The second of Ben Stillers films in this list, released only two years later, also features a stalker which raises some concern about the younger Mr. Stiller, really... unless directors Peter and Robert Farrelly are projecting something onto him... In fact, Theres Something About Mary doesnt just feature a stalker. Its about stalking, as an activity. Everyone is stalking Mary, played with fresh-faced verve by Cameron Diaz. Our obsessed hero Ted is trying to find her to requite the unrequited love he had for her as a teenager, while the horrendously vulgar PI he hires to find her is stalking her because hes an unreconstructed creep, her best friend is lying to her about who he is and where hes from because hes also stalking her, and (it transpires) Teds best friend isnt actually who he says he is either, but is an ex-boyfriend of Marys whos also stalking her. Even Marys roommates boyfriend is only going out with her because hes stalking Mary. Naturally, Ted gets the girl when he decides to stop deluding himself and get on with his real life, because its a gross-out romantic comedy, and thats what happens in those. Whats odd about this film and what makes it stand out from the rest of this list is that the utterly repellent, creepy, intrusive, delusional men trying to insert themselves into Marys life dont impact upon her in the slightest. Instead, they get into each others way, their nightmarish antics only serving to impede their equally deranged rivals. Its like if you were watching a serial killer movie and the murderer kept being foiled by other knife-wielding maniacs after the same person. Hang on thats a great idea.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
