| The only reason I can't give this movie a more resounding recommendation is due to the fact that it really is not for everyone. But it is for me and most people I would hang out with, so if that means anything to you, Gentle Readers, by all means, fork out the dough. But oh heavens, if you are the least bit sensitive about...well, about much of anything (they don't mock religion or racism but they cover most of the other taboos), you may be appalled at this movie. |
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| An early situation culminates in a shot you never in a million years would have thought anyone would even *consider* getting. And this is PG-13? I have already considered seeing it again. |
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The Farrelly Brothers (them what brung you Dumb and Dumber and the execrable Kingpin) have finally figured out what is actually funny and what is not. Yes, gross bathroom humor is always a safe bet, as well as general farcical situations with multiple plot lines depending on an imbalance of information; but what has worked before for these guys, and works again agonizingly well in Mary, is personal, deep humiliation. More laughs are mined from what would in reality drive one to pull one's hair and suck one's thumb while rocking in a corner. |
| Oh, the sweet agonies that Ben Stiller is forced to endure - and how hysterically contrived. Added bonus: It's all new humiliations, not just the old farting on a first date chestnuts.x |
| As an enormous Ben Stiller fan, I have to say I was pleased to see so many people in the audience a full week after the movie opened. Word of mouth is going to save this movie, and it's high time I'm able to contribute to it! Ben is our hapless protagonist (Ted)whose innocent longing for Cameron Diaz's Mary drives the whole movie - but it also had madcap moments, a wacky Greek chorus (consisting of a musical duo), and Matt Dillon doing his best Bruce Campbell impression. |
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| It also has another super actor, Lee Evans, who was the tempering force behind Mousehunt (a great flick - rent it - you'll be surprised) that kept it from being a Nathan Lane solo act. In this movie he plays Mary's good friend Tucker - and wackiness ensues. I love him - I hope he gets a lot more work from this movie. |
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I have endured a lot of complaining about Cameron Diaz's overexposure lately, but her weird ethereal magic is perfect for Mary, for whose love the men of the world do incredibly nutty things - we have to believe they really have a reason to go to all these lengths, while not being intimidated by her perfection. I think Diaz is quite funny, as she proved in The Mask and My Best Friend's Wedding, and I don't think the overexposure whiners will mind her at all. She is alarmingly skinny, though. |
| Needless to say, not much of the overall story arc is a surprise, but that is not why we want to see it - we want to see painfully close-hitting yuks and some South Parkish brutal humor. Well, that's why *I* want to see it. The closing credits also have some fun pre-planned on-set clowning - and watching that, you can appreciate how the energy on the set was at the time of shooting - and the fun the actors are having definitely comes across. It's not Jane Austen, nor is it classic Zucker, but it's a hoot. |
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