There's Something About Mary

Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly,

Overview

The Farrelly Brothers set this romantic comedy in their home state of Rhode Island. In 1985, when teen-nerd Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) challenges a high-schooler who's bullying retarded Warren Jenson (W. Earl Brown), his concern prompts Warren's sister, the dazzling and desirable Mary Jenson (Cameron Diaz) to choose Ted as her senior prom date, a fact Ted's pals find hard to believe. However, on prom night, Ted gets his penis caught in his zipper, so the much-desired date never happens. Living in Providence and waxing nostalgic 13 years later, Ted hires Pat Healy (Matt Dillon) to locate Mary, and the creepy private investigator finds her in Miami, where she lives with her tan-shriveled roommate Magda (Lin Shaye). After Pat develops a stalker-style fixation on the lovely, unattached Mary, he lies to Ted, telling him that she's now an overweight mother confined to a wheelchair. Employing professional eavesdropping equipment, Pat gathers a dossier on Mary's life and future plans, information that forms the basis for more lies when Pat begins dating her. Sure enough, Mary falls for Pat, although her friend Tucker (Lee Evans) is very suspicious of Pat's claim to be a Harvard-educated architect. Meanwhile, Ted learns the truth but continues to encounter offbeat obstacles as he accelerates to Miami in hopes of finding happiness with his true love. Former Modern Lovers singer Jonathan Richman vocalizes a narrative ballad of onscreen commentary in the Cat Ballou (1965) tradition. Most of the cast sings and frolics to "Build Me Up, Buttercup" by The Foundations during the closing credits.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/06/2015
UPC:	0024543039587
Original Release:	1998
Rating:	R
Source:	20Th Century Fox

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ben Stiller	Ted Stroehmann
Cameron Diaz	Mary Jenson
Matt Dillon	Pat Healy
Lee Evans	Tucker
Chris Elliott	Dom
Lin Shaye	Magda
Jeffrey Tambor	Sully
Markie Post	Mary's Mom
Keith David	Mary's Stepfather
W. Earl Brown	Warren
Jonathan Richman	Jonathan
Brett Favre	Himself
Willie Garson	Bob
Harland Williams	Hitchhiker
Danny Murphy	Boss' Brother
John-Eliot Jordan	Buttercup Singer

Technical Credits

Bobby Farrelly

Peter Farrelly

Edward Decter

John J. Strauss

Bobby Farrelly	Director,Executive Producer,Screenwriter
Peter Farrelly	Director,Executive Producer,Screenwriter
Frank Beddor	Producer
Mark Charpentier	Associate Producer
Edward Decter	Original Story,Screenwriter
Marc S. Fischer	Co-producer
Christopher Greenbury	Editor
Patrick Healy	Associate Producer
Mark Irwin	Cinematographer
Rick Montgomery	Casting
Jonathan Richman	Score Composer
James B. Rogers	Asst. Director,Co-producer
Jonathan "Earl" Stein	Sound/Sound Designer
Michael Steinberg	Producer
John J. Strauss	Original Story,Screenwriter
Bradley Thomas	Producer
Arlan Jay Vetter	Art Director
Happy Walters	Musical Direction/Supervision
Charles B. Wessler	Producer
Tom Wolfe	Musical Direction/Supervision
Mary Zophres	Costumes/Costume Designer

Editorial Reviews

Some movies make you smile, some make you laugh, and some make you laugh so hard you spill Milk Duds all over your date. The Farrelly brothers' There's Something About Mary falls solidly in the latter category. Few films have violated so many taboos and been so successful in their quest for laughs. While scatological and intermittently offensive, There's Something About Mary redeems itself by being both legitimately funny and surprisingly sweet. With a couple of notable exceptions -- the "handicapped" Tucker's flailing becomes gratuitous -- this is a movie with real heart. Amidst the I-can't-believe-they-did-that shocks, you find yourself rooting for Ben Stiller's Ted and Cameron Diaz's Mary to end up together -- they're the most honest, caring people in the film. There's Something About Mary also merits attention for its less-controversial laughs, such as the amusingly absurd musical narrative provided by Jonathan Richman, or Bret Favre's hilarious surprise cameo. Not all the jokes are precisely on-target, but with so many that are, Mary's transgressions are easily forgotten. To say it's not for prudish tastes is a grave understatement. But There's Something About Mary is truly an excellent comedy, one that proves the considerable latitude afforded filmmakers in the permissive late 1990s resulted in more than just an inordinate amount of fart jokes.

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