---
title: "There's Something About Mary"
year: 1998
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/theres-something-about-mary"
fi1m_id: "theres-something-about-mary"
imdb_id: "tt0129387"
tmdb_id: 544
wikidata_id: "Q177374"
fi1m_score: 78
critics_score: 70
critics_reviews: 10
published: "2026-09-13"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:20.799247+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# There's Something About Mary (1998)

Directed by Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly · 2h 00m · MPA R · Romance, Comedy

## Identity

There's Something About Mary

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/theres-something-about-mary
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** theres-something-about-mary
- **IMDb ID:** tt0129387
- **TMDB ID:** 544
- **Wikidata ID:** Q177374
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0129387/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/544, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q177374

**Fi1m score: 78** · Critics 70 from 10 reviews

*In a sentence:* Cameron Diaz could save herself considerable trouble by asking for references

> The Farrellys’ romantic comedy earns its bad manners through sharp comic performances and frequent, helpless laughter. Cameron Diaz gives it warmth, though Mary deserves more attention and the two-hour running time needs firmer control.

## Synopsis

Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) pursues Mary Jensen (Cameron Diaz), but his hopes of romance meet competition and interference. Pat Healy (Matt Dillon), a scheming investigator, complicates matters, while Tucker (Lee Evans) is another rival. Mary finds herself at the centre of a romantic comedy in which the men around her struggle to separate their interest in her from their own foolishness. Directed by Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly, the film also features Chris Elliott as Dom Woganowski, Lin Shaye as Magda and W. Earl Brown as Warren Jensen.

## Review

*There’s Something About Mary* is a funny, overextended romantic comedy whose success depends on how long its performers can keep appalling behaviour amusing. Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly push embarrassment towards outright disgust, with enough affection for their characters to make the ugliness bearable. They want us laughing before we have composed an objection. Often, they manage it. The qualification is that Mary gets far less comic freedom than the men competing for her attention.

Ben Stiller plays Ted Stroehmann as a man whose desire to be liked makes courtship look painfully difficult. His awkwardness gives the broad comedy something recognisable to work with: the suspicion that everyone else knows how to behave and we alone missed the instructions. Ted’s pursuit of Mary could easily become exhausting. Stiller gives it enough vulnerability that we remain interested, even when the film seems determined to see how much humiliation he can carry.

Matt Dillon’s Pat Healy supplies a useful change of pace, a scheming investigator with little reason to feel so pleased with himself. We laughed at Dillon’s smugness; he makes Healy look thoroughly satisfied with behaviour that should embarrass him. He does not strain to advertise the joke, which helps when so much around him is trying hard to be outrageous. Lee Evans, as rival Tucker, adds another competing comic presence. The men give the film plenty of momentum, though their accumulated foolishness also starts to crowd it.

Cameron Diaz is crucial because her ease stops all this effort becoming oppressive. As Mary Jensen, she brings warmth and a light comic manner to a part that could have disappeared beneath the surrounding male commotion. The limitation belongs chiefly to the screenplay by Ed Decter, John J. Strauss and the Farrellys. Mary has to be desirable enough to sustain everyone’s pursuit, and the writing gives her less room to be unreasonable, ridiculous or difficult herself. Diaz keeps us interested in Mary even when the writing concentrates on her suitors.

Mark Irwin’s cinematography serves the physical comedy without providing much pleasure between the jokes. The images are direct enough for a visual gag to register, but their plainness can make the quieter stretches feel flat. Jonathan Richman’s music provides some welcome sweetness amid the crudeness. That gentler contribution matters when the men are working so hard at being objectionable. The music helps preserve the affection that the broader comedy sometimes threatens to exhaust.

Christopher Greenbury’s editing handles individual comic build-ups more convincingly than the film’s pace across its full length. The jokes benefit from being allowed to develop, yet at 120 minutes the succession of outrageous episodes begins to feel repetitive. The screenplay keeps prolonging the men’s competition when the performances have already made their shortcomings clear. We would lose some of the connecting material before shortening the strongest routines. The weaker stretches leave the actors repeating kinds of foolishness they have already established.

The Farrellys understand something that matters in gross-out comedy: an offensive idea still needs a performer who knows how to make it funny. Their strongest jokes depend on these particular people behaving badly, rather than on the forbidden subject alone. Choose it for the cast and for an evening when good manners are negotiable. Anyone hoping for a convincing account of adult relationships should make other arrangements.

*Fi1m score 78, published 13 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like it, and they like it for the same reasons. The praise gathers around the Farrelly brothers’ knack for building an outrageous gag past the point where good taste would have stopped, and around Cameron Diaz, whose sunny, unbothered turn as Mary is credited by nearly every review with keeping the film likeable. Several also note that the characters are warmer than the genre requires and that the jokes are crude without being mean-spirited. Ben Stiller’s hapless pursuer draws steady approval.

The reservations are about length and taste. Variety finds it crudely made and overlong; Empire notes stretches where it slows; Eye for Film thinks the ending is the weakest part. Time Out calls it sexist while admitting it laughed anyway. The one outright dissent comes from The Independent, which admires the performances but finds the women implausible and suggests the brothers get out more. The spread is otherwise narrow.

## Straight answers

**Is There's Something About Mary worth watching?**

*There's Something About Mary* is worth watching for anyone who can enjoy two hours of appalling behaviour played by performers who know how to make it funny, and we scored it 78. Ben Stiller, Matt Dillon and Cameron Diaz keep the crudeness bearable, though Mary gets less comic freedom than her suitors and the film runs long.

**How long is There's Something About Mary, and what is it rated?**

*There's Something About Mary* runs 2h 00m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a romance and comedy film.

**Where can I watch There's Something About Mary in the US?**

*There's Something About Mary* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is There's Something About Mary, and is it suitable for children?**

*There's Something About Mary* is a 15 in the UK and is not for children: the comedy pushes embarrassment towards outright disgust, with crude sexual humour throughout. It is not violent or frightening in any horror sense, but the squeamish will find several set pieces hard going. Older teenagers with a tolerance for gross-out comedy are its natural audience.

**How does There's Something About Mary compare to Bringing Up Baby?**

*There's Something About Mary* and [*Bringing Up Baby*](https://film.one/film/bringing-up-baby) both turn courtship into prolonged public embarrassment, but the Hawks film is the faster, sharper and better disciplined of the two. Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn keep the confusion precise where the Farrellys let their men's foolishness sprawl. Choose the earlier film for timing, the later one for outright rudeness and a warmer, more forgiving temper.

**What should I watch after There's Something About Mary?**

After *There's Something About Mary*, try [*Bringing Up Baby*](https://film.one/film/bringing-up-baby) (1938, Fi1m 88): Courtship becomes sustained public embarrassment, with two performers who never lose their timing. Then [*The Heartbreak Kid*](https://film.one/film/the-heartbreak-kid) (1972, Fi1m 78): A sharper, less forgiving romantic comedy about male vanity and appalling choices; and [*Tampopo*](https://film.one/film/tampopo) (1985, Fi1m 84): Food, sex and human foolishness, handled with comic precision and considerable warmth.

### Reviews we read (10)

- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): Turan describes the film as an outrageous goofball farce and giddy symphony of rude, raucous low humor that crosses lines of taste but proves irresistible. He credits the Farrelly brothers' gift for finding humor in unexpected places and Cameron Diaz's natural comic talent as a major asset. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jul-15-ca-3690-story.html)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (90/100, inferred): Ebert praises the film as a liberating exercise in bad taste filled with explosively funny sequences that sweep away objections and compel laughter. He highlights the Farrelly brothers' gift for building outrageous gags and Cameron Diaz's sunny, appealing performance as the object of desire. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/theres-something-about-mary-1998)
- **The AV Club** (80/100, inferred): The Farrelly brothers deliver a gross-out comedy with endearing characters and a coherent plot. It stands as one of the funniest movies of the year thanks to its relentless visual and spoken gags. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/theres-something-about-mary-1798195252)
- **Empire**, Darren Bignell (70/100, inferred): The Farrellys exceed bounds of taste and PC with outrageous, entertaining screwball comedy; strong cast performances make for standout hilarious scenes despite some slowdowns. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/something-mary-review/)
- **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (70/100, inferred): Maslin calls the film a proudly obnoxious yet gleeful romantic comedy that works ridiculously well without being mean-spirited. She singles out the Farrelly brothers' crude but witty approach and Cameron Diaz's blithe comic style as key strengths. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/15/movies/film-review-a-three-alarm-pursuit-of-an-old-flame.html)
- **Time Out**, TCh (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the Farrelly brothers' comedy crude, offensive and sexist, yet embarrassingly hilarious. Stiller's geeky pursuit of Diaz's Mary, complicated by Dillon's scheming investigator and Evans' rival, is singled out as the source of its broad, bad-taste appeal. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/theres-something-about-mary)
- **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (70/100, inferred): McCarthy notes the film's spectacularly irreverent and rude episodes that deliver explosive laughter despite being crudely made and overlong. He singles out the outrageous set pieces and Cameron Diaz's dazzling, game performance as the elements that make it a commercial hit. [Read](https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/there-s-something-about-mary-1200454473/)
- **The Independent** (30/100, inferred): The Farrelly brothers deliver sharper gross-out humour and strong performances from Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz, but the film relies on implausible female characters and the brothers should meet some girls. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/cinema-it-is-awful-but-we-liked-it-1200820.html)
- **Collider**, Jeff Giles (80/100, inferred): The film remains one of the funniest comedies of the 1990s and the best work by the Farrelly brothers, thanks to its balance of gross-out humor with character-driven storytelling and strong performances from Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz. [Read](https://collider.com/theres-something-about-mary-blu-ray-review/)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (45/100, inferred): The critic finds the film has a great beginning and okay middle but a stupid ending, with comedy that relies on bad taste and physical defect gags but lacks enough bite. Cameron Diaz is praised for giving Mary some substance and character amid the surrounding foolishness. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/theres-something-about-mary-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

## Details

- **Director:** Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly
- **Director:** Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly
- **Screenplay:** John J. Strauss, Ed Decter, Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly
- **Story:** John J. Strauss, Ed Decter
- **Cinematography:** Mark Irwin
- **Editor:** Christopher Greenbury
- **Music:** Jonathan Richman
- **Costume design:** Mary Zophres
- **Producer:** Frank Beddor, Michael Steinberg, Charles B. Wessler
- **Cast:** Cameron Diaz as Mary Jensen; Matt Dillon as Pat Healy; Ben Stiller as Ted Stroehmann; Lee Evans as Tucker; Chris Elliott as Dom Woganowski; Lin Shaye as Magda; Jeffrey Tambor as Sully; Markie Post as Sheila Jensen
- **Runtime:** 2h 00m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 15 July 1998
- **Genres:** Romance, Comedy
- **Also in:** [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Nominee, 1998)
- **Budget:** $23 million
- **Box office:** $370 million

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $4.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-13.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- MTV Movie Award for Best Villain 1999: MTV Movie Award for Best Villain (won)

## If you liked this

- *Bringing Up Baby* (1938), Fi1m 88: Courtship becomes sustained public embarrassment, with two performers who never lose their timing. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/bringing-up-baby.md)
- *The Heartbreak Kid* (1972), Fi1m 78: A sharper, less forgiving romantic comedy about male vanity and appalling choices. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-heartbreak-kid.md)
- *Tampopo* (1985), Fi1m 84: Food, sex and human foolishness, handled with comic precision and considerable warmth. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/tampopo.md)
- *A Fish Called Wanda* (1988), Fi1m 83: Romance, deception and physical indignity, with an ensemble skilled at making selfishness funny. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-fish-called-wanda.md)
- *My Sassy Girl* (2001): An unruly courtship gives broad comedy room for tenderness and uncomfortable behaviour.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/theres-something-about-mary