Comedy is one of the biggest genres and hardest to thrive in Hollywood but in spite of the odds, the Farrelly Brothers have bloomed together as writers, producers, and directors for years. They have directed big-name actors in the industry like Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, and Cameron Diaz and have received some accolades from their work. This article answers some of your questions related to the Farrelly Brothers, like who they are and what movies they have directed or produced.
Who are The Farrelly Brothers?
American brothers of Irish descent, Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly popularly known as the Farrelly Brothers were born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and Cumberland, Rhode Island, the USA on December 17, 1956, and June 17, 1958, respectively, to Marian and Robert Leo Farrelly. They have a sister, Cynthia Farrelly Gesner who is married to an actor, Zen Gesner.
Peter attended Kent School before proceeding to Providence College where he graduated from while Bobby studied on a hockey scholarship until he graduated from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The pair officially began their joint career with an episode of the 1992 series, Seinfeld which they helped co-write.
Peter lives in Los Angeles with his wife Melinda Kocsis while Bobby stays in Massachusetts with his wife and kids. One of the things that make the brothers’ comedy films stand out is their consistent usage of excellent soundtracks. They also like to glorify special needs people while making the able-bodied look stupid.
What Movies Have They Directed or Produced?
After Seinfeld came Dumb and Dumber in 1994, a comedy movie written and directed by the Farrelly Brothers, which turned out to be their breakthrough movie, making $247 million at the Box Office. Only the older Farrelly, Peter was credited for directing the film but together, they have directed and produced several films, some of which they also wrote.
The first film the two directed and produced through their production company Conundrum Entertainment was the 2000 murky comedy film, Me, Myself & Irene starring their Dumb and Dumber star, Jim Carrey. Between the two films, however, they directed the 1996 sports comedy film, Kingpin, likewise, There’s Something About Mary (1998), which they also co-wrote. Their last work before Me, Myself & Irene was as producers on Outside Providence, Michael Corrente’s 1999 adaptation of a novel of the same title Peter wrote in 1988, the brothers also helped co-write the screenplay.
In 2001, the Farrelly Brothers directed the live-action scenes of the live-action/animated comedy film, Osmosis Jones, with Tom Sito and Piet Kroon directing the animated scenes. They also served as part of the film’s producers.
As directors, other movies they have worked on are Shallow Hal (2001), Stuck on You (2003), Fever Pitch (2005), The Heartbreak Kid (2007), Hall Pass (2011), The Three Stooges (2012), and the sequel to their debut film, Dumb and Dumber To (2014). With the exception of Fever Pitch and The Heartbreak Kid, they also served as producers on all the movies.
Although the Farrelly Brothers have recorded all-around success with many of their works, some have also been a flop. Shallow Hal, for example, performed averagely, critically speaking, but it was a commercial hit and got nominated for Teen Choice Award. Stuck on You, a comedy film about a set of conjoined twins with different life goals did not perform so well financially but people found it sweet and funny.
Their 2011 film, Hall Pass, was described as one of the worst movies of the year by The Telegraph. The following year, The Three Stooges, a remake of a series of short films that aired in the early parts of the 20th century, was released but sadly, the Houston Film Critics Society nominated it as the worst film of the year.
Also, their most recent film together Dumb and Dumber To had a good opening two decades after the first film was released, making up to $36 million in its first weekend and about $170 million altogether, but lovers of the first film were disappointed by the sequel and it reflected in the less than average ratings it got. The sequel received seven nominations including Golden Schmoes Awards’ Biggest Disappointment of the Year, Teens Choice Awards’ Choice Movie: Comedy as well as Women Film Critics Circle Awards’ Worst Male Images in a Movie which it won.
