The raunchy rom-com There’s Something About Mary is climbing the streaming charts, currently sitting at number six on Hulu. This comedy, starring Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz, was directed by the Farrelly Brothers, Peter and Bobby, and became a massive smash hit when it premiered in July 1998. The film went on to earn nearly $370 million at the global box office against a modest production budget of $23 million. It currently boasts a solid 84% critical rating but a surprisingly lower 61% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Following the success of Dumb and Dumber in 1994 and to a lesser extent Kingpin in 1996, the Farrelly Brothers turned their focus to There’s Something About Mary. The movie features Stiller as Ted, Diaz as Mary, and Matt Dillon as Healy. Years after a disastrous high school date with his crush Mary, Ted gets another chance when his best friend Dom, played by Chris Elliott, suggests he find her. Ted hires Healy, a private investigator, who discovers that Mary lives in Miami with her special-needs brother and now works as an orthopedic surgeon. The film is filled with genuine laugh-out-loud moments and has solidified its status as an instant classic.
The box office numbers for There’s Something About Mary were quite unexpected, driven by good word-of-mouth that had audiences flocking to theaters to find out what the movie was all about. It still holds up today and could be a perfect choice for a Valentine’s Day movie night. Pairing it with another ’90s or 2000s rom-com, such as 50 First Dates, would make for a solid double-feature.
Before There’s Something About Mary premiered, Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz had already established successful acting careers. Stiller’s Reality Bites and Flirting With Disaster had made a considerable impact, while Diaz co-starred with Jim Carrey in The Mask in 1994, a year that marked a significant moment for Carrey. She also appeared in indie and art house dramas like Feeling Minnesota and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
After the success of the rom-com, Stiller went on to star in and direct a number of blockbuster hits, including Meet the Parents (2000), Zoolander (2001), Night at the Museum (2006), and Tropic Thunder (2008), in addition to voicing characters in the Madagascar series. He also had small but memorable roles in films like Happy Gilmore (1996), Anchorman (2004), and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004).
Cameron Diaz also enjoyed a string of massive hits following There’s Something About Mary, including Being John Malkovich (1999), Charlie’s Angels (2000) and its sequel, the Shrek series (which she voiced), and Vanilla Sky (2001). After starring in the big-screen adaptation of Annie in 2014, she announced her retirement from acting. However, Diaz is making a comeback, set to star in Back in Action alongside Jamie Foxx, which has recently premiered on Netflix. Furthermore, she will reprise her role as Princess Fiona in Shrek 5, set to be released at the end of 2026.
Since the release of There’s Something About Mary, the Farrelly Brothers have produced several hits, including Me, Myself & Irene (2000) with Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger and Shallow Hal (2001). They also returned to the film that launched their careers with Dumb and Dumber To (2014) but faced challenges with their recent project, Dear Santa (2024), which didn’t perform as well. Nonetheless, the filmmakers are to be commended for their early achievements that marked a notable era in comedy.
