Movie Review: ‘Dumb and Dumber To’ Starring Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels

Twenty years after one of the most ridiculous, yet humorous comedies I have ever seen, the Farrelly Brothers decided to resurrect Lloyd and Harry. I do not have much good to say about Dumb and Dumber To. It’s as bad as I expected, and maybe just a bit worse.

Before I go into why the film was so bad, let me say that I loved the first one. I really wanted this one to work as well – but it just doesn’t.

The Farrelly’s should be just about out of free movie-making passes. Seems like they have been riding the coat tail of There’s Something About Mary for 20 years now. What else have they done that was great? Sure, they have had some mild hits; Shallow Hal, Hall Pass, and Fever Pitch; to be fair, I really enjoyed the latter.

Dumb and Dumber was the duo’s first film way back in 1993. I was 12 years old then, and well, the the film was funny as hell. My friends and I knew all the lines. We would re-watch the film over and over, reciting the lines by heart. In other terms, for a 12-year old, it’s a classic.

The problem is I’m not 12 anymore. I may be turning 33 in a week, but I’ve always thought I acted like I was 12. Reality has smacked me in the face and told me I am no longer 12, hence, I do not enjoy stupid movies like Dumb and Dumber To.

The plot is pretty simple. As the film opens, we see Jeff Daniels character, Harry, visiting Lloyd, Jim Carrey, who has been in a catatonic state for 20 years. After learning that Lloyd has been pretending to be in this state for two decades, the pair head home. We get a grown up blind boy who now owns a parrot and several other rare birds. Stick around after the credits to see another classic character from the first film. I admit, I was disappointed that I did stay after the credits, as I hoped it would be more. Anyway, Harry learns he has a long lost daughter after picking his mail up from his adoptive parents, whom he has not seen for 20 years. To find out more about his long lost daughter, Harry visits Freida Felcher, played by Kathleen Turner.

Harry and Lloyd then set out for New Mexico to find the daughter Harry never knew about. Along the way they run into Rob Riggle, who rides along with them.

Riggle, one of my favorite actors in 21 Jump Street is awful in the film. He is completely annoying. It really seemed like he was trying too hard.

I will say this for Daniels and Carrey, they seemed to fully embrace their characters for the second time around. Daniels, who is much more known for his serious acting, is on top of his game, while Carrey shows he can still act dumb.

I was really hoping this film would be Carrey’s ticket back to the A-list. With his recent Saturday Night Live appearance, he showed he can still be one of the funniest actors in Hollywood. I think he just needs the right script and material. He and Daniels work well together, but the script is just very bland.

A whole generation of filmgoers have grown up with the laughs of Harry and Lloyd, so a little nostalgia isn’t a bad thing. I still think the film does well at the box office, as fans like myself will still give it a shot, not to mention a whole new batch of 12-year olds are out there to relish in the fart-jokes that the Farrelly’s love so much.

Given a PG-13 rating, it just seemed like the film was old-fashioned. Given a ruder and cruder script, Carrey and Daniels may have been able to steal the show. Unfortunately, after sitting through Dumb and Dumber To, I felt like I was the foolish one.

Dumb and Dumber To gets a D-.