Mary à tout prix

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.

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.

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!

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

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.