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| Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels (r) star in Dumb and Dumber To |
Old and Older, Not Necessarily Funnier
'Age is just a letter,' remarks Llyod Christmas (Jim Carrey) mistaking letter for number, one of 100+ errors, gaffes and blunders (some of which are funny) uttered in the Farrelly brothers' Dumb and Dumber To. A sequel two decades in the making, Carrey and co-star Jeff Daniels try their hardest; but ultimately fall victim to Father Time, calling into question Llyod's premonitory, 'Comedy is all about timing.' Amen to that.
Rotten Tomatoes Plot: Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reprise their roles as lovable imbeciles Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne in this sequel to Dumb and Dumber from original directing duo Bobby and Peter Farrelly.
What’s Best: I'm ashamed to admit it; but Dumb and Dumber To elicited at least a dozen heartfelt laughs from yours truly. To be fair, I went silent over the final 30 minutes or so; but there I was, chuckling at all sorts of silly, inappropriate material... the kind of lazy humor, I usually poke fun at (i.e. calling Kathleen Turner's character 'Sir,' setting off fireworks indoors, etc.) Sophomoric at best, you have to hand it to Carrey and Daniels for selling it so well.
What’s Not: While funny at times, it's hard to ignore just how old Carrey (52) and Daniels (59) are. Sure they're still funny (hilarious even) but this kind of comedy (fart jokes, etc.) is usually best delivered by much younger comedians. Also, I find it surprising that this film had at least six head writers; because most of the material is pretty weak, if not flat-out dumb. One peak at Harry's ass crack is funny: Several peaks is not.
Best Line: My favorite line comes from a bit player, and is directed at Turner's Fraida Felcher (who tries to use her feminine charms to get past a security check.) 'I didn't take 34 years to come out of the closet, to get back into one with you.' That's a heck of a lot better than, 'I think that was her grand-gina,' 'She's the fruit of your loom,' or 'I can't believe that douche stole our hearse.' Six writers. Really?
Overall: The Farrelly brothers put all their eggs in one basket, a basket that relies on two old guys playing dumb for 110 minutes. That's an awful lot to ask, even from someone with Carrey's immense talents (and to a lesser degree, Daniels.) This sequel would have worked better one decade ago, instead of two. Towards the end, Llyod ponders, 'So this is what rock bottom feels like.' Dumb or Dumber To may not hit rock bottom; but it comes darn close. Worth a look if you really, really liked the original: Otherwise, don't bother.
Grade: D+
