The Farrelly brothers, Peter and Bobby are accomplished storytellers in Hollywood. Some of their most famous work includes the 1994 classic Dumb and Dumber starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, as well as the sequel, Dumb and Dumber To in 2014.
They are also the brains behind Green Book, the 2018 biopic on legendary jazz musician Don Shirley, who was played by Marhershala Ali. This particular body of work was arguably the brothers' most successful endeavor on the big screen.
Apart from the near $300 million profit it netted at the box office, the film was nominated in five categories at the 2019 Oscars. It carried the day in three of those: Best Original Screenplay for Peter Farrelly, Best Supporting Actor for Ali and Best Picture. The first two triumphs were also replicated at that year's Golden Globe awards.
Another one of the Farrelly brothers' most notable work is the romcom There's Something About Mary which premiered in July 1998. Like many of their other projects, the film was a sensational critical and commercial success. A major reason for this fan affection was one of the main antagonistic characters in the story: Dom Woganowski, who was simply referred to as 'Woogie.'
Borne of A True Story
Rotten Tomatoes outlines the plot for There's Something About Mary as follows: Ted's (Ben Stiller) dream prom date with Mary (Cameron Diaz) never happens due to an embarrassing injury at her home. Years later, Ted hires Pat Healy (Matt Dillon) to track down Mary so he can reconnect with her. Pat lies to Ted about Mary and he finds out everything he can about her to trick her into dating him.
The said embarrassing injury was an incident where Ted's penis got stuck on his zipper, in one of the film's most iconic scenes. Stiller's delivery was impeccable, but the story behind the conceptualization of the scene is perhaps even more remarkable.
Bobby Farrelly explained how that bit was borne of a true story. "It's funny because it's true," he said to Variety in 2018. That kind of scenario actually happened to a friend of his sister, who had been over at their place when they were kids. As the Farrelly brothers brainstormed on what embarrassing situations they could set up for their character, they gravitated towards that particular incident.
Added His Own Flavor
It was Dom - Ted's best friend - who on realizing that his pal was still in love with his teenage crush, advised him to seek her out. Eventually, Ted manages to get his wish and starts dating Mary. Their love doesn't last long, though. She dumps Ted after she receives a letter revealing the connection between him and Pat, who had stalked and lied to her in order to win her over.
It later becomes apparent that Dom/Woogie had himself dated Mary for a period of time and still harbors creepy feelings for her. The role of Woogie was played by actor Chris Elliott, who added his own flavor to a character that he admits was already very well written.
"I'm fairly certain that anyone could have plugged into the part and just done the lines in the script and gotten laughs," he said in a 2007 interview with AV Club. "I added the facial blemishes, after I met with Peter and Bobby, so I guess I feel like I contributed something to it." Elliott also improvised to give the character a fetish for womens' shoes.
Steady Flow Of Gigs
Before making his mark on the screen, Elliott was a mastermind behind the scenes. As part of the writing team at Late Night With David Letterman, he won four consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Comedy or Music Program between 1984 and 1987.
Since starring in There's Something About Mary, he has had a steady flow of gigs in the movie and television industry. The standout job out of these came between 2015 and 2020, when he played Mayor Roland Schitt in the Canadian sitcom, Schitt's Creek that aired on CBC Television.
Elliott also enjoyed recurring roles in TV shows such as Everybody Loves Raymond, How I Met Your Mother and Eagleheart. His work has not been limited to the small screen, however. He has had cameos in other movies of note as well. Among the major pictures in his portfolio are the likes of Scary Movie 2 and 4, Speed Dating and The Dictator.
After everything he has achieved so far, Elliott admits that retirement is on his mind. "I’m honestly thinking about retirement," he told Daily Beast in 2018. "I’m 58. By the time I’m 60, I think I should be leaving Chris Elliott—that persona—behind."