dream turns into every man's nightmare with the pull of a zipper, and a scene that had every male in the audience wincing in sympathy pains. The humiliation compounds as Mary's parents check out the situation, followed by the rescue squad, which gives a good yank to the offending zipper. The immediate cut to a paramedic shouting "We've got a bleeder!" was uproarious.
Back in the present day, Ted gets to thinking about Mary, and wonders how to find her. His old friend, the always-creepy Chris Elliott, offers to put Ted in touch with a private detective who does some insurance investigating for his firm.
Enter Matt Dillon, looking like he just graduated from a "Pimping for Dummies" seminar. Sleazy, unscrupulous and just plain rotten, Dillon tracks Mary down in Florida, where she is a successful surgeon, living in a fabulous ocean-view condo. Hmmm...wealthy, sweet, single and with Cameron Diaz's looks: a package he can't resist. He concocts an outrageous story of what's become of Mary for Ted, expecting to "scare him off," leaving the door wide open.
Naturally, Ted decides, after some hesitation, to go ahead and make contact with Mary anyway. Imagine the shock when he finds out the truth…and that his nemesis is making headway getting close to the object of his affection.
Two suitors isn't nearly enough, and others seem to come out of the woodwork at every turn, all of them being duplicitous to one degree or another. Watching the escalating battles between the would-be “Romeos” is hysterical, punctuated by Ted's date with Mary and the infamous "hair gel" scene.
Surprises keep coming until the end, which is one of the movie's great strengths. The ultimate resolution may be fairly predictable, but it is pulled off with such humor that it is well worth the build up.
The cast did a fine job with their material, playing such off-center humor with delightfully straight faces. Ben Stiller seems to be tailor made for playing a nice "everyguy" faced with outrageous situations spiraling out of his control (Meet the Parents, Keeping the Faith). Cameron Diaz (Charlie’s Angels, My Best Friend’s Wedding)conveys the perfect blend of sweetness and naivete. She's what holds the movie together. The effect she has on the befuddled men around her is plausible, even as it is exaggerated for comedic effect. As for Matt Dillon…"ewwwwwww" about sums it up, just as it should. He's utterly beneath contempt and all the funnier for being so.
Supporting players also added tremendously to the movie, injecting a degree of wackiness that complemented the leads' performances marvelously.
Kudos to the writing, directing and producing teams for the crisply paced script and for fashioning characters that were memorable and likeable, even the sleazy ones.
Parents…oh come on now, surely this should go without saying: this is not a movie for younger audiences. Heed the "R" rating---this one is for adults only.
My Reese's Rating: a full 5 peanut butter cups, for keeping me laughing
virtually non-stop, even with repeated viewing.
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This review was submitted as part of a "Favorite Comedy Movie Write-Off" sponsored by bops_mom. Please check out the other submissions from these "Epinionators":
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