Miami — When the Farrelly brothers looked out the back of their video truck one morning last spring, they found the streets of South Beach drenched by a tropical deluge. After a big clap of thunder, Bobby Farrelly mused, "You wonder how long it took for people to figure out not to stand under a tree when it was lightning out."
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Are the kings of bad taste really a pair of softies?
If you're offended, they've succeeded: Political correctness? Not for Peter and Bobby Farrelly. In fact, they confront it. The brothers relish subjects in their movies that make viewers wince; bring on the disabled, the overweight, the schizophrenic, the oversexed, and the just plain stupid.
MOVIES
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday December 11, 2003 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 32 words Type of Material: Correction
The Farrelly brothers -- Movie directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly's names were switched in two captions in Sunday's Calendar. One photo was on the cover and the other was on Page 38.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday December 14, 2003 Home Edition Sunday Calendar Part E Page 2 Calendar Desk 1 inches; 33 words Type of Material: Correction
The Farrelly brothers -- Movie directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly's names were switched in two captions in last Sunday's Calendar. One photo was on the cover and the other was on Page E38.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday December 14, 2003 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 34 words Type of Material: Correction
The Farrelly brothers -- Movie directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly's names were switched in two captions in the Dec. 7 Calendar. One photo was on the cover, and the other was on Page 38.
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Peter Farrelly's answer: "Probably a long time."
Whatever the odds are of being hit by lightning, surely it's not more farfetched than the odds of seeing Meryl Streep in a Farrelly brothers movie. "We met her at a luncheon a couple of years ago and she said, 'I'd love to do something with you guys,' " Bobby explains. "And we said, 'Really?' "
The Farrellys' new comedy, "Stuck on You," stars Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as conjoined twins who give up their job as short-order cooks in Martha's Vineyard and move to Hollywood so Kinnear's character can pursue his dream of being an actor. In today's scene, the twins introduce themselves to the multiple Oscar winner, who -- playing herself -- is having lunch at a chic L.A. eatery. Streep recalls seeing the twins in their high school glory, winning a big Thanksgiving football game, with one twin blocking, the other running the ball over the goal line.
Streep's only problem is with the football terminology. When Kinnear says, "Well, actually it was my brother who scored the touchdown," she's supposed to respond: "Well, you threw him a helluva block." Instead, she frequently says, "You threw him a helluva pass," an impossible feat, even for the most athletic of conjoined twins.
The idea of the Farrellys doing a comedy about conjoined twins initially inspires a full-throated gasp of horror. But the dirty little secret about "Stuck on You," which is certainly not part of the studio ad campaign, is that the film shows off a kinder, gentler side of the Farrellys. In fact, while much of the humor of the film, which opens Friday, is inspired by the twins' predicament, the movie is actually an endearing love story between two brothers. The Farrellys have always combined good intentions with bad taste, but watching "Stuck on You" mix low-brow laughs with warmth and compassion is like seeing the circus clowns walking the high wire when the safety net is far, far away.
