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