Dumb and Dumber To captures spirit of first film
The Farrelly brothers have said it themselves: Their comedy isn’t for everyone. That being said, Dumb and Dumber To shouldn’t be entirely disregarded by those of us who prefer the dialogue-based humor of modern comedy to the farce and slapstick that dominated the cinema of the 1990s.
They still got it · Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels have not missed a beat from their absurd antics of the original Dumb and Dumber from 1994. – Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
Dumb and Dumber To follows idiotic childhood friends Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) on their road trip to track down Harry’s daughter, who was born and given up for adoption more than 20 years ago, all without his knowledge. Needless to say, their plans go awry, and murderous wives, Special Forces agents and all manner of chaos follow in their wake. Watching the trailer, as well as any knowledge of the original movie, should give audiences a pretty accurate idea of what they’re getting into. Among the wincing, cringing and utter ridiculousness, this movie is not without a fairly steady run of good jokes and clever comedic writing.
For those who don’t recall, or chose never to indulge in, the cult classic original movie Dumb and Dumber, it followed a much younger Christmas and Dunne on their original road trip. Equally full of absurd mishaps and crude jokes as the sequel is, it also featured possibly the most famous toilet-oriented scene in movie history. The sequel shouldn’t disappoint any avid fans of the original but is, for the most part, equally accessible to the novice. While I confess there were a few moments during the film when laughter erupted throughout the audience to my utter confusion, I was able to follow the plot easily and pick up on most of the gags.
Dumb and Dumber To begins with a slightly older-looking pair of leading men, who, despite nearly two decades of time having past, have not lost any of their stupidity or adolescent humor. After an undeniably entertaining, if not desperately distasteful and uncomfortable opening sequence, the aged Harry reveals to Lloyd that he is in need of a kidney transplant. Fortuitously, at this juncture Harry finds he unknowingly fathered a child to Fraida Felcher (played to perfection by a deadpan and decidedly frumpy looking Kathleen Turner). Harry suddenly discovers he has a full-grown daughter, with, as Lloyd puts it “full grown kidneys.” Thus sparks the road trip that is the thrust of the story, in which Christmas and Dunne travel to the renowned “KEN Conference” in El Paso in search of both daughter and kidneys. Travelling by hearse, Zamboni and Dunne’s “Mutt Cutts” truck of the first movie, Lloyd and Harry do not find themselves alone. Penny (Harry’s daughter) has a somewhat less than favorable adopted mother, Adele Pinchlow (Laurie Holden), who is attempting to poison her kind-hearted, scientific genius of a husband and take hold of his ample inheritance. So, no stereotypes there. Still, this isn’t a movie that’s trying to explore character too deeply. As Harry and Lloyd carry a billion-dollar scientific invention to Penny, Adele plots a way to hinder their progress and take the invention and money for herself, with the help of various weak-willed but well-armed male accomplices.
The Farrelly brothers really are the lifeblood of this movie, as well as its predecessor. Peter and Bobby wrote the script and directed the film, and while the finished product is far from serious, it is evident that a great deal of attention and pride went into the making of this movie. Their humor and characteristic touch is evident in all their work, from the 1998 blockbuster There’s Something About Mary to Shallow Hal, which brought Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow together as potentially the most unlikely on-screen couple of the last two decades. However, Dumb and Dumber being the brother’s first breakout movie gave it a definite fond place in their hearts, and both have stated their continued desire to make sequels to the original for many years.
After the Farrellys, Carrey and Daniels anchor the movie in utter absurdity. While Carrey has made his name as an impressive and respected dramatic actor in films such as The Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and I Love You Phillip Morris, he has never relinquished his love for slapstick comedy, as was evident in his eagerness to participate in this sequel. Similarly, Jeff Daniels started work on Dumb and Dumber To immediately after winning an Emmy for his performance in The Newsroom, demonstrating both actors’ versatility.
It is hard to speak entirely seriously about Dumb and Dumber To because “serious” simply isn’t a word in the vocabulary of this movie. The performance is so utterly exaggerated, with Carrey’s dopey and slightly horrifying “silly face” making multiple appearances in every scene, and the farce so completely lewd, that one just has to settle into it. Once the viewers accept this movie for what it is, they’ll find themselves laughing, even if it is in spite of themselves.