when i saw the trailer for this film , i laughed harder than i had in quite some time .
while i was therefore pretty well psyched to see it , i was ever mindful that a trailer can make even the most mediocre film look good .
i 'm happy to say that there 's something about mary is not one of those trailer let - downs .
in fact , watching this film was quite a fine way to spend two hours .
the film opens up in flashback to 1985 , at a high school in cumberland , rhode island .
ted stroehmann ( ben stiller ) is a social reject who ca n't seem to get a date to the upcoming prom , until he comes to the defense of the mentally retarded warren ( w . earl brown ) , who 's being harassed by one of the school jocks .
it seems warren 's sister is the campus queen , mary jensen ( cameron diaz ) , who is impressed with ted 's willingness to stand up for her defenseless brother , despite a very real chance of getting beaten up .
mary takes an immediate liking to ted and asks him to the prom .
ted was just flattered that she even knew his name .
unfortunately , prom night is ruined when ted has an accident with his zipper ( at which every man in the theater will wince ) , and is sent to the hospital .
fast forward to the present , where ted has cleaned himself up , now writes for a magazine , but has weekly therapy sessions in order to deal with his obsession of the past 13 years : mary , whom he has n't seen since that fateful day .
with the help of his friend dom ( chris elliott ) , ted hires slimy private investigator pat healy ( matt dillon ) to track down his only love .
however , when pat finds mary , he falls for her too , and soon the both of them are competing for her affections .
there 's
something about mary is directed by bobby and peter farrelly , who brought us dumb and dumber and kingpin .
not exactly intelligent comedies , they are of the guilty pleasure variety where you might not want your friends or co - workers to think you had such a great time watching them .
with their current film , the farrelly brothers have come up with something you 'll not only enjoy , but also wo n't mind talking about the next day at the water cooler .
the film succeeds in employing a pretty wide range of comedic styles , from the subtle to the ridiculous , and while a few of the gags might be offensive to some ( seeming like residuals from the farrelly brothers ' last two films ) they almost all work .
i have not seen many movies in the recent past that shoot for the mark and so often hit it dead on .
one minute you 'll be laughing at something ted says , and the next you 'll be howling at the sight of a dog dragging him across the floor of mary 's apartment .
one of the great things this film has going for it is ben stiller .
he is perfectly cast in the role of ted , because he 's a guy who just looks awkward in almost every situation .
ted 's a nice fellow and tries to do his best , but for some reason or another things just do n't always work out .
it 's comical , but also has that kind of appeal where you really feel for the him and want him to come out on top .
actually , i 've liked stiller since he did a short which aired on saturday night live back in the mid - eighties .
the film was like a theatrical trailer for a spoof on the tom cruise / paul newman film the color of money , entitled the hustler of money .
in it , stiller played wince ( not vince ) who is taken under the wing of an older man ( played by john mahoney ) to become a big - time bowling hustler .
it was parody at its finest , more of which showed up in the short - lived " the ben stiller show " on the fox network in late ' 92/early ' 93 .
like " the critic " ( which aired on abc , then fox ) , i still mourn that show 's cancellation .
cameron diaz is absolutely enchanting for most of the film , although her character seems obsessed with perfection in the men she dates , and some of the qualities she looks for make mary look paper - thin at times .
however , diaz pulls the role off with such panache and charm , that you can still see why she 's got guys just falling over each other to be with her .
heck , i even found her laugh to be cute , even though i thought it was annoying during an appearance she made on the tonight show last week .
my girlfriend remarked that matt dillon does n't change , and you know , it 's really true .
he and ralph macchio must hang out or something .
maybe they live in dick clark 's pool house .
anyway , here 's
another good piece of casting ,
as dillon slips beautifully into the role of the guy who tries to worm his way into mary 's heart .
the supporting performances are also good .
chris elliott has a bigger part than in the abyss ( yes , check it out next time ) , and less annoying than in cabin boy .
lin shae , who plays mary 's neighbor magda ( and also appeared as the landlady in kingpin ) , provides some good laughs , especially in scenes with her benji - like dog , which acts as the focal point for a few of the funniest moments of the film .
lee evans , as mary 's friend tucker , displays a flexibility in acting and accents which surprises and contributes to an interesting plot twist .
the farrelly brothers and scriptwriters ed decter and john j .
strauss keep the comedic pacing going so that there are n't any noticeable times where the film drags .
the only problem i saw was their use of a couple of musicians who provide segues between several key scenes .
they appear out of nowhere and actually sing plot - relevant information right toward the camera .
it 's a device which was amusing for about three seconds when they opened the film .
after that it got a little annoying , and it 's unfortunate that those spots interrupt what would otherwise be a smooth flow .
fortunately , filled with sight gags , humorous lines , and solid comedic acting , there 's something about mary
will still have you laughing after you leave the theater .
Output: P