There's Something About Mary (1998)

Mary Jensen has a whole fleet of men lying to her, spying on her or trailing her around Miami, and the Farrelly brothers file it under sweet romance. That only half works. The other half is pure chaos, and that part rules. Ben Stiller gets humiliated more times than any rom-com lead, and he plays every disaster completely straight. Matt Dillon plays the private eye with a pencil mustache and a made-up career as an architect. A guy with a guitar keeps wandering into scenes to sing the story back to you, and he’s the best recurring bit in the film. Cameron Diaz is so warm and goofy you get why everybody loses their minds. It made $369.9 million worldwide on a reported $23M. A 6.6 because the laughs are huge and Mary is still more trophy than person. $657.34 says you hear a street musician this month and wait for him to start narrating your life.

What works: Ben Stiller’s fearless commitment to looking foolish, Cameron Diaz’s easy warmth, and the wandering guitar narrator who turns the plot into a running joke.

What doesn’t: Mary has almost no story of her own, and the movie rarely notices how creepy most of her admirers are.

Who it’s for: Grown-ups who want their rom-coms loud, broad and a little ridiculous, and anyone who can still hum the narrator’s song.