"That Was Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!"

Rating: Null/10 (10 December 1999)

The Farrelly brothers produced and directed this outstanding comedy film, and are fast assuming cult status as generators of high-quality 'nerd humour' pieces.
Ted is a dorky high school student who falls in love with the beautiful and vivacious Mary, a girl who has recently moved to this Rhode Island neighbourhood. Ted is smitten by Mary (played with immense charm by Cameron Diaz) simply because she knows his name. No 'babe' has ever bothered to remember who Ted is until now. His fumbling ways mark him down as a loser from the outset. He is completely tongue-tied when asking Berenice to the senior prom, and even worse misfortune befalls him when he attempts to escort Mary. A catalogue of amusing disasters at Mary's home culminates in a cringe-making accident. The comic invention of this scene is marvellous. Just watch for the wedding photo on Mary's mantelpiece.
So far, the film has been a traditional American high school comedy, but now the story leaps forward thirteen years. Mary has qualified in medicine at Princeton and is now in private practice somewhere in Florida. Ted (Ben Stiller) has not shaken off the aura of a loser, but at least the sad hairstyle has been abandoned. He is now a regular, likeable guy - and still carrying a torch for Mary.
His friend Dom (Chris Elliott) advises Ted to go after his dream. He persuades Ted to hire a private investigator in order to trace Mary. Enter Matt Dillon as the irresistibly cruddy sleazeball private eye, Pat Healey. The film may be moving along nicely at this point, but Dillon provides booster rockets. The reviving of the dog is a gem of a scene.
It is interesting to see English stand-up comic Lee Evans taking on a dramatic role (Tucker). Later, when he is Norm the pizza boy, his American accent occasionally slips, but as one would expect of him, he does the comedy mime stuff exceptionally well.
There are some very funny stand-alone set pieces in the film, such as the gay bust and the squad room antics. Perhaps one shouldn't look too hard for schematic treatments in a light-hearted caper such as "Mary", but there are some discernible themes in place here. One recurrent device is dissembling, with the characters constantly surprising the viewer by revealing their 'true' identities, and similarly, much of the plot information on which we rely turns out to be bogus. It is as if the male characters know that they are unworthy of Mary's love, and have to bolster their prospects by erecting impressive facades. The only guy who remains true to himself is the one who wins her heart.
Another repeating joke is the geeky music. A song duo accompanies the action with corny ditties which sound like they have been composed by thirteen-year-olds. This is much funnier in practice than it sounds in black and white - and it has the added benefit of reinforcing the film's central premise - that Ted is an unlucky dipstick who can never hope for anything good in life.
The switching of the action back and forth between warm Florida and wintry Rhode Island is a useful plot mechanism because it suggests movement in the story, and it points up the contrast between the cold, Maryless north and the bright, hopeful south, where Mary is.
Physical and mental disability do not normally form the subject matter of popular comedy. The Farrelly brothers and their writers (correctly, in my view) have approached this film from the angle that nothing is taboo, and (if handled well) disability can be funny. They DO handle it well, and it IS funny.
"Mary" is an appealing, good-natured film which owes much to Cameron Diaz for its charm and lightness of touch. The cast clearly enjoy working together, and the final credits include an unusual treatment of "Build Me Up, Buttercup" which encapsulates the sense of exuberant good fun in which this excellent film is steeped.