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There's Something About Mary
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (24th June 2009). |
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The Film
 It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 10 years since “There’s Something About Mary” became a national phenomenon at the box office, eventually raking in over $175 million to become one of the highest-grossing comedies of all-time. Comedy can be a notoriously difficult genre to break out with, as most comedies appeal to a very specific demographic and rarely perform too far outside of the norm. What was it about this film that resonated so soundly with the general public? To be perfectly honest, I’m not quite sure. It isn’t that this film is any more funny than numerous others that have grossed less than half what this did, but more of a case involving good word-of-mouth. This film got people talking… a lot. But, of course, the one thing that drew them in droves was the infamous “hair gel” sequence after Ted attempts to relieve some tension before his big date. Once Mary scooped that sticky substance off his ear, the film was well on its way to a long life in cinematic history. Ted (Ben Stiller), a hopelessly awkward high school student, has just landed the dream date to his prom with Mary (Cameron Diaz), the girl of his dreams. Unfortunately, on the night of the prom, Ted manages to get his “franks and beans” zipped up in his slacks, leaving him unable to attend the dance. Fast forward 13 years later and Ted is still pining for Mary, upset that he never got the chance to have a magical evening with her. At the behest of his best friend, Dom (Chris Elliot), Ted decides to hire a private investigator, Pat Healy (Matt Dillon), to track down Mary, hoping to discover what she’s been up to for all these years. Well, as luck would have it, Pat finds Mary, living in Florida and looking better than ever, but instead of informing Ted he becomes smitten and attempts to pursue her himself. So, now Ted has to drive down to Florida to see if there can be a future with the one that got away before he loses her again. Ben Stiller had been doing plenty of solid comedic work before this film, but the incredible success it achieved really shot him into the stratosphere. Stiller has a very specific style to his comedy, typically that of a good-natured man who just can’t seem to catch a break in life (though he always does at the end, naturally) and he plays that same character here. Those who really enjoy his style, and I count myself among them, will find plenty to laugh at. He’s in rare form here, bringing a lot of the film’s best laughs out through his physical comedy. I don’t think I could disagree that this is one of his strongest roles. I’m going to have to admit that I’ve never been a big Cameron Diaz fan. I don’t find her particularly attractive and I don’t think she’s all that talented as an actress. That being said, she isn’t all that terrible here. In fact, I’d have to say that her role here is probably one of the few I can easily enjoy. Mary has been written with enough goofball charm that it’s hard to not find her attractive in some way. One thing you can count on when watching a Farrelly Brothers (Bobby and Peter) movie is that there is going to be an impressive supporting cast. Matt Dillon is appropriately creepy, sleazy, and kind of suave, as crooked private dick Pat Healy. The lengths he goes to in an attempt to impress and win over Mary are some of the film’s best moments. Chris Elliot, who some may remember from the short-lived television series “Get a Life” (1990-1992), is perfect as Ted’s best friend, Dom. His connection to Mary, and subsequent outbreak, add an extra disturbing dimension to the film. I particularly enjoyed Lee Evans as Tucker, Mary’s close friend who turns out to be another quasi-stalker obsessed with making Mary his girl. He’s like Kevin Spacey in "The Usual Suspects" (1996), only in a comedic way. So, aside from having a great cast the film is mainly remembered for its gross-out humor. Being that this is a Farrelly Brothers film that should come as no surprise. All forms of bodily fluid are on full display here, some making a more prominent appearance than others. Hell, much of the film’s marketing focused on Diaz’s unintentional hair product. There is always a fine line when making a gross-out comedy; take it too far and the audience is just repulsed, not amused, or don’t take it far enough and the gags become pedestrian and limp. The Farrelly’s have been guilty of doing both in their career thus far, but they found just the right mix here. It’s outrageous enough to get people talking, but not so gross that you’d warn your grandmother to avoid it. This Blu-ray disc contains both the 119 minute R-rated “Theatrical Cut” and the 130 minute “Extended Version”. Many of the changes are minor additions, although this alternate cut does provide a good deal more screen time for both Chris Elliot and Jeffrey Tambor’s respective characters. I feel like the "Theatrical Cut" is already long enough, but if you’re already a big fan of the film then I’m sure you’ll be happy to get all the extra footage you can.
Video
The 1.85:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded transfer looks very good, although it lacks that “window effect” that some Blu-rays are capable of achieving. Color reproduction is spot-on, whites look natural and black levels are solid. Film grain has been left intact, so there are no obvious signs of excessive DNR use. This is probably as faithful to the original theatrical presentation as this film has ever seen. There is plenty of room for the film to breathe thanks to Fox putting this on a dual-layered BD 50GB disc, so even though the film lacks any real visual flair, it’s still a perfectly presented transfer.
Audio
Fox always comes through with their Blu-ray audio selections, and this film is no exception. The default track is an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound mixed at 48 kHz/24-bit. This disc also includes French, Spanish and Portuguese DTS 5.1 surround sound tracks, as well as a Thai Dolby Digital 2.0 track. Though this is a dialogue-heavy film, it does feature many musical selections that do well filling out the surround speakers. Everything here sounds clear and discernible, with no audio issues whatsoever. Subtitles are available for English for the hearing impaired, Korean, Spanish, Mandarin, Portuguese, Cantonese, Indonesian and Thai.
Extras
Fox doesn’t skimp on this release, unlike many others, and they pack on every supplement from the old "Collector’s Edition" DVD of the film here. We get two full-length audio commentaries, a scene-specific audio commentary, numerous behind-the-scenes featurettes, theatrical trailer, a poster gallery and a music video. An audio commentary with directors Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly is available for both cuts of the film. These two guys spend the time talking about how they bring together the right cast, where they know many of the actors from and how it was shooting many of the film’s locations. The extra bits on the "Extended Cut" help to explain why some scenes were removed from the "Theatrical Cut" version. There is little lag time here, with both of the brothers having plenty of anecdotes to share. A screenwriter’s audio commentary is next with Ed Decter and John J. Strauss is only available for the film’s "Theatrical Cut" version. The two have plenty to talk about here, touching on all aspects of the film’s screenplay and how rewarding it feels to have it shot by a director(s) that really wants to bring a new dimension to their work. I’ve always found writer commentaries to be particularly interesting because they really open up the entire universe within the film and explain how a story is developed and executed. Directors’ scene-specific bonus commentary is an interactive feature which allows viewers to hear extra comments from the co-directors when an image of lovebirds appears on screen, at which point you would hit “enter” on your remote to listen. The film is available to watch with alternate clay animated titles, along with optional audio commentary by directors Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly. They discuss who created the titles and why they ultimately decided not to use them. Personally, I think these look really cool and I wish it had been used in the final film. “Getting Behind Mary” is a featurette which runs for 43 minutes and 44 seconds. This is a very raw look at the making of the film via behind-the-scenes footage. No real cast or crew interviews are spliced into this piece, so it doesn’t really have much in the way of direction. What it does have, though, is a good, in-depth look at how the Farrelly brothers direct their actors on set. “Backstory: There’s Something About Mary” is featurette which runs for 20 minutes and 50 seconds. This is an A&E special featuring interviews with the principal cast & crew members discussing the film’s plot and its central characters. Even though this is a shorter extra than the behind-the-scenes piece, it provides much more in-depth information. “Comedy Central: Reel Comedy” is a featurette which runs for 21 minutes and 31 seconds. This Comedy Central TV special is hosted by Harland Williams and features interviews with Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon and Chris Elliot discussing their respective characters, along with many clips from the film. “Up a Tree with Jonathan Richman and Tommy Larkins” is a featurette which runs for 11 minutes and 37 seconds. This is a short interview with the two men responsible for the film’s theme song, discussing their careers and influences. “Franks and Beans: A Conversation with W. Earl Brown” is a featurette which runs for 5 minutes and 32 seconds. The actor, who plays Mary’s “special” brother, Warren, discusses how he got the role and what he brought to the part. “Exposing Themselves: Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller, Chris Elliot” is a featurette which runs for 14 minutes and 26 seconds. The actors each discuss the unique experience of working with the Farrelly brothers while making the film, and how unusual it was compared to most other films they have worked on before. “Touchdown: A Conversation with Brett Favre” is a featurette which runs for 5 minutes and 37 seconds. The legendary quarterback takes a few minutes to discuss how he got involved in the film’s production. “Interview Roulette with Harland Williams” is a featurette which runs for 6 minutes and 51 seconds. The actor gives a typically bizarre interview, spewing forth his eccentric thoughts on comedy and what he thinks is funny. “Puffy, Boobs and Balls” is a featurette which runs for 10 minutes and 51 seconds. Legendary effects artist Tony Gardner sits down with actress Lin Shaye to talk abut the film’s make-up effects. There is some very creepy prosthetic boob footage here that will no doubt cause most viewers to cringe. Good stuff. “Around the World with Mary” language clip allows the viewer to watch a scene from the film in one of eight different languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Thai or Turkish. Just press the “Audio” button on your remote to toggle. “Marketing Mary” contains the following: - “International Posters” gallery runs for 30 seconds, showing off different posters promoting the film around the world. - Theatrical trailer runs for 2 minutes and 25 seconds. - 13 TV spots are included, all of which run for 32 seconds. “Every Day Should Be a Holiday" is a music video by The Dandy Warhols runs for 4 minutes and 13 seconds. A reel of outtakes runs for 3 minutes and 27 seconds. “Build Me Up Buttercup: Karaoke” karaoke clips runs for 3 minutes and 3 seconds. Clips from the film play while a karaoke version of the song is available for viewers to sing-a-long to with lyrics. “Behind the Zipper” is a featurette which runs for 4 minutes and 35 seconds. Lin Shaye, in character as Magda, hosts this brief look at man’s worst fear.
Overall
For as big of a hit with the public as this film is, I can’t say that it’s unwarranted or overrated. The fact is that this is still a hilarious film more than 10 years later. This disc features two cuts of the film, a solid transfer, a worthy audio track and loads and loads of supplemental material. Anyone who would consider themselves a fan of the film would be wise to add this to their collection.
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