Farrelly brothers

Last updated
Farrelly brothers
Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.jpg
The filmmaking duo—Peter Farrelly (left) and Bobby Farrelly (right)—at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Born
Occupations
  • Screenwriters
  • directors
Style
  • Teen
  • science fiction
  • action
  • comedy
  • drama
  • fantasy

Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly, collectively referred to as the Farrelly brothers, are American screenwriters and directors. [1] They have made eleven films together, [2] largely comedies, including Dumb and Dumber , [3] Shallow Hal [4] and There's Something About Mary . [5]

Contents

Peter Farrelly directed the 2018 film Green Book which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2019. [6]

Early life

The brothers were raised in Cumberland, Rhode Island, and are of Irish descent. Following college, they pursued careers as television writers, notably for Seinfeld .

Themes

Each of the brothers' first four films (Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, There's Something About Mary, and Me, Myself & Irene) has a plot centering on a road trip. These trips all originate in Rhode Island, except for Kingpin, which begins in Pennsylvania. Their films make frequent use of slapstick and toilet humor and are often populated with blunt, profane working-class characters in small roles. Many of their films contain flashback scenes that show how a character was affected by a traumatic event. The brothers are also noted for their soundtracks, which typically feature distinctive selections of classic and contemporary power pop and folk rock songs.

Sports are a common feature of their films, and they have often cast sports stars (particularly from New England teams) for bit parts and cameo appearances, including Cam Neely, Johnny Damon, Roger Clemens, Brett Favre, Anna Kournikova, and Tom Brady.

The brothers have been praised and critiqued for the way they use the subject of disability in their films. Peter Farrelly has commented:

"The problem is not that we look down on these people, but rather that we look up at them and feel that they are better than us...we revere them."

Peter Farrelly [7]

Peter Farrelly has published books, including Outside Providence [8] and The Comedy Writer . [9]

Filmography

Film

Film work by the Farrelly brothers
YearTitleDirectorsWritersProducersNote(s)
1994 Dumb and Dumber YesYesYesBobby Farrelly uncredited as director
1996 Kingpin YesNoNo
1998 There's Something About Mary YesYesNo
1999 Outside Providence NoYesYesBased on Peter Farrelly's 1988 novel of the same name.
2000 Me, Myself & Irene YesYesYes
2001 Say It Isn't So NoNoYes
Osmosis Jones YesNoYesDirectors of live-action sequences only
Shallow Hal YesYesYes
2003 Stuck on You YesYesYes
2005 Fever Pitch YesNoNo
The Ringer NoNoYes
2007 The Heartbreak Kid YesYesNo
2011 Hall Pass YesYesYes
2012 The Three Stooges YesYesYes
2013 Movie 43 Peter FarrellyNoPeter FarrellyWinner of the Razzie Award for Worst Picture
Segments "The Pitch," "The Catch," and "Truth or Dare" director.
2014 Dumb and Dumber To YesYesYes
2018 Green Book Peter FarrellyPeter FarrellyPeter FarrellyWinner of the Academy Award for Best Picture.
2022 The Greatest Beer Run Ever Peter FarrellyPeter FarrellyNo
2023 Champions Bobby FarrellyNoNo
2024 Ricky Stanicky Peter FarrellyPeter FarrellyNo
Dear Santa Bobby FarrellyPeter FarrellyYes

Television

Television work by the Farrelly brothers
YearTitleNote(s)
1992 Seinfeld 1 episode: "The Virgin," Co-writers
2002 Ozzy & Drix Executive Producers, animated series
2008 Unhitched 1 episode: "Pilot," Director, producers
2016 Trailer Park Boys 6 episodes, Director
2017 Loudermilk 3 Seasons, Creator, directors, producers
2021 The Now

References

  1. "The Farrelly Brothers Biography & Movies". Trubute .
  2. Romano, Nick (January 28, 2015). "Are The Farrelly Brothers Breaking Up?". CinemaBlend.
  3. Holden, Stephen (December 16, 1994). "FILM REVIEW; Traveling on Half a Tank". The New York Times . p. C10.
  4. Scott, A. O. (9 November 2001). "FILM REVIEW; Inner Beauty Counts, And She's a Perfect 10". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  5. Maslin, Janet (July 15, 1998). "FILM REVIEW; A Three-Alarm Pursuit of an Old Flame". The New York Times.
  6. Buchanan, Kyle (February 26, 2019). "The Oscars Work Through an Identity Crisis — for Now". The New York Times.
  7. "Ability Magazine: Farrelly Brothers" . Retrieved 2012-04-06.
  8. Anderson, John (1999). "OUTSIDE PROVIDENCE Michael Corrente, USA, 1999". Film Comment. 35 (5): 76. JSTOR   43455450 . Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  9. "The Comedy Writer by Peter Farrelly". Publishers Weekly . 1998-04-20. Retrieved 2024-10-19.