Bad Teacher and the 10 top Cameron Diaz performances of all time
By Reed Gaudens
9. There’s Something About Mary
Original release date: There’s Something About Mary was released in theaters on July 15, 1998.
Box office earnings: The film was a runaway success, bringing in a worldwide gross of $369 million against a budget of $23 million. Those figures were enough to secure the comedy as the year’s third highest-grossing movie in North America and the fourth overall.
Critical acclaim: There’s Something About Mary was the rare comedy to score high marks from critics, earning an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film landed a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy and won four MTV Movie Awards. For her titular performance, Cameron Diaz won multiple awards and grabbed her first Golden Globe nomination.
About the role: Diaz stars in There’s Something About Mary as Mary Jensen, the object of Ted’s (Ben Stiller) affection/obsession. Ted’s dream prom date with Mary goes south due to a freak accident, which squashes all prospects of their relationship.
Years into the future, Ted hires private investigator Pat Healy (Matt Dillon) to find Mary in order to reconnect. Upon finding her, Pat attempts to make Mary fall for him, leaving Ted scrambling to win Mary over.
Why it’s the best: Even if you have never seen There’s Something About Mary, you can picture Cameron Diaz in a pink dress on the movie poster. It’s that ubiquitous and influential of a comedy, and it’s the film that made Diaz a movie star.
She’s positively radiant in the movie, the pillar that holds up the silly, blue humor with heart and charm. If she ever wants to come out of retirement, a sequel to There’s Something About Mary would be a great place to start.