Farrelly brothers
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The Farrelly brothers, Peter (b. December 17, 1956) and Bobby (b. June 17, 1958), are screenwriters and directors of ten comedy films, including There's Something About Mary; Dumb and Dumber; Kingpin; Me, Myself and Irene; Shallow Hal; Fever Pitch (also known as The Perfect Catch outside of America) and The Heartbreak Kid.
The Farrelly brothers are from Cumberland, Rhode Island, and many of their movies partially take place in that state, or elsewhere in New England. Sports play a large part in their films and they have cast many popular sports stars for cameo appearances. The Farrelly brothers frequently cast Rob Moran and sports figures (e.g. Cam Neely; Roger Clemens; Brett Favre) in their films.
They have been both praised and criticized for their humorous use of disability. They frequently depict normal people as stupid (Dumb and Dumber) while they show disabled people as normal and gifted (Shallow Hal; Me, Myself and Irene).
They use slapstick and toilet humor, often with a soundtrack of upbeat, light rock songs. Their films often contain flashback scenes that show how a character was affected by a traumatic event.
The female interests in three of their movies are named Mary: Dumb and Dumber; There's Something about Mary; Shallow Hal (RoseMARY). Peter Farrelly has published books including Outside Providence and The Comedy Writer. The quote, "The heart wants what the heart wants" is repeated both in Me, Myself and Irene and The Heartbreak Kid.
The Farrelly Brothers founded their production company, Conumdrum Entertainment and is producing the new comedy series Unhitched.
[edit] Filmography
The Farrelly brothers both directed and wrote/co-wrote the screenplay for all their films, except where otherwise noted.
- The Three Stooges (2009)
- Unhitched (2008) (television series)
- The Heartbreak Kid (2007)
- The Ringer (2005) (produced only)
- Fever Pitch (2005) (directed only)
- Stuck on You (2003)
- Shallow Hal (2001)
- Osmosis Jones (2001) (directed only)
- Me, Myself and Irene (2000)
- Outside Providence (1999) (screenplay only)
- There's Something About Mary (1998)
- Kingpin (1996) (directed only)
- Dumb & Dumber (1994)
- "The Virgin", Seinfeld episode (1992)
[edit] TV Appearances
The Farrelly brothers were featured in The Dialogue interview series. In this 90 minute interview with producer Mike DeLuca, the Farrellys explain how their writing methods of painting themselves into a corner and not wanting to know where a screenplay is going, can seem as unconventional as their comedy.
