Dumb and Dumber To review

DUMB AND DUMBER TO:

BEEN THERE, “DUMB” THAT!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels return as best friends with half a brain, Harry and Lloyd in Dumb and Dumber To

            Wanna hear the third most annoying sound in the world? When a hilarious Jim Carrey comedy gets a sequel with only half the talent and wit from its predecessor put into it. Jim Carrey (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, Bruce Almighty) and Jeff Daniels (Speed, Fly Away Home, 101 Dalmatians) return as the idiotic duo, Harry and Lloyd in the sequel to the hit 1994 comedy, Dumb and Dumber and…no there’s no “and” after that.

            The first movie, while stupid and occasionally annoying, it had a strange charm to it and plenty of moments to make even a fan of more witty comedies crack a smile or two, or just laugh along with the rest of us. Also Carrey and Daniels’ characters were extremely likable, despite not being very bright and even though they were awkward and made the wrong decisions often, they were very happy together and it’s actually a little touching at times.

            And of course, like some of Jim Carrey’s other iconic comedies like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Bruce Almighty, Dumb and Dumber was a huge hit and it gained a cartoon series, a prequel, and now this movie. I’ve never seen the cartoon but the prequel, Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd was unanimously panned by both critics and audiences, was a box office failure, and not to mention it lacked everything that made the first film so enjoyable, the humor, the charm, and not to mention Carrey and Daniels, just like a couple other sequels to Jim Carrey movies like Son of the Mask and Evan Almighty.

            Reportedly after his experiences while he was making Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Jim Carrey decided he didn’t want to make sequels to his movies because they wouldn’t challenge him as an actor, which explains why we got stuck with those bungholes from Dumb and Dumberer and that schmuck from Son of the Mask, even after he was offered $10 million to star in The Mask II, he turned it down.

            I don’t know what caused Jim Carrey to change his mind with this sequel, but it’s great to see Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels together again in Dumb and Dumber To, and it does have some funny moments and Carrey’s energetic acting is always welcome with me, but unfortunately this sequel lacks the charm and goofy wit of its predecessor, ultimately resulting in yet another unnecessary Hollywood sequel.

            So what’s the story? I think you might be able to figure this out on your own, even without me explaining it, but I’ll do it anyway.

            Over a decade since Harry and Lloyd’s road trip to Aspen, we find Lloyd (Jim Carrey) in a hospital, trying to get over his once true love, Mary Samsonite, when his long time best friend, Harry (Jeff Daniels) comes in to aide him during a speechless coma. But after that plot point, they learn about some shocking news that Harry may have had a daughter named Penny (Rachel Melvin-Days of Our Lives) and after seeing a picture Lloyd falls for her, in a very similar way he fell for Mary.

            So the Two Stooges embark on another road trip to find Harry’s daughter, unfortunately they’re being hunted down by a villainous trio, Adele Pitchlow (Lauren Holden-Fantastic 4, The Mist), the scheming wife of Penny’s adoptive father and two rough brothers, Travis and Captain Lippencott (Both portrayed by Rob Riggle-Jump Street franchise, Let’s Be Cops) who are planning to kill Penny and her husband and steal a very important package from Penny that could save humanity.

            And of course, throw in a lot of crude fart jokes, ridiculous and dangerous stunts and pranks, some jokes we’ve seen before from the first movie, and dialogue that would come from a mentally challenged person and you pretty much have the entire story of Dumb and Dumber To.

            Overall, Dumb and Dumber To is just too dumb and annoying to be considered a good movie, now I’m not calling it terrible but compared to the original and what Jim Carrey’s done in the past, it ranks low. I would have loved more cleverly dumb humor that’s both creative and comedic, not to mention the kind that we haven’t seen before.

            However there are some funny moments like when Lloyd is fantasizing about being with Penny can be very humorous, some of the pranks Harry and Lloyd pull in the movie, when they’re not too idiotic, and this really hysterical scene when Harry is posing as a science professor at a big science convention. But as is, this is one of Carrey’s weaker films, don’t get me wrong he’s a very talented and funny man and I adore him, but I guess every comedic great has at least one bad comedy and sadly this is Jim’s.

            But thankfully it “slightly” makes up for Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd because it actually did have a few laughs in there AND it has the undefeated and unintelligent Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. Now if only Jim Carrey can star in a NEW Mask sequel, one that has no connections to Son of the Mask and pretends it never existed, even if it’s like Dumb and Dumber To, I would be able to respect it more.