Whatever Happened To The Farrelly Brothers?

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In a blend of heartfelt sweetness and outrageous humor, the films produced by brothers Bobby and Peter Farrelly dominated the mid-to-late ’90s. To this very day, viewers recall the hilarious escapades of Lloyd (played by Jim Carrey) and Harry (Jeff Daniels) in their road trip across America in “Dumb and Dumber,” the notorious “hair gel” sequence in “There’s Something About Mary,” and Jim Carrey grappling with his own split personality in “Me, Myself and Irene.” The Farrelly brothers‘ casual handling of bodily functions, lovable underdogs, awkward encounters, and slapstick comedy reminiscent of the Three Stooges set the tone for an entire generation; they paved the way for Seth MacFarlane and the “American Pie” series.

After a series of films that failed to recoup their costs and some questionable decisions in production, the Farrelly brothers have moved away from the iconic, audience-loved movies that made them famous. Now they are focusing on creating films and TV shows for streaming platforms, which manage to be distributed and attract a good number of viewers, but they don’t capture an era or shape cultural trends like their earlier works did. So, what happened, and where are the brothers now? Here is a comprehensive overview of their rise, fall, comeback, and current projects.

The Farrelly Brothers helped define the 1990s

The Farrelly brothers had distinct beginnings in the realm of Hollywood. Initially, Peter ventured into show business as a joke writer for Paul Reiser. Later, together with his brother Bobby, they garnered notice by jointly devising the “Seinfeld” episode titled “The Virgin.

Success found its way to the brothers’ home in a hurry, as they penned, produced, and directed “Dumb and Dumber,” a hilarious road trip comedy about two imbecilic best friends who unwittingly get involved in a kidnapping scheme in 1994. This film garnered over $247 million globally, making it the top earner of the 1994 holiday season and recouping its production costs multiple times over. Consequently, the Farrelly brothers were hailed as the rulers of comedy cinema.

The following project for them was the bowling comedy “Kingpin”, which didn’t fare as well but still recovered its costs. This was followed by the semi-sweet romantic comedy “There’s Something About Mary,” which soared to the top of the box office and became the fourth highest-grossing film globally in 1998. The plot revolved around an enchanting girl, Mary (played by Cameron Diaz), who captivated a variety of unsavory characters, including one bumbling romantic interest (Ben Stiller, delivering what could be considered one of his finest performances). This film cemented the brothers’ reputation as comedy titans. They continued with the split personality comedy “Me, Myself and Irene,” which, like “Dumb and Dumber”, debuted at number one in North America and remains a Jim Carrey film worth revisiting today. Despite some initial setbacks in their careers, such as Bobby’s co-writing of the flop Daniel Stern vehicle “Bushwhacked” (from which he was later disassociated), their rise was rapid. Regrettably, fortune wouldn’t always be on their side.

Shallow Hal changed everything

In their career, the Farrelly brothers have been recognized for creating movies brimming with bawdy humor and stereotypes. After a series of hits lampooning individuals across various body types, intellectual levels, and more, it was “Shallow Hal” that started to shift public sentiment against their comedic approach. Starring Jack Black as a womanizer who exclusively dates thin models, his life undergoes a transformation when a friend hypnotizes him to perceive others based on their inner beauty rather than physical appearance. He encounters Rosie (played by Gwyneth Paltrow), who appears to be Hal’s ideal partner in reality. However, unbeknownst to Hal, Rosemary is actually overweight, and the film emphasizes this through comedic elements like wobbly chairs and visual gags.

Apart from receiving little critical acclaim, this production sparked significant controversy among the team as well. Activists advocating for body positivity were particularly upset about the film’s portrayal of Rosemary, expressing their displeasure upon its release. Years after its premiere, Paltrow admitted her regret over wearing a fat suit for the movie, labeling it as a “disaster” during a Netflix BFF Test segment with Kevin Keating. Despite this, it managed to debut in second place at the box office and earned more than three times its initial investment.

Over their subsequent three productions – the unconventional blend of animation and live action titled “Osmosis Jones,” the comedic tale of conjoined twins named “Stuck on You,” and the romantic comedy and ode to Boston’s Red Sox called “Fever Pitch” – didn’t achieve the same level of commercial success as their earlier projects. While their adaptation of Elaine May’s “The Heartbreak Kid” managed to make some money, it received harsh criticism and was deemed inferior compared to the original. The raunchy comedy “Hall Pass” had a decent run, but their modern take on “The Three Stooges” only garnered moderate attention and was considered mindless entertainment.

The brothers have moved to individual projects

Starting from 2013, my beloved Farrelly brothers have been venturing into independent filmmaking more often. This shift has brought us some incredible heights, but also some disappointing valleys. It’s a rollercoaster ride, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

For Peter Farrelly, it was about directing a part in the ensemble comedy film “Movie 43” and jointly producing it, back in 2011. This movie, a collection of various comedic sketches from multiple directors, turned out to be a massive flop, both in terms of box office performance and critical reception. However, Farrelly’s luck turned around in 2019 when he earned two Oscars for co-producing and co-writing the year’s best picture, “Green Book.” This film, a drama based on the true story of pianist Don Shirley (portrayed by Mahershala Ali) and his bodyguard Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), who traveled together through the racially divided deep south in the early 1960s, faced criticism from Shirley’s family due to several inaccuracies. Among these were misrepresentations of the real relationship between the film’s main characters and the fabrication of a friendship that never existed between them.

Bobby Farrelly took a step back from the spotlight, directing four episodes of the well-known Canadian sitcom “Trailer Park Boys” and collaborating on the TV series “Unhitched,” which Peter was also involved in producing. However, even though they each worked on individual projects, the brothers joined forces again to co-produce, write, and direct “Dumb and Dumber To” in 2014. This sequel to their initial blockbuster finds Harry and Lloyd years later, entangled in a paternity scam. The film proved to be unexpectedly successful and is the latest joint success in their professional careers. Together, they also contributed to the reality series “Project Greenlight,” serving as mentors during Season 4 before Peter left due to disagreements over the show’s direction, leaving Bobby to complete the season on his own.

The Farrellys mainly work – separately – for streamers now

For approximately ten years, the Farrelly brothers have primarily released their projects on streaming services. Peter has directed and written “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” and the amusing yet inconsistent “Ricky Stanicky”. The latter is exclusive to Amazon Prime Video, whereas the former can only be streamed on Apple TV+. He’s also involved in creating the independent film “Daruma.

Simultaneously, Bobby took on executive production roles for the indie film titled “Lez Bomb”, a story revolving around a woman’s unsuccessful coming out attempt during a Thanksgiving visit to her parents. He also helmed “The Champions”, a comedy where Woody Harrelson plays a minor league basketball coach, who is forced by a judge to guide a team consisting of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Over the holidays, their jointly written and produced film, “Dear Santa”, was released on Netflix. The duo also collaborated as co-executive producers for “The Leisure Class”. In television work, Peter has directed two episodes and co-produced eight installments of the AMC series “Lucky Hank”, where Bob Odenkirk is depicted in a routine life as a college professor experiencing midlife crisis.

As a gamer, I’ve teamed up on two streaming projects with my bros: “The Now” on Roku Channel and “Loudermilk,” previously an AT&T Network Original now available on Prime Video. “The Now” is a mini-series about a guy wrestling with life changes due to hereditary depression; I helmed four segments, while my brother took the reins for ten, and together we penned 14 episodes. On the other hand, “Loudermilk” follows Sam Loudermilk (Ron Livingston), a recovering addict turned substance abuse counselor; my bro directed 14 episodes, I handled 16, and I contributed to thirty installments. Though we might’ve moved away from the big screen, we’re still busy bees, even if we’re not reigning in the theaters anymore.

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2025-05-12 22:10