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Starring Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Chris Elliot, Lin Shaye, Lee Evans, Markie Post,
Keith David, Jeffrey Tambor, W. Earl Brown. Directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly.
Ted (Stiller) is a geeky high school senior in 1985 with enough steel on his teeth to start a small train company. A beautiful girl recently moved into his Rhode Island neighbourhood named Mary (Diaz). A sweet, loving girl unaware of her beauty who dotes on her retarded brother Warren (Brown), she asks Ted to the prom. When Ted is finally sure she wants him to go as her date, he shows up at Mary's house and meets her unusual parents (Post and David). But Ted has a major zipper mishap, with an important appendage getting stuck in it. When the fireman helps him open the zipper, blood flows, and Ted is taken to the hospital. Thirteen years later, Ted still can't get Mary out of his mind. So an executive friend of his named Dom (Elliot) suggests a seedy investigator Pat Healy (Dillon), and Pat goes down to Miami to find her. Pat finds her, but decides he wants her for himself. Pat tells Ted a very unflattering story about Mary so Ted will give up the search, and then Pat leaves for Miami to scout her out. But Ted finds out Pat was lying, and heads to Miami himself. The rest of the movie involves Ted, Pat, another British suitor named Tucker (Evans) and some former flame of Mary's named Bret vying for Mary's affections by lying, spying and stalking her until someone wins. From the makers of Dumb and Dumber and Kingpin, There's Something about Mary takes humour in the same direction - stupid and gross. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Airplane and the The Naked Gun are minor classics in this field, and are fun and entertaining films. But this film does not come close to these. The trailer from the film was hilarious, but it contained the funniest parts of the film, save one. And some of those funny parts, including Stiller getting a fish hook in the mouth, and Dillon reviving the dog by lamp wire, aren't that funny when drawn out. The dog attacking Stiller and jumping out the window is still quite funny, but the funniest scene involves the use of a unique brand of hair gel. But many of the other gags barely rate a chuckle, and some seemed to drag when they weren't that funny. Ben Stiller is solid as the loser who can't forget Mary. He is believable (if that word can apply to this movie) and handles the physical comedy well. Diaz is not only gorgeous, but very sympathetic as the angelic girl everyone loves and desires. The best parts of the film involve her. Dillon, who has been just fine in a wide variety of roles in the past, is unable to create a believable, coherent (if that word can apply to this movie) character. Is he a menacing killer, a shameless manipulator, or just a misunderstood softie seeking the love of a good woman? It depends on which scene we're in. The problem with the film is it can't decide whether it wants to be a funny comedy, a gross-out comedy or a sentimental love story. It tries at different times to be each, but is not very successful at any of them. By the second half of the film, all pretense at a coherent plot is dropped - much of the goings on are beyond unbelievable, especially the forced and unlikely ending. I suppose it is silly to criticize a film trying to be stupid for being stupid, but it could have done better. This was a disappointment.  
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