If you grew up in the late 90s, you remember the hair gel. You definitely remember the zipper. But honestly, the hitchhiker Something About Mary scene is the one that actually feels like a fever dream when you rewatch it today. It’s weird. It's dark. It's a complete left turn in a movie that was already zigzagging through every taboo known to comedy.
Most people forget that the Farrelly brothers basically mastered the art of the "random encounter" before it became a tired trope. When Ben Stiller's character, Ted, picks up a nameless traveler on his way to Florida, he thinks he’s just being a good guy. What he gets is a masterclass in escalating tension and a monologue about seven-minute abs that still lives rent-free in the heads of fitness marketing executives everywhere.
The Man, The Myth, The Seven-Minute Abs
Let’s talk about Harland Williams. He played the hitchhiker. If you haven't seen his stand-up, you're missing out on some of the most surrealist comedy of the last thirty years. He brought this jittery, unpredictable energy to the car that made you genuinely wonder if Ted was about to be murdered.
The "Seven-Minute Abs" pitch is the peak of the scene. It's a biting satire of the 1990s infomercial culture. Back then, "8-Minute Abs" was an actual, massive product. The hitchhiker’s logic was simple: who wants to work out for eight minutes when you can do it in seven?
It’s hilarious because it’s so stupidly logical.
"Step into my office," he says. "Why?" Ted asks. "Because you're f***ing fired!"
That line wasn't just a joke; it was a character study in a man who is clearly one bad sandwich away from a total breakdown. The way Williams delivers the lines—breathless, aggressive, yet strangely proud—is why the hitchhiker Something About Mary remains a standout moment in a film packed with standouts.
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Why This Scene Actually Works for the Plot
You might think this was just filler. It wasn't. The Farrelly brothers used this sequence to heighten the stakes of Ted’s journey. Up until this point, Ted is just a dork trying to find his high school crush. By the time he's being interrogated by police because of a bag found in his car that definitely doesn't belong to him, the movie shifts from a romantic comedy into a chaotic road movie.
It grounds the film in a sort of "anything can happen" reality.
If a guy can get his manhood caught in a zipper in the first ten minutes, he can certainly pick up a potential serial killer in the second act. It’s about the vulnerability of the "nice guy" trope. Ted is too polite to say no. He's too polite to tell the guy his idea is garbage. That politeness is his downfall, which is a recurring theme throughout the entire story.
The Darker Subtext of the Hitchhiker
There is a real-world tension to picking up strangers. By 1998, the "urban legend" of the killer hitchhiker was a staple of American culture. The movie plays with this fear perfectly. One minute they’re talking about fitness, and the next, there’s a body bag—or at least, what looks like one.
Actually, it's just the hitchhiker's gear, but the police don't know that.
The misunderstanding leads to one of the best "interrogation" scenes in comedy history. Ted thinks he's being arrested for a minor "public indecency" moment (thanks to a misunderstanding at a rest stop), while the cops think they’ve caught the notorious "Hitcher" killer. The dialogue is written so that both parties are having two completely different conversations that somehow sync up perfectly. It's a classic comedic device, but rarely executed with this much grit.
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How the Farrelly Brothers Changed Comedy
Before There's Something About Mary, comedies were often polite. Or they were broad parodies like Airplane!. The Farrellys introduced "gross-out" humor that actually had a heart. You care about Ted. You want him to find Mary. But you also want to see him suffer just a little bit more because his reactions are so golden.
The hitchhiker Something About Mary moment represents the "wild card" element of their directing style. They often cast non-actors or character actors with very specific looks to fill these roles. It gives the world a lived-in, slightly greasy feel. It doesn't look like a polished Hollywood set; it looks like a dusty highway in South Carolina.
- The Casting: Harland Williams was perfect because he doesn't look like a "movie star." He looks like a guy you'd actually see standing on a shoulder with a cardboard sign.
- The Dialogue: Much of it felt improvised, even if it wasn't. The stuttering and the interruptions make it feel like a real, awkward conversation.
- The Pacing: The scene moves fast. It doesn't overstay its welcome. It hits the joke, builds the tension, and then explodes into the police chase.
Realism vs. Absurdity
Is the hitchhiker realistic? Sorta. We've all met that person who is convinced they have the "next big idea." Whether it's a crypto scheme or a new way to fold laundry, the energy is the same. The hitchhiker is the physical embodiment of the "get rich quick" American dream, stripped of all its glamour and left on the side of the road.
Honestly, the "7-minute abs" joke is even funnier now in the era of 30-second TikTok workouts. The hitchhiker was a visionary. He just happened to be a visionary who carried his belongings in a suspicious-looking duffel bag.
Impact on Pop Culture
You still see references to this scene in modern sitcoms. Any time a character picks up a weirdo on the road, writers are pulling from the Harland Williams playbook. It set the standard for how to do a "road trip" gag without it feeling like a cliché.
Even the way the scene is shot—tight close-ups on Ted’s sweating face and wide, manic shots of the hitchhiker—creates a sense of claustrophobia. You feel trapped in that car with them. It’s a masterpiece of small-scale directing.
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What We Can Learn from Ted's Mistake
If you're ever driving down the I-95 and you see a guy with a backpack and a wild look in his eye, maybe just keep driving. Or, if you do pick him up, don't argue with his fitness philosophy.
- Don't assume everyone is a killer, but maybe check the bag.
- Politeness has limits. If someone starts yelling about "Step into my office," it's time to pull over.
- Six-minute abs? That’s just ridiculous. No one can get a workout in six minutes. Unless you're the hitchhiker's rival.
The legacy of the hitchhiker Something About Mary scene isn't just the laughs. It’s the way it shifted the tone of the movie from a standard rom-com into something much more dangerous and unpredictable. It reminded audiences that even in a story about love, there’s always room for a little bit of madness.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Buffs
If you want to truly appreciate the craft behind this scene, do these three things during your next rewatch:
- Watch Ben Stiller’s eyes. He isn't looking at the road; he's constantly checking his peripheral vision, showing the pure lizard-brain fear of his character.
- Listen to the background noise. The sound design of the car—the rattling, the wind—increases as the hitchhiker gets more agitated. It builds the "sonic" tension.
- Compare it to the "rest stop" scene. Notice how the movie uses the hitchhiker as the catalyst for the biggest misunderstanding in the film. Without the hitchhiker, Ted never goes to jail, and he never meets the private investigator (played by Matt Dillon) in the same way.
The hitchhiker wasn't just a gag. He was the engine that pushed the plot into its final, chaotic act. That is the mark of a great screenplay—when even the most "random" moments are actually the most essential.
Next Steps for Fans:
To dive deeper into the world of 90s cult comedy, track down Harland Williams' other work from that era, specifically RocketMan. It's a completely different vibe but shows the range of the man who gave us the "7-minute abs" philosophy. Additionally, look for the Farrelly Brothers' director's commentary on the 10th-anniversary DVD; they explain exactly how much of that car ride was scripted versus what Williams brought to the table on the day of filming. Understanding the improv behind the "Step into my office" line gives you a whole new appreciation for the chemistry between the two actors. Finally, check out the shooting locations along the actual Florida/South Carolina border to see the real-life stretches of highway that inspired the gritty look of Ted’s ill-fated road trip.