47 lines
4.0 KiB
Plaintext
47 lines
4.0 KiB
Plaintext
it was with great trepidation that i approached +mary+ , the farrelly brothers+ latest film .
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i knew the film would be funny--the trailer alone had me laugh harder than the actual comedy i went to see .
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but i also knew the film would be an equal-opportunity offender , attacking the sensibilities of the politically correct with reckless abandon .
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i figured the film would be raunchy , maybe another lucky escapee from nc-17 hell .
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i may laugh , but would i feel better in the morning ?
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i needn+t have worried .
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+mary+ is the sweetest , warmest , all-out laugh-and-grossfest this side of _animal house_ .
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surprisingly , the farrelly brothers have walked that very tight line of making a touching romantic comedy on the side , and filling the details with five or six outrageous howlers .
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they make laughter , the toughest job for a filmmaker to do , look easy .
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the plot is typical .
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thirteen years ago , geeky ted ( ben stiller ) lucked out in having dazzling mary ( cameron diaz ) go with him to the senior prom .
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as luck would have it , on that very day , he was hospitalized .
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why , i shall not tell , but i assure you , it isn+t pretty .
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he hires a private investigator to find her : pat healy ( matt dillon ) .
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he becomes one of the great comic villains .
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upon finding her , he too is lovestruck , and so pursues her , lying about his occupation and getting his teeth capped .
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it is only a matter of time before ted finds out that he had been double-crossed , and goes to get her for himself .
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would the geek get the girl ?
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puh-lease .
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the ending is pure hollywood ; no surprises there .
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but the absolute joy in this film is how this simple premise allows for humor in zippers , hair gel , the mentally disabled , the physically handicapped , interracial marriages , homosexuals , skin conditions , serial killers , tanning , and drugged-up dogs .
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the dog on speed sequence alone is worth the price of admission , and belongs in the film comedy hall of fame .
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and yet , for all the targets that are hit , the film maintains its sweet tone .
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mary , playing the straight role , is as sweet and caring as she is beautiful .
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she is totally devoted to caring for her mentally handicapped brother , warren ( w .
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earl brown--miles away from the cameraman in _scream_ ) .
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mary+s sunniness carries the film here--it compliments the below-belt gags that come at you .
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cameron diaz makes her totally charming , and the audience respects her , even though women in general do not usually undress before an open window .
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ben stiller also fares very well , totally changing his image from his _reality bites_ and _flirting with disaster_ straight men to being a , ( how to say it ? ) , a complete loser .
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braces , greasy long hair , not too bright , and very very funny .
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dillon is exceptionally creepy , especially with his capped teeth .
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and rounding out the cast is ted+s friend dom ( chris elliot ) , tanning addict magda ( lin shaye ) , modern troubador/greek chorus ron lichman , and mary+s sweet mom , markie post ( where has she been ? ! ) .
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not everything works .
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chris elliot+s role , skin blemishes and all , becomes merely tasteless and boring .
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there+s lousy dialogue about eight-minute vs . seven minute exercise tapes .
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and there are long stretches without much going on .
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but the wait is worth it .
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when those extraordinary sequences hit , the entire theater erupted with howls , tears .
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belly-aches , that in some sequences carried over to the following scene .
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the farrelly brothers have finally done it .
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yes , there are some raunchy bits , but when it is all over , it+s not nearly as bad as it could have been .
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while tasteless , it didn+t cross any lines , at least not with me .
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while raunchy , it wasn+t nearly as bad as _porky+s_ or _boogie nights_ .
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and it is sweet enough to be considered a date flick .
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after the funny but sour _kingpin_ left a negative aftertaste in my palate , comes the funniest sex farce since _a fish called wanda_ .
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approach this with an open mind , and you will reap the benefits hugely .
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