--- title: "There's Something About Mary: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/theres-something-about-mary/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/theres-something-about-mary" critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 10 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): what the critics said Critics' score 70 from 10 reviews: 8 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. 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. ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 July 1998. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jul-15-ca-3690-story.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 July 1998. 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 the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/theres-something-about-mary-1998) ## The AV Club Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2002. 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 the review](https://www.avclub.com/theres-something-about-mary-1798195252) ## Empire — Darren Bignell Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/something-mary-review/) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 15 July 1998. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/15/movies/film-review-a-three-alarm-pursuit-of-an-old-flame.html) ## Time Out — TCh Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 May 2012. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/theres-something-about-mary) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 July 1998. 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 the review](https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/there-s-something-about-mary-1200454473/) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 September 1998. 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 the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/cinema-it-is-awful-but-we-liked-it-1200820.html) ## Collider — Jeff Giles Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 May 2009. 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 the review](https://collider.com/theres-something-about-mary-blu-ray-review/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2001. 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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/theres-something-about-mary-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/theres-something-about-mary.md