THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY

Directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly

Starring Cameron Diaz, Ben Stiller, Matt Dillon

Ben Stiller has once again found his chance to shine in this summer's comedy hit, There's Something About Mary. For those of you who missed Stiller's smashing turn in Flirting with Disaster, here's your chance to catch him at his very best--playing the lovable loser with a heart of gold. There's Something About Mary, though offensive and just plain gross at times, is still funny, original and not to be missed. Most of us left Mary still chuckling and wondering to ourselves where the writers could think up such scenarios and why more of the so-called humor movies do not include such hysterical shenanigans.

Some of the most offensive, crude and outright gross on-screen behavior of the summer can be found in There's Something About Mary. Yet despite its consistent lewdness, Mary is a clever film that takes a twisted joyride and ends with a surprise. The plot is complicated and topsy-turvy, so to spare those who have not yet seen the movies, here is a quick rundown: beautiful Mary Jensen (Cameron Diaz) just cannot get away from stalkers. However, when Ted Stromman (Ben Stiller) wants to track her down 13 years after their dismal senior prom date, he is doing so because he still carries a torch for her, not from an unhealthy obsession. Add to the mixture pseudo private eye Matt Healy (the wonderful Matt Dillon who nearly steals the movie), the bizarre Dom (Chris Elliott) and a slew of other comedic characters--and, voila, a hit is born.

The movie also touches on a variety of themes and travels to different places. Among other things it includes and successfully manages to integrate an over-tanned elderly Floridian French-kissing her dog, flying semen, a psychotic hitchhiker, masturbation, a guitar-strumming Greek chorus, the television show "C.O.P.S.," golfing and some other still more outrageous elements. Even football legend Brett Favre does a great cameo in the film. Yet Mary, aims for the viewers heart, as Mary herself is the epitome of kindness and goodwill. She has a mentally retarded brother, Warren, whom she loves deeply and cares for so much that she dumps a boyfriend who is almost perfect, except for the fact that he does not like her brother. Mary also works at a program for mentally retarded adults, and one of her best friends needs to wear braces to move around. Indeed, Mary's beauty is much more than skin deep: she even lives with an elderly woman who was lonely and needed company after the death of her husband. Mary's kindness originally attracted her to the loser Ted in high school, after she saw him defending her brother from a bully in the school parking lot.

Of course, Mary, does go much too far in nearly every aspect of the movie. Its vigorous use of physical comedy is always funny, but disgusting at the same time. All the characters, especially Ted, seem to be getting seriously harmed, which provides for some humor, but is not nearly as funny as the mix-ups and identity changes that make the movie so unique. Several scenes involve cruelty to a little dog which is killed and brought back to life in the same evening by the ever resourceful Healy. Even more un-funny elements of the film are the parts in which mentally retarded or disabled individuals are the targets of bad jokes. It is one thing to poke fun at Healy for his gigantic, hideously capped teeth, but it becomes extremely offensive to make fun of another man simply because he cannot walk without leg braces.

Yet, the most disturbing aspect of Mary is the way that it plays down stalking. Mary's life was ruined by her stalker: she had to move away and change her last name and lifestyle simply to get away from a man who would stop at nothing to track her down. One of the final scenes is actually frightening, as one of Mary's stalkers manages to get into her apartment and laughs in Mary's face when she tells him that she has a court order of protection stipulating that he must stay at least 400 hundred feet away from her. Stalking is not something to laugh at; it is a serious crime against women which is often overlooked until it is too late. And as Mary's stalker has shown, orders of protection are often useless against violently estranged boyfriends, lovers and husbands. The fact that Mary's stalkers are just a bunch of idiots, each more pathetic than the other, ends the movie with a sigh of relief and burst of laughter. But what if Mary's crazed ex-boyfriend had chosen to harm her or kill her instead of just acting like a moron? That is a serious question that we should all think about. The movie ends well, but sadly, in reality, so many other stalker cases do not.

A positive aspect about Mary is that it manages to de-mystify many of society's taboos, such as masturbation, semen, vibrators and other such hush-hush things. Nothing is sacred in Mary, as everything has its humor potential, from Rice-a-Roni to Eight-Minute Abs. It is always comforting to see a big budget movie that can separate itself from self-righteousness, cheesiness, and bad acting. Mary's humor does not even stop once the movie is finished, but continues through the credits with an absolutely hilarious music video sequence set to everyone 's favorite tune, "Build Me Up, Buttercup" by the Foundations. Now there's real entertainment for you.