![[box cover]](../../reviewimgs/t/theressomethingaboutm.jpg)
There's Something (More) About Mary
Bobby and Peter Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber, Shallow Hal), America's foremost purveyors of gross-out humor, spare no sensibilities with this 1998 box-office smash, but also create a story with a heart. Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) has yet to get over his high school crush on Mary Jensen (Cameron Diaz) after their one date, which was abandoned due to a nasty accident involving a zipper. Older, sadder, and in analysis, Ted is convinced by his friend Dom (Chris Elliot) to hire shady private detective Pat Healy (Matt Dillon) to find Mary so he can resolve his feelings about the only girl he ever loved. But when Healy finds Mary to be a single, attractive surgeon living in Miami, he tries to throw Ted off the trail and pursues Mary himself. There's Something About Mary has become a modern comedy classic, and Stiller's neurotic Ted and Diaz's sweet-and-innocent Mary make for characters that are fun to watch. But viewers also should be forewarned — even after years of imitators, Mary mix of sweet sentiments and semen-based shock gags may be too much for some sensitive viewers. Be that as it may, the film has been double-dipped, this time in a balls-out (or should we say "franks and beans" out) two-disc special edition. A slightly better and newly anamorphic transfer of the film has been included (1.85:1), as has a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. On the first disc is the original cut of the film, but also available is an extended (by 11 minutes) cut, which adds little. There's a filmmakers' commentary for the extended version (which adds new commentary to their previous one during the pauses and extended scenes), and a writers' commentary by Ed Decter and John Strauss for the theatrical cut. Also included on the first disc is an alternate animated opening credit sequence. On the second disc is an abundance of extras, including "Getting Behind Mary" (44 min.), a collection of interviews and behind the scenes footage, the AMC "Backstory" doc (21 min.), "Comedy Central's Reel Comedy" hosted by Harland Williams (21 min.), MTV's Best Fight award clip (3 min.), "Exposing themselves" (14 min.) interviews with Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Chris Elliot and Ben Stiller, "Up a Tree with Jonathan Richman and Tommy Larkins" (12 min.), "Franks and Beans: A conversation with W. Earl Brown" (12 min.), "Touchdown: A Conversation with Brett Farve" (6 min.), "Interview Roulette with Harland Williams" (7 min.), Puffy Boobs and Balls (11 min) — a conversation with make-up designer Tony Gardner and Lin ("Magda") Shaye, "Behind the Zipper" (5 min.) — a mock PSA against fast zippering, "Around the World with Mary" — offering a scene in eight different languages, a music video, "Build me Up Buttercup" Karaoke, a section called "Marketing Mary" offering foreign posters, and trailers and TV spots, and outtakes (4 min.). Two-disc digipak with paperboard slipcase.
—JJB/DSH
