The ideal woman in a truly outrageously hysterical comedy; Stiller & Diaz make for a wonderful couple

Rating: Null/10 (23 April 2003)

THERE 'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998) ***1/2 Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller, Chris Elliott, Lee Evans, Keith David, Markie Post, Lin Shaye, W. Earl Brown, Sarah Silverman, Kandi Alexander, Harland Williams, Bret Favre (himself).. Outrageously hilarious gross-out comedy from auteur siblings in silliness, The Farrelly Brothers  Bobby & Peter  clearly out-doing themselves in taking sick humor to all new levels. Diaz shines atop this twisted valentine to the screwball comedy as Mary the object of Stiller's affection all these years despite a completely humiliating (and painful) date to The Senior Prom, prompting him to find her by enlisting the unlikely sleazy detective for hire Dillon (a real game player here) who winds up smitten himself, thus allowing him to dissuade his client for his own libidinous desires. Add to the raunchy mix of scatalogical humor Elliott as Stiller's best friend and Evans as a rubber-limbed obstacle for Dillon to deal with.
Easily surpassing good taste and political correctness aside for its nasty funny bone attacks especially one for the film vault, Diaz' improvised hair-gel scene. Yet the film oddly does have a heart outside its glaring ugliness; laugh yourself silly!