Dumb and Dumber To: Movie Review
It has been 20 years since the Farrelly Brothers introduced us to Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) in 1994’s hilarious “Dumb and Dumber”. The filmmakers went on to make hits like “There’s Something About Mary”, “Me, Myself, & Irene” and “Shallow Hall” before churning out a string of uninspired duds like “The Heartbreak Kid”, “Hall Pass”, and “The Three Stooges”. It’s no wonder they wanted to go back and make a sequel to their biggest hit. Since Carrey’s star has been on the decline as well, it only makes sense that he would want to return as well. Daniels however never had a need for big hits.
“Dumb and Dumber To” picks up 20 years later. Lloyd and Harry head back out on the road again in search of Harry’s daughter Penny (Rachel Melvin), whom he just found out about. Because Harry needs a new kidney, Penny is the only hope he has. Needless to say, the trip doesn’t go smoothly and they are joined by Travis (Rob Riggle), a friend of Penny’s adopted family. What Harry and Lloyd don’t realize is that Travis plans to kill the two idiots and steal a package that they have been entrusted with to deliver to Penny by her adopted father (Steve Tom). Harry and Lloyd were in almost the exact same situation in the first film when they were giving a ride to a hitman who had similar plans for them. There is a major lack of originality here.
“Dumb and Dumber To” did not need to happen. The first film is a modern classic thanks to the chemistry between the two leads and twenty years the later Carrey and Daniels are still great together. The problem is seeing two guys past middle-age acting this stupid is more sad then funny. I won’t say that I didn’t laugh at all in two-decades-too-late sequel, but they were few and far between and the best gags are in the trailers. I think the biggest laugh the film got out of me was when Lloyd had a snot-bubble appear from his nostril. I expected “Dumb and Dumber To” to be dumb. The first film was dumb, but it was fresh and funny. The jokes here are tired and everyone seems to be trying way too hard, which is why much of the humor feels forced. I had hope that “Dumb and Dumber To” would be able to deliver a good amount of laughs but for the most part it just felt like a waste of time.
By: Marc Ferman