The Problematic, Jizz-Soaked Legacy of ‘There’s Something About Mary’

These days, a bunch of guys lying to get the attention of a beautiful woman would be quickly condemned as catfishing, but in 1998, it was a recipe for box office gold.

Back then, comedy was on the cusp of a “gross-out” craze that was kickstarted, in part, by the success of There’s Something About Mary. The third film from Dumb and Dumber directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly followed Ted (Ben Stiller), an unlucky-in-love loser who hires sleazy private detective Pat (Matt Dillon) to find his long-lost high school crush Mary (Cameron Diaz).

It doesn’t take long for Pat to track her down, but things get weird when he falls for Ted’s all-grown-up prom date and decides to woo her for himself. He’s far from the only person to fall head over heels for Mary, either. Soon, this seemingly perfect woman is stealing hearts left, right, and center—all to the dismay of Ted, who falls behind in the romance race.

Read more at The Daily Beast.