MovieChat Forums > There's Something About Mary (1998) Discussion > anyone catch this plot hole?

anyone catch this plot hole?

posted 17 years ago by zephman
43 replies | jump to latest

norm explains to healy that he went to mary for medical treatment (broken back) which he attributed to "a friend, baseball bat".

however, when healy sees norm transform from his tucker persona by ditching the suit, glasses and crutches his back is totally healed and he's able to walk with no problem.

if mary's a princeton educated orthopedic surgeon wouldn't she be aware of the healing time/process of a broken back? also, if she's under his care wouldn't he receive regular checkups to ensure that his back had healed? i mean, you can't really fake these things like a british accent.

maybe i'm complicating things too much, and i know that parts of the movie are completely unrealistic, but that little detail was always something that bothered me.

did anyone else notice this/agree that it's somewhat of a plot hole?

[–] ackbarsmagnificentjackal 11 years ago

He said his reason was a friend with a baseball bat.

He didn't say what was done.

If his friend merely made believable, observable damage, he could play off what "hurts" and what doesn't, leading to an erroneous conclusion in his status.

Hence, he could still be "suffering" from spinal damage and soft tissue pain, according to whatever he told Mary, despite it being a different, much less severe issue.

So, it's entirely possible she's a skilled surgeon, and he's just keeping the feedback(and getting minor touch-up "damage") in line with what she's expecting for the actual issue.

[–] mapleleaf73 11 years ago

Plot hole? It's a comedy. Don't try to over-think it. Believe it or not, Jackie Gleeson was never gonna send Alice to the moon.

[–] sage2112 8 years ago

You answered yourself with:
maybe i'm complicating things too much

[–] TheOldGuyFromHalloween3 8 years ago

also why would an architect drive a piece of crap car?

[–] snelling 8 years ago

The story BEHIND the story is that Tucker was originally written to be a sincere character who was not trying to scam Mary at all. But as they were filming, the Farrelly brothers decided, "What the hell? Let's make Tucker a phony, too!"

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