The movie starts with scenes of Ted and his outcast friends. The color choice in their clothing and background is dull.
However, the very popular Mary comes dressed in bright colors with the light shining behind her as to signify her radiance and appeal.
After standing up against a bully for Mary’s mentally disabled brother, Warren, Mary asks Ted to go to prom with her. As shown in the scene, Mary is yet again associated with bright and lively colors.
On the contrary, things don’t go so well for Ted. Their prom night ends up getting ruined with Ted having to go to the hospital after an unfortunate series of events. Yet again, the bad luck of Ted is signified through the colors associated with him.
Many years later, Ted is seen in a therapist’s office recalling the events of his high school days with Mary. Ted is shown being in a rut in his life with no motivation.
Unable to forget about Mary, Ted’s friend, Dom, suggests that Ted hires an investigator to find Mary.
The investigator, Pat Healy, finds Mary but ends up falling in love with her. Pat stalks Mary and gathers information about her in order to appeal to her as her ideal man.
In order to keep Ted away from Mary, Pat tells Ted that Mary is a complete wack job now and that Ted shouldn’t even bother to meet her. Thus, Ted is depressed about not being able to rekindle with Mary.
Meanwhile, Mary gets ready for a date with Pat Healy, who has conned her into believing that he is an architect with an impressive background.
However, Mary and Ted soon learn that Pat was a con man and Ted finally goes to meet Mary.
After meeting, Ted and Mary decide to go on their first date. In this scene, you can start to see a color change. It shows a vibrant Mary versus a dull Ted.
Symbolic to the movie, Mary stands out amongst all the dull colors in the frame. She becomes a sort of hope for Ted.
Mary and Ted hit it off and Ted is invited into her home. In this scene, you are able to see Mary’s house. Even the color of her house is vibrant as if to symbolize Mary’s charm.
Mary and Ted begin to date. At this point in the movie, all life and colors are brought into Ted’s life. Even by his clothing, it shows that Ted is no longer depressed but has found joy through Mary.
However, Mary finds out that Ted was the one who hired Pat Healy. They argue and Mary tells him to leave.
Pat leaves and finds Pat and Norman, Mary’s ex-friend who pretended to be a crippled architect because he loves Mary. You can see how the scene instantly changed from an impeccable home to a dirty motel-like apartment.
Mary is upset and sad about Ted. This emotion is shown through the blue and the dullness in the frame.
As Mary walks into her house she finds her old stalker, who she has a restraining order on, waiting for her in her house. In this instant, the background color changes to an alarming red.
All the men who love Mary show up to her house in hopes that she would pick them.
Mary decides that she loves Ted regardless of his actions and they end up together.
There’s Something About Mary, depicts the life of a man, Ted, who lost his chance with his first love and dream girl, Mary. However, he is given a chance rekindle his relationship with Mary when he hires an investigator to track down Mary. Unfortunately, Ted’s goal is not so easily achieved as he is met with the deceit and the lies of multiple men who have also fallen in love with Mary.
Upon watching the movie, I found a lot of interest in the symbolism and usage of color within each frame. Depicted as a man who has lost his way, the colors associated with Ted were depicted as dull and boring, almost lifeless. However, whenever Mary was shown on the screen, there was a burst of pastel colors and light. Eventually as the two rekindle their love, Mary’s vibrance becomes contagious to Ted and Ted finds a reason to be happy again. This is also shown through the colors throughout the movie. The more time Ted spends with Mary, the more colors of liveliness are portrayed in Ted’s clothing and in his character. The movie depicts the contrast in mentality and lives of the two main characters, however, it also shows how the characters compliment each other as a couple.
5 words: Romantic, Quirky, Light-hearted, Desirable, Lively
This movie portrays a man who gets a second chance at true love with his high school dream girl, and though his second chance is filled with trials and hindersome people it displays that love is never easy but should be met with effort and honesty.
