‘About Mary’ Stands Up in DVD Release

The movie that gave new meaning to the words “hair gel” has finally been digitalized.

But Fox’s DVD version of the mega-hit 1998 comedy “There’s Something About Mary” ($35) is a mixed bag. The outtakes from the farce starring Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz and Matt Dillon are only marginally funny. The disc includes the “Build Me Up Buttercup” music video that is also featured over the end movie titles. But Fox is guilty of overkill by also offering the karaoke-style music video.

What makes this wide-screen version of “Mary” worthwhile, though, is the commentary from directors and co-writers Peter and Bobby Farrelly, who are a hoot.

The two explain that the reason the movie became such a hit is that it had heart and characters the audience really cared for.

Though the commentary doesn’t provide insights into their filmmaking process, the brothers seem to be having a good time pointing out their mother, kids, dog and family friends, who all appear as extras.

They offer some fun tidbits about the film--such as in the opening sequence, which features two musicians sitting in a tree, the drummer had to be strapped in because he was afraid of heights. To get the right nerdy appearance for Stiller in the high school sequences, the Farrellys simply went to Stiller’s old high school yearbook and re-created the actor’s actual look. The house that was used as Mary’s high school home is actually the home of legendary Miami Dolphins quarterback Bob Griese. The character of Mary’s mentally challenged brother, Warren, is based on the brothers’ mentally challenged friend, also named Warren. The real Warren plays the character of Freddy in the scene in which Mary hands out lunch to the students in Warren’s school. He’s the guy with the beard who hugs and kisses Mary.

And finally, Puffy the dog was played by a female Border terrier named Slammer who followed the brothers’ directions to the letter.

Also New: Ron Howard’s comedy “EdTV” failed to make a dent at the box office this past spring, but the comedy about a young San Francisco man who agrees to be the subject of a 24-hour-a-day reality series does have some funny lines and an engaging turn from Matthew McConaughey. Perhaps the comedy, which also stars Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Hurley and Martin Landau, will find an audience on the small screen.

Universal’s collector’s edition of “EdTV” ($35) is an uneven experience. The documentary on the making of the film seems too self-serving, a series of outtakes aren’t very funny and the numerous deleted scenes go on far too long. Let’s just say they were cut from the movie for good reason!

Howard’s commentary is OK. He does have insight into celebrity and why people believe they have to be famous to be successful. One of the more interesting things he talks about is hiring real video cameramen to play the cameramen who follow Ed around. All the video they shot was what was used in the movie.

Veteran screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel supply the other commentary track and, like the Farrelly brothers, are extremely funny--funnier than the movie.

Also new from Universal is a collector’s edition of the 1931 classic horror film, “Frankenstein” ($30). This expansive disc of the masterpiece, directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff and Colin Clive, features an original documentary by historian David J. Skal on the making of the film. Included in the documentary are interviews with film historians, Karloff’s daughter, tons of clips and historical stills and juicy trivia. For example, Bela Lugosi was originally signed to play the Monster, but he didn’t want to be buried in makeup.

For history buffs, there’s the splendid, Emmy-nominated 1983 PBS documentary “The Indomitable Teddy Roosevelt” (Image, $25). Harrison Engle’s inspired chronicle of the country’s youngest president combines rare archival footage with re-creations.