Now an Academy Award-winning director! What is Peter Farrelly's origin seen in "There's Something About Mary"?

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2019.03.26Soma studies

There are bad guys and good guys, and there is a sense of discrimination that can be seen from such a world.

There is another point to note about this film. It is the portrayal of people with disabilities. The portrayal of Mary's disabled brother and her love rival with a lame leg (although that's not actually the case) drew criticism from people who are particular about common sense, saying that they "make fun of people with disabilities," but I don't think that's an accurate way of looking at the film. All the characters in this film are equally stupid. People, whether able-bodied or disabled, do stupid things and do what they think is right. There are good guys and bad guys, and that's the same for able-bodied and disabled people, and this film also features an unpleasant man who is forced to live in a wheelchair.

According to the Farrelly brothers, most of the people who complain about this kind of depiction are able-bodied people, and many people with disabilities actually like it. Hearing stories like this makes you think about discrimination. Incidentally, in the brothers' later works such as " Two Guys and a Girl " (2000), " Rosemary " (2001), and " The Two of Us " (2003), you can see depictions that throw a stone at people's discriminatory attitudes.

"This film is basically a classic love story," the Farrelly brothers said. On top of that, they sprinkled in some modern vulgar jokes and even threw a stone at people's racism. Ted is a kind-hearted, but useless person who always blames others, but he grows through the struggles of romance. This is a structure and theme that is also common to " Green Book, " which refers to racial discrimination. It may be that, by eliminating the vulgar gags, the essence of Peter Farrelly as a director is revealed.

Text: Manabu Soma

After working as an information magazine editor, became a freelance writer. He writes articles and reviews for magazines such as ``SCREEN,'' ``DVD & Video Distribution,'' and ``Cinema Square,'' as well as theater pamphlets and the movie site ``Cinema Today.'' Currently appearing on Star Channel "GO! Theater". I host club events as a hobby.

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