There's Something About Mary (R, 1998)

common sense media says

Farrelly bros' gross-out laughs aren't for kids.


parents & educators say
  • 57% say sexual content is an issue
  • 57% say language is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this gross-out movie features rampant unscrupulous, shocking, and inappropriate behavior to elicit laughs. It's funny stuff for the right crowd of adult comedy aficionados and a well-made movie for the often-maligned genre. Kids will want to see it because of the star power of Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller and its notorious shock value as a Farrelly brothers film. But consider this while you listen to them beg: the film features lots of jokes about male sexual insecurity, including getting caught masturbating (falsely and then really, when Mary finds ejaculate on Ted's ear and mistakes it for hair gel), injuring their genitals, gay male sex, and rape. It also makes light of sociopathic behavior, as one character stalks Mary and all the other men in her life continually deceive her.

Positive messages: Unscrupulous behavior is rampant and played strictly for laughs. Everyone stalks Mary, violating her privacy, spying on her, and lying to her. Healy lies to Ted about what Mary looks like and Ted lies to Mary about why he's in Florida. Norman pretends to be a disabled architect to attract Mary, and sends Mary anonymous notes lying about her boyfriends to make her break up with them. Healy stalks her, listens to her phone calls and conversations in her home, and caps his teeth to attract Mary. Woogie lies to Ted about who he is and violates a restraining order. He also tries to steal her shoes.
Violence: Lots of comic violence, including Warren beating up Ted. Ted gets his penis stuck in his zipper, Healy drugs Magda's dog and then sets it on fire (luckily the dog very much looks like a stuffed replica). Policemen beat Ted's head against a table. Warren catches Ted's lip with a fish hook.
Sex: A part of the film's over-the-top comedy comes from crude sexuality behavior including: a shot of an old woman's saggy boobs, constant insinuation that Ted is gay and extensive talk about masturbation. Ted gets his genitals caught in a zipper and is rushed to the hospital. Dom's wife gives him oral sex as he watches TV. Ted is caught in a gay sex raid. Ted masturbates and famously gets his semen stuck on his ear, which Mary unknowingly puts in her hair. Healy and Norman go to a strip club. Healy has nudie calendars on his wall.
Language: Lots of degrading language about women, including "cocktease," "whale," etc. There's also lots of salty language, such as "f--k," "ass," "bitch," "numbnuts," "s--t," "dick," "bulls--t," "bastard," "prick," and "dips--t."
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Mary and her friends drink beer. Magda drinks martinis. Healy smokes cigars and feeds Magda's dog tranquilizers. Norman gives Magda and her dog speed.

More on There's Something About Mary

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the appeal of this movie and the whole gross-out genre. Do you think these extremely flawed characters are funny? What do you think about angelic and idealized Mary in comparison? Is this film equally funny to men and women? Why or why not? Were there parts of the film you found more offensive than funny? Would you seek out other movies like this or stick to lighter comedy fare?

What's the story?

What's the story?
THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY centers on hapless Ted (Ben Stiller), who's having a Charlie Brown life. His therapist ducks out on his sessions, his friends have everything he wants, and he still can't get over the girl he almost went to prom with (Cameron Diaz). He's having fantasies about her and trying to forget the tragic zipper accident that sent him to the hospital for weeks and forced him to miss out on what he's sure would have been his perfect relationship. So he takes Dom's (Chris Elliot's) advice and hires a private investigator Healy (Matt Dillon) to find her so he can finally have closure and, maybe, a second chance at love. But can Healy find her, and if he can, can he resist her football-and-beer-loving charm?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Sure, the plot may sound like your typical romantic comedy -- but not with the Farrelly brothers at the helm. These are the same guys who brought you Dumb and Dumber, with its toilet humor and political incorrectness. Instead, this is a frat guy's idea of a romantic comedy, full of jokes at the expense of disabled people and women. Sure, the guys who fall for Mary are the ultimate joke; undeveloped man-boy idiots drooling over her charms -- how many leggy blondes are doctors who love beer and football?

If you can't stand this kind of humor, stay clear. And it's certainly not the thing for anyone with dating horror stories -- Chris Elliot's character won't be funny at all. But the film definitely has enough to satisfy adult gross-out humor fans.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Cast: Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 119 minutes
Theatrical release: July 15, 1998
DVD release: September 13, 2005
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: strong comic sexual content and language.

This review was written by Heather Boerner
 
 

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What parents & educators say

14
Based on 7 parent & educator reviews:
  • 57% say sexual content is an issue
  • 57% say language is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

528Moviechick
teen, 14 years old
 
Great movie
This movie is one of my fav movies!! I love it!! It is hilarious and has great acting. Absolutly not ok for kids, I am 12 and saw it when i was nine or ten, and fell in love with it!! Still very inappropriate!!

JWilliams303
teen, 17 years old
 
great movie
i love the part when the dog and the grandma take some kind of pills that make them go crazy and the dog attacks ben stiller. the best part in that scene was when the dog jumped out the window. hilarious movie.

greenjoshua123
kid, 10 years old
 
O-F-F!!!
What the crap?! This wouldn't have been such a bad movie if the Sexy and languagey wasn't in it.

coolkat
kid, 13 years old
 
funny movie
this funny i love how they got brent farve

mlb444
adult
 
Funniest Ben Stiller but crude.
Funniest Ben Stller i've seen. But the sexual humor was a bit overboardered.Language to, i saw it when i was 12 and my parents didnt mind but Caution.

 
This movie is pretty funny but does have alot of sexy stuff in it. If you like funny movies then this is one you have to watch but watch out so young kids dont see It.

 

PlagueRattyRat
teen, 14 years old
 
Gross-out gold!
This film is fantastic for those who are into gross-out comedy. I watched this with my mum for the first time last night, and found it hilarious. There are some bits where you cringe, but all in all, a fantastic movie. Parts to be aware of are: Ted gets his penis stuck in a zipper, and his girlfriend's family and the local authorities cringe and laugh, then yo usee an unexpected crotch-shot; Healy is spying on Mary, and gets out large binoculars while she is undressing, and then turns round to some very fake old breasts; a ver fake model of a dog is electrocuted; and a man 'Woogey' stalks Mary and steals her shoes.

 
I lost the concept of good comedy
If we show this film to group that the media may intend it for, then we give a poor impression of men, women, dating and persons with different lifestyles. Everyone is impressionable, even adults, but being more "wise" we are supposed to use our common sense to discern good entertainment. If you don't take the information in this film seriously you will be fine, but this isn't good comedy.

 
This was hysterical and has a good teen-movie message
I saw this movie yesterday and I laughed all the way through it and also I liked the relationship between the two main characters (Ted and Mary). The movie sells the message that there is a difference between love and obsession and also it shows that it is good to know somebody before dating them. I give this movie an "ON" rating for it's good message and also must stress the fact that this is a romantic comedy for persons age 15 and older because of it's moderate sexual humor and strong language that consists of 40 uses of "f**k", 27 uses of "s**t", 9 uses of slang for a penis such as "d**k", "c**k", and "p***k", 17 uses of "hell", 10 uses of "ass", 5 uses of "D**n", 4 uses of "son of a b**ch", 2 uses of "crap", 5 times God's name was used as a curse, 5 times Jesus's name was used as a curse, 2 uses of "Oh, God", 2 uses of "Christ", 1 use of "goddamn", 1 use of "Oh, Christ", 1 use of "Oh, Jesus", 1 use of "for God's sake", and 1 use of "Jesus Christ". That information came form *IMDb*.

 
"There's Something About Mary" is a solid comedy and I'm certain most children 14 and older are mature enough to watch it
I was certainly mature enough for this movie when I was 14 and I think most children are. It does contain two scenes of explicit sexuality and there is a scene of drug use but nothing terrible. Brett Farve also makes an appearance and do you want your child's role model to be a football player?

kojitheman
teen, 17 years old
 
laugh out loud
This movie is really funny. My rating: some sexual content, some nudity, pervasive language.

peacelovemusiccl
kid, 11 years old
 
NOT FOR KIDS!
My family and I tried to watch this movie together and turned it off soon after turning it on. There are many innappropriate things in this movie that you will not want your kids to hear about or see.

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About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age