10 Director's Cuts That Ruined Awesome Movies

3. Dumb and Dumber: Unrated

Dumb and Dumber is one of my favourite comedy movies, and it's also one of the most tinkered-around-with comedies of all time; I've seen at least three different TV versions, as well as the theatrical cut on DVD, and then this so-called "Unrated" edition, which restores all of the lewd content that didn't make it into the original version. However, this version changes the film in subtle ways, altering the tone for the worse, transforming Lloyd and Harry from goofy though nevertheless likeable schlubs into genuinely creepy douchebags. Not only is the brutality ramped up - we get to hear Mental murdering their pet bird - but some of the funnier scenes are stripped of the ambiguity; when Sea Bass spits into Harry's burger, rather than cutting to Lloyd's hilariously disgusted face, we actually see the pool of mucus, which is nowhere near as funny, and simply revolting. Probably the most insidious moment comes when Lloyd and Harry are in the hot tub at the motel, and Lloyd says that if Harry was a woman, he'd "split him like firewood". It does away with some of their childish harmlessness and actually makes them seem pretty disturbed.
 
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Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.