The Films of the Farrelly Brothers
Dumb & Dumber
Kingpin
There's Something About Mary (October 5/07)
Though affable and entertaining for a while, There's Something About Mary - saddled with a ridiculously overlong running time - eventually morphs into a tedious and downright interminable piece of work. It's a shame, really, as the movie does include a number of genuinely hilarious sequences and a thoroughly charismatic performance from Cameron Diaz; such elements are in addition to the now-infamous opening gag, which remains one of the most cringeworthy moments in cinematic history. The plot follows a young man (Ben Stiller's Ted) as he decides to look up his high school sweetheart (Diaz's Mary); problems emerge after a private investigator (Matt Dillon's Pat) decides that he wants a shot at Mary, too. Filmmakers Peter and Bobby Farrelly have infused the early part of There's Something About Mary with an appropriately lighthearted sensibility, ensuring that - for a while, anyway - the movie can't help but come off as a delightfully breezy example of the romcom genre. Yet there reaches a point at which the brothers - clearly desperate to sustain the film's bloated length - start emphasizing needless subplots and characters, culminating with an utterly disastrous third act that just seems to go on and on (and on). Despite the movie's rampantly uneven vibe, however, There's Something About Mary is ultimately redeemed by the affable performances and inclusion of several laugh-out-loud moments (ie Dillon's Pat, in an effort to win Mary's affections, poorly attempts to ape her compassion for the handicapped by referring to them as "retards" and "goofy bastards").
out of
Me, Myself & Irene
Osmosis Jones (April 5/02)
Based solely on the promotional materials, it's hard not to expect big things from Osmosis Jones - with Bill Murray's mere presence seemingly assuring big laughs. The trailer opened with an inexplicable sequence that features Murray fighting with a zoo monkey over an egg and eventually eating said egg - after the monkey had put it in it's mouth and it had fallen to the ground. That fantastically absurd scene is sadly not indicative of the entire film, as the bulk of Osmosis Jones occurs within Murray's body - where an entire population lives and works. Our hero, the titular Jones, is a white blood cell cop who's begrudgingly partnered with a cold pill named Drix. The two work to find and destroy the virus that's infesting Murray's body, before it destroys Jones' entire civilization and way of life. It's a unique premise and the way the film treats it is (for a while) quite interesting. All the usual buddy-cop cliches are here, which does initially provide some amusement but the whole thing eventually becomes bogged down in its own plot. Still, the live-action stuff with Murray is amusing, and the animated sequences are basically entertaining, so it's not a complete waste of time.
out of
Shallow Hal
Stuck on You (December 11/03)
Admittedly, Stuck on You's got a great premise. Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear play conjoined twins named Bo and Walt that are attached at the hip and have brilliantly adapted to their predicament. And who else but the Farrelly brothers (Peter and Bobby) would have the courage to take such a whacked concept and turn it into a mainstream, PG-13 film? Though the film remains entertaining for a little while, primarily through the enthusiasm of the performers, the film eventually becomes the same sort of typically dull Farrelly brothers comedy most folks lap up willingly. But the movie's lack of a storyline eventually catches up with it, with plot replaced by seemingly neverending vignettes (ie Bo and Walt go on a double date). And without getting into spoiler territory, the story goes exactly where you might think. Of course, none of these debits would've been all that noticeable had the movie been funny. But it's not; there are, maybe, one or two laughs to be had. The problem is the Farrelly's throw Bo and Walt into the most obvious of situations - Walt performs a one-man play with Bo limping nervously next to him, etc - which might provoke a smile, but nothing beyond that. With a running time of close to two hours, the film goes on much longer than it has any right to; somewhere around the 90-minute mark it stops being pleasantly diverting and turns into an overlong bore. Stuck on You is the sort of movie that'll work a whole lot better on the small screen, as the Farrelly's penchant for choosing mediocre pop songs and less-than-impressive visual style will probably be less glaring there.
out of
Fever Pitch (April 6/05)
Because it's a romantic comedy, Fever Pitch contains all of the plot points one expects out of the genre - including the overused and entirely unnecessary fake breakup - yet the film remains entertaining, primarily because it uses such cliches well (something that's not as easy as it looks, ie Hitch). The film - which follows two mismatched characters (Jimmy Fallon's Ben and Drew Barrymore's Lindsay) as they attempt to find love - has been directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly, and although it's not their funniest film, this is certainly their most involving and mature work to date. Working from a script by Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz, the Farrelly brothers imbue Fever Pitch with an laid-back sort of vibe that suits the material perfectly - and though the filmmakers occasionally threaten to overload the viewer with obscure baseball references, it never quite reaches that point (it does seem obvious, however, that one's enjoyment of the film will rise exponentially according to one's familiarity with Red Sox lore). Of course, with a romantic comedy, casting is incredibly important; the viewer's willingness to overlook the inherently cliched aspects of the genre depends entirely on the likability of the two leads. Barrymore has already proven herself to be ideally suited for this type of tale, having appeared in similar films such as Never Been Kissed and 50 First Dates. The actress is, not surprisingly, quite charming as Lindsay, infusing the character with the sort of effervescence she's become known for. Fallon, on the other hand, thankfully tones down the flamboyant tendencies that were on display in last year`s disastrous Taxi, delivering an extremely engaging performance that makes it almost impossible not to root for Lindsay and Ben to make it as a couple (even through some of Ben's more absurdly obsessive moments). As a feel-good romance, Fever Pitch undoubtedly excels. Barrymore and Fallon have genuine chemistry with one another, while the Farrelly brothers do a nice job of keeping the film's tone light and breezy (up until the third act, anyway).
out of
The Heartbreak Kid (October 4/07)
It's not much of a stretch to label The Heartbreak Kid the most ineffective and flat-out dull effort from the Farrelly brothers, as the film - though cute and pleasant enough in its opening half hour - is almost entirely devoid of jokes that work or characters that are even remotely interesting. A remake of the 1972 Elaine May comedy of the same name, The Heartbreak Kid casts Ben Stiller as Eddie Cantrow - a 40-year-old bachelor who impulsively marries a beautiful professional (Malin Akerman's Lila) and slowly-but-surely discovers that his new bride is essentially a complete nightmare. The film's incredibly repetitive structure - much of the second act follows Eddie as he makes one horrifying discovery about Lila after another - is exacerbated by the dearth of laughs, with exceedingly few of the Farrellys' patented gross-out gags managing to elicit even a chuckle from the viewer (and unlike their previous efforts, such shenanigans just feel desperate this time around). The subplot revolving around Eddie's would-be relationship with a fellow vacationer (Michelle Monaghan's Miranda) doesn't fare much better, as the character has been idealized to the point of absurdity (ie she doesn't seem to possess any flaws). And, of course, Miranda remains in the dark regarding Eddie's marriage for an unreasonably prolonged amount of time - ensuring that even the most dunderheaded viewer will be able to anticipate the requisite fake break-up (that said fake break-up seems to last for a third of the film's running time certainly doesn't help matters). Stiller's charismatic performance notwithstanding, The Heartbreak Kid comes off as an interminable and shockingly unfunny piece of work that has little to offer even the most ardent fan of the Farrelly brothers.
out of
