Beware: this review does contain very minor spoilers, including quotes from the film. Theyre back and dumber than ever. After the complete turkey of a 2003 prequel that shall never be discussed again as well as studio politics holding up production for what seems like eons, fans of the cult classic finally got what theyve been craving for the last twenty years: an honest to God sequel to Dumb and Dumber. The original film made good on a simple premise: two innocently stupid wastes of space and brain matter headed on a cross country road trip on a quest to find love, only to get accidentally entangled in an FBI sting operation to catch a group of high profile kidnappers. The new film stays almost completely true to this premise stopping somewhat short of a Hangover Part II encore, but very much loses the innocence bit. Theres a certain mean-spiritedness thats developed with these characters, likely an adaptation to a new generation of viewership. Theres endless dangerous pranks and some bizarre drug references that would have had no place in the original film. Now thats not to say they were completely innocent in the original, such as Lloyd bamboozling Seabass into paying their tab and spiking Harrys tea with Ex-Lax or Harry tricking and betraying Lloyd and going after Mary Samsonite himself. In 2014 viewers see a different Harry and Lloyd, who will go to extreme measures against each other and others for their own self-gratification. The trailer shows Lloyd in a catatonic state in a psychiatric ward since the first film and having Harry care for him for 20 years all to get in a good belly laugh against his buddy in 2014. They also detonate a plethora of fireworks next to Rob Riggles character in a hotel room, nearly burning the place down as revenge for Riggle's character tricking them into a harmless prank. It just shows the cynicism that the Farrelly Brothers and co. seem to think will appeal to a 21st century audience. The film certainly has its moments, including the near misses and hijinks that Dumb fans have held so dear for twenty years, and the scene where they are reunited with their beloved 84 sheepdog is one of the few great truly laugh out loud moments of the film. Stick behind after the credits for a scene that should please just about any original Dumb fan with practically the only cameo that could possibly carry over in a sequel with a twenty year gap. A few of the films funniest moments:
Harry: (after being tricked into balancing a peanut on his nose while Slurpee is spilled down his pants) Heh the smell of peanuts makes my weenie cold. Lloyd: Yeah, it makes mine shrink. Harry: I havent seen my folks since they threw me out of the house 20 years ago. Lloyd: What happened? Harry: I told them I'm gay I just got sick of mowing the lawn. Harry: Lloyd! Check out the hotties at 12:00! Lloyd: but thats three hours from now. Why cant I look at them now?
The end result of their newest adventure ends on such a note that, if it were anything but Dumb and Dumber, it would leave audiences scratching their heads in annoyance. However, the dynamic and nearly perfect comedic timing between Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels make such an ending enjoyable. Equally as enjoyable is seeing the other characters who watch these two lunatics' stupidity reach new heights and fear for the future of humanity from the idea that one of these two had reproduced. The big issue to take into account is this: no sequel is perfect, but this one is worlds better than the last one. If you go into this movie with even slightly the same expectations as the first one, which it seems a lot of people are doing, youre going to be extremely disappointed. If you want to see a sequel that will forever stand the test of time, go watch The Godfather Part II, The Wrath of Khan, or Lethal Weapon 2. Stuck somewhere between the recycled humor of The Hangover and the over the top idiocy of Anchorman 2, Dumb To is a passable sequel, but the overly done grotesque humor and the aforementioned recycled material from the first likely precludes it from becoming a timeless classic like its predecessor. Bear in mind though that fellow critics shot down the original and it has become a phenomenon as time passed, so only history can be the real judge of this film. Dumb and Dumber To premieres in UK cinemas 19 December and opens in US cinemas 14 November. Grade: C-