It has been

two years since the film "There's Something About

Mary" filled movie theaters around the world with

hysterical laughter.

Since then,

the Farelly Brothers produced a film based on Peter

Farrelly's novel "Outside Providence" and

worked on bringing their 1990 screenplay "Me, Myself

and Irene" to the silver screen. The wait is over

and, boy, was it worth it.

Jim Carrey

stars as Charlie Baileygates, a state trooper with the

Rhode Island State Patrol and an all-around nice guy. Too

nice if you ask any of his friends. Charlie's wife left

him nine months after they were married and left him with

three children from an affair. Over the next 18 years,

Charlie raises the boys and goes about his life never

acknowledging the pain that has been inflicted and

avoiding all forms of confrontation.

The

resentment eventally boils over and out pops Hank, a

split personality of Charlie's that thrives on

confrontation and is an all-around tough guy. Add a plot

involving dirty cops and a damsel in distress to this

story of a man with a serious identity crisis and you get

what is most likely the funniest film of the summer.

The jokes

come from all angles from the first second of the film

and are told with a good-natured spirit that has become

the Farelly brothers' calling card. They deal with touchy

and often bawdy subjects, but the heart remains and keeps

films like "Mary" and "Irene" afloat.

It also

helps to have Jim Carrey as a major backer. Many studios

passed on "Dumb and Dumber" until Carrey agreed

to make it. After that, the Farrellys practically wrote

their own ticket and knew they had to get Carrey for the

role of Charlie/Hank. He is wonderful, by the way.

Balancing his amazing talent for physical comedy (the

best ever?) with the sweetness that endeared him to

audiences in "The Mask," "The Truman

Show" and "Man on the Moon."

The plot is

not all that important and the surrounding cast,

including Robert Forster, Chris Cooper and Rene

Zellweger, are terrific. The show is stolen, though, by

the three young men who play Carrey's sons, but that is

all that can be said without spoiling any of the

surprises. The film is rated R and deservedly so. There

are profanity and adult themes, but as long as you are an

adult, you should enjoy this film.