...but watching the "Oh sweet Jesus" reaction to the people who see it is priceless.
I mean, its just downright tragic what happen's to poor Ben Stiller's character, but the "you gotta see this" attitude displayed by the cops and firemen who show up is what makes "There's Something about Mary" into the comedy gem that it is.
Incongruities, perfectly timed incongruities are what makes this film tick, and the Farelly brothers showed the importance of editing, timing and context that make this film one of the funniest comedies of all time. In lesser hands, this material might have become consigned to the bin where all tasteless, stupid and sophomoric films lie; it is tasteless, stupid and sophomoric... and pure genius.
When you look at comedy classics like "Some Like it Hot" or "It Happened One Night", the material is less funny to the modern film-goer, but they remain funny because the interplay between characters and the editing are rock solid. Its all about the delivery.
Years back, my wife and I were film buffs--we saw all the art-house stuff as well as the mainstream films. Today, we may see three or four movies a year in the theater. We saw "There's Something About Mary" after it had gone to HBO, and we both had tears coming down our faces. We hadn't read any reviews, nor had any of our friends spoiled it for us, so we saw it cold, unprepared for the level of hilarity.
One of my favorite lines: "You said she was cute as a button!"
"No, I said butt plug...she's heinous."
I mean, its just downright tragic what happen's to poor Ben Stiller's character, but the "you gotta see this" attitude displayed by the cops and firemen who show up is what makes "There's Something about Mary" into the comedy gem that it is.
Incongruities, perfectly timed incongruities are what makes this film tick, and the Farelly brothers showed the importance of editing, timing and context that make this film one of the funniest comedies of all time. In lesser hands, this material might have become consigned to the bin where all tasteless, stupid and sophomoric films lie; it is tasteless, stupid and sophomoric... and pure genius.
When you look at comedy classics like "Some Like it Hot" or "It Happened One Night", the material is less funny to the modern film-goer, but they remain funny because the interplay between characters and the editing are rock solid. Its all about the delivery.
Years back, my wife and I were film buffs--we saw all the art-house stuff as well as the mainstream films. Today, we may see three or four movies a year in the theater. We saw "There's Something About Mary" after it had gone to HBO, and we both had tears coming down our faces. We hadn't read any reviews, nor had any of our friends spoiled it for us, so we saw it cold, unprepared for the level of hilarity.
One of my favorite lines: "You said she was cute as a button!"
"No, I said butt plug...she's heinous."