The Wildest, Raunchiest R-Rated Comedy Of The ‘90s Is Funnier Than Ever

By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated 28 seconds ago

The ‘90s were a heady time for movie lovers. We got new sci-fi masterpieces like The Matrix, brilliant genre deconstructions like Pulp Fiction, crowd-pleasing blockbusters like Independence Day, and so much more. But we also got something very unexpected: the renaissance of raunchy films. Movies obsessed with sex and vulgar punchlines were a staple of the ’80s, but they had started to die out by the beginning of the next decade. The late ‘90s brought back the raunchy sex comedy genre with American Pie, kicking off a decade-long revival that finally died out when movie studios got nervous about making R-rated comedies.

Of course, nothing happens in a vacuum. Have you ever wondered why American Pie was such a breakout hit? It’s largely because of another movie that came out just one year earlier: There’s Something About Mary (1998). This is the movie that took dirty sex comedies to the next level with some of the grossest gags ever put on film. Before this, it would have been unthinkable for a mainstream movie to include a joke about a woman accidentally using semen to style her hair. Fortunately, the Farrelly Brothers taught us just how funny sex could be, and you can now stream their raunchy magnum opus on Netflix.

Raunchy And Romantic

The premise of There’s Something About Mary is that a magazine writer (Ben Stiller) is still pining over the high school crush he never got to date. He hires a private investigator (Matt Dillon) to track her down, but the plucky PI ends up falling head over heels for this stunning woman (Cameron Diaz).  Soon enough, the writer and the detective are both vying for her affection, which leads to one madcap romantic mishap after another. Arguably, these mishaps are the best part of the movie, allowing the filmmakers to examine modern anxieties about sex and dating through the lens of vulgar, slapstick comedy.

Surprisingly, the movie has a wholesome core and crunchy themes about finding true love. Don’t get me wrong, every scene has at least one raunchy gag that you’d hate to watch with your parents in the room, so this isn’t an overly sentimental story. But it’s also not overly nihilistic, and it presents the main character’s search for love as a Quixotic quest for self-fulfillment. That makes his struggles relatable, and the characters’ romantic struggles are arguably more relatable than ever before. You might not notice, though, because you’re too busy laughing at some of the grossest gags of the entire decade!

The Grossest Gags Of the ‘90s

There’s Something About Mary was clearly inspired by raunchy films from earlier decades, including classics like Animal House and Porky’s. However, those movies were typically content to simply flash some nudity, make a few vulgar quips, and call it a day. By comparison, There’s Something About Mary took gross-out gags to the next level in scene after scene. For example, Ben Stiller’s character misses a date because his balls get caught in a zipper. Other scenes include semantics surrounding self gratification, and the heady combination of foot fungus and Slim Jims (talk about a road snack!).

Of course, it’s impossible to talk about There’s Something About Mary without focusing on its most notorious moment: the infamous “hair gel” scene. Stiller’s character decides to “flog the dolphin” before a date with Diaz’s character in order to take the edge off. Later, she finds some of the mess he made on his ear, which he claims is just hair gel. Taking him at his word, she puts it in her own hair, resulting in a very sticky situation for her lovely lady locks. It’s a jaw-droppingly hilarious gag, one that helped cement (especially if you let it dry!) Cameron Diaz as one of Hollywood’s funniest and sexiest women. 

A Star Is Born 

There’s Something About Mary isn’t Cameron Diaz’s first film. She actually made her Hollywood debut as the blonde bombshell love interest in The Mask. However, it was this later role that established her as one of Hollywood’s most beloved leading ladies. After all, everyone already knew she could act and that she was absolutely gorgeous. But it was There’s Something About Mary that proved that she was game for the absolute craziest scenes, and she pulled them off with the same poise and grace that made her Hollywood’s favorite girl next door. In a movie filled with acting greats like Ben Stiller and Matt Dillon, she effortlessly gives the best performance.

The success of There’s Something About Mary transformed Cameron Diaz into a bankable movie star. She subsequently headlined major film franchises like Charlie’s Angels and more experimental films like Vanilla Sky, but she never forgot her raunchy comedy roots, which is why she starred in films like The Sweetest Thing and Sex Tape. To this day, Diaz is the best part of almost any project she joins, but she wouldn’t be in nearly so many things without the success of There’s Something About Mary, a film that’s a bit like her character’s “hair gel”: sometimes sweet, often salty.

The Rom-Com, Redefined

Dudes everywhere celebrated when There’s Something About Mary came out. It wasn’t just because there was a new movie with unforgettable gags, a quotable script, and a smokeshow of a lead. No, dudes were celebrating because this film transformed their least-favorite genre: the romantic comedy. Far too many rom-coms are bad at both the “rom” and the “com,” giving us warmed-over relationship platitudes centered around bland, inoffensive jokes. However, There’s Something About Mary blends hilarious jokes with a genuinely sweet (albeit insanely unconventional) love story. It’s a film that men and women alike can enjoy and spend a lifetime quoting at each other.

Do you need a little more raunchy comedy in your life? Maybe you want to gawk at Cameron Diaz in her prime, or just get the most unhinged haircare secrets ever caught on film? Whatever the reason, now is a perfect time to grab a beer and stream There’s Something About Mary on Netflix. It’s a perfectly imperfect, R-rated blockbuster about sex, dating, and love. It also offers some important life lessons to all of the men watching it. For example, after watching what happens to Ben Stiller’s character early in the film, you’ll always, always be careful when zipping up your pants!