Farrelly brothers
 |
Peter Farrelly | |
|---|---|
 Peter Farrelly | |
| Born | Peter John Farrelly December 17, 1956 Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, writer, screenwriter, producer |
Bobby Farrelly | |
|---|---|
 Bobby Farrelly | |
| Born | Robert Leo Farrelly, Jr. June 17, 1958 Cumberland, Rhode Island, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, writer, screenwriter, producer |
Peter Farrelly (born December 17, 1956) and Bobby Farrelly (born June 17, 1958), collectively referred to as the Farrelly brothers, are American screenwriters and directors. They have made eleven films, including Dumb and Dumber; Kingpin; Hall Pass; Me, Myself & Irene; Shallow Hal; Stuck on You; Osmosis Jones; There's Something About Mary; Fever Pitch (also known as The Perfect Catch outside America); the 2007 remake of The Heartbreak Kid; The Three Stooges;[1] and Dumb and Dumber To.
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 around 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 diverse 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, 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[2]
They frequently depict able-bodied people as stupid (Dumb and Dumber), while disabled people are either more aspirational (Shallow Hal, Stuck on You) or gifted (Me, Myself & Irene).
Peter Farrelly has published books including Outside Providence and The Comedy Writer.
Filmography
Film credits
The Farrelly brothers have collaborated on the following films:
| Year | Title | Directors | Producers | Writers | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Dumb and Dumber | 
|
|
|
|
| 1996 | Kingpin |
|
|||
| 1998 | There's Something About Mary |
|
|
||
| 1999 | Outside Providence |
|
|
||
| 2000 | Me, Myself & Irene |
|
|
|
|
| 2001 | Say It Isn't So |
|
|||
| Osmosis Jones |
|
|
Live action scenes | ||
| Shallow Hal |
|
|
|
||
| 2003 | Stuck on You |
|
|
|
|
| 2005 | Fever Pitch |
|
|||
| The Ringer |
|
||||
| 2007 | The Heartbreak Kid |
|
|
||
| 2011 | Hall Pass |
|
|
|
|
| 2012 | The Three Stooges |
|
|
|
|
| 2014 | Dumb and Dumber To |
|
|
|
Sequel to Dumb and Dumber |
Television credits
| Year | Title | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Seinfeld | 1 episode: "The Virgin"; Co-writers |
| 2002 | Ozzy and Drix | Executive Producers; animated series |
| 2008 | Unhitched | 1 episode: "Pilot"; Director, producers |
| 2016 | Trailer Park Boys | 2 episodes; Director |
References
- ^ Pringle, Gill (2011) "A fresh pass from the Farrelly brothers", The Independent, March 4, 2011; retrieved May 8, 2011.
- ^ "Ability Magazine: Farrelly Brothers". Retrieved 2012-04-06.
External links
- Peter Farrelly at IMDb
- Bobby Farrelly at IMDb