Dirs. Bobby & Peter Farrelly, US, 1998, 119 mins
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller, Lee Evans
Review by Matthew Rodgers
Back in 1998 there was something about a girl called Mary. The directorial team behind the smash hit Dumb and Dumber had just seen their sophomore effort, Kingpin, crash and burn at the box office, Cameron Diaz was still known as “the girl from The Mask”, Ben Stiller was the actor that you couldn’t quite place, and Matt Dillon was the washed up 80’s heartthrob who had never lived up to the hype. Not exactly the combination you would expect to generate almost half a billion dollars worldwide and be as warmly received today as it was back then.
The Farrelly Brothers have cluttered their CV with risqué “gross-out” comedies, almost defining the sub-genre with their aforementioned hits and subsequent attempts to match this success. Where Shallow Hal, Me Myself and Irene and Stuck on You have failed is in their failure to balance their trailer baiting “gross out” set pieces with Mary’s romantic charm. Amidst the “hair gel” incident, the “zipper” incident, and the “spinner in the lip” incident are some genuinely touching moments of one man’s struggle to win the girl.
That “One Man” is Ted (Ben Stiller) who still carries the flame that burns for his high-school crush Mary (Cameron Diaz). After his sensitivity towards Mary’s mentally handicapped brother he earns the chance to escort her to that breeding ground of romance, the prom. Fate deals him a cruel blow in what is the film’s comedic highlight when the two words manhood and zipper should explain to the few that haven’t seen it what befalls our protagonist. It’s a scene that is never quite matched through the course of the film, but that’s not for the want of trying.
It’s a common occurrence in most rom-coms that the final third must give way to the resolution of whatever romantic struggle has taken place throughout the films running time. There’s something about Mary doesn’t avoid this genre trap but due to its sweet, offbeat romance the dilution of the crudity is actually a plus point. Ted has been through so many ordeals in pursuit of Mary that we enjoy the normality of the happy ending and embrace the cliché.
Discuss this film here
|
