When I heard a Dumb and Dumber sequel was finally happening with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels set to return, I had to be cautiously optimistic. Not because I wasn’t excited to see two of my favorite characters return to the big screen, but because it’s been probably over 10 years since The Farrelly Brothers made a truly entertaining movie. Let’s not also forget that it’s been quite some time since Jeff Daniels really immersed himself in a comedic role, something Carrey has been doing for years, though with varying degrees of success. Dumb and Dumber To recently hit the Blu-ray /DVD shelves and, in case you haven’t heard, it’s a pretty big disappointment and a whole lot of stupid.
Set 20 years after the first film, Dumb and Dumber To sees Harry and Lloyd going on another road trip, though this time it’s to find Harry’s newly discovered daughter, Penny (Rachel Melvin) who had been given up for adoption by her mother. Immediately after seeing what his daughter looks like, Lloyd falls for her the same way he did for Mary Swanson and is determined to track her down with Harry. Penny is now the daughter of Dr. Pinchelow (Steve Tom), a renowned scientist, but since he’s been sick due to a sinister plan by his wife Adele (Laurie Holden), Penny is sent to a Ted Talk-like conference to deliver a package. As Harry, Lloyd and Adele’s partner in crime Travis (Rob Riggle) travel across the country to find her, shenanigans ensue, but whether they’re funny is another story.
I’m a massive fan of Dumb and Dumber, seriously. I still quote the film on a regular basis and a lot of my humor comes from the stylings of Jim Carrey. That being said, if I ever saw Dumb and Dumber To before the original, I’d probably never consider watching it. Firstly, the story is essentially the same, except dumber and less funny. The original film relied on smart yet stupid dialogue while this one’s jokes fall flat and pander to the lowest common denominator possible. Sure, I still chuckled and laughed a few times, but this movie is missing the comedic magic that first film had.
Two major issues I had with the film was the casting and the acting. Jim Carrey excluded, the only character/actor that I thought did a decent job was Penny. Rachel Melvin nailed the dimwitted daughter role so well. It was incredibly believable, mostly because all of us probably know people that are nearly as dumb as her. While Jim Carrey flourished in one of his most iconic roles, I can’t say the same for Jeff Daniels. I found the older version of Harry to be incredibly subpar to the original Harry. A lot of the problems came down to Daniels’ delivery, everything he said sounded very forced and some of it was poorly timed. Not all of it is his fault though since, as mentioned earlier, the dialogue and script were terrible and the directors are still failing.
Other problems I had with the film were that there was a lot of CG and there was a loss of innocence. These types of comedies thrive on practical effects and straight forward humor, be it physical or verbal, that’s what made the first so successful, but the crappy CG in this film took away and distracted me quite a bit. With regards to the loss of innocence part, this movie was pretty raunchy and a bunch of the very sexual jokes fell flat. Sure, there were plenty of sexual innuendos in the first film but nothing so over-the-top and in-your-face as the sexual prowess in this film.
Lastly, it seemed like they really wanted to pay homage to the first film but using the same formula 20 years later isn’t necessarily going to work. As a screenwriter, when you want to include twists on classic scenes in the original, all you’re likely going to do is write a scene that’s less funny than the original and everyone is going to see it as a poor attempt and that you lacked the creativity to come up with something fresh. This really bothered me because you knew exactly how each one of these scenes was going to end.
Dumb and Dumber To was a major disappointment and the letdown we all sort of expected. While the original was insanely quotable, this one wasn’t. I left the theater with one quote and one bit of physical comedy that makes me smile every time I think about it, but when you think of what Dumb and Dumber stands for you know that’s not enough. The film lacked originality, real laugh-out-loud moments and ended up failing on every front. Jim Carrey was the only shining star and even he had a rough go of it because of the material he was working with. You could tell he could only do so much with what he had, but at least he almost made it all work for him. If you’re a fan of Dumb and Dumber, approach this sequel with an insane amount of caution, maybe the low expectations will allow you to enjoy it.
Special Features:
Alternate opening (2:01) – essentially an additional 20 seconds with a different approach to removing the catheter seen in the actual film.
Deleted/Extended scenes (10:22) – Eight deleted/extended scenes, though mostly extended, of random scenes throughout the film. Thankfully most of these were trimmed because the extensions weren’t funny. There was maybe one or two jokes that I enjoyed of all the various ones that were cut.
Gag reel – (7:33) – a bunch of silly goofs and a few really good jokes that would have been great for the movie, if only they actually fit into it.
“That’s Awesome!” – The Story of Dumb and Dumber To (44:45) – A five Chapter documentary about Dumb and Dumber To
What’s so Smart About Dumb and Dumber To (6:17) – A bunch of talking heads cut with scenes from the film about the joy of being dumb and creating laugher through it. Directors, producers and actors discuss how the dumbest things in life can bring the most joy and happiness, even if it is brainless. It’s all about being able to laugh at ourselves and not get defensive about it.
Dumb and Dumber To is now available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
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