Advance Review: Dumb And Dumber To
NOTE: Spoiler-free review, only mentioning points seen in the trailers.
Dumb And Dumber is a movie I never really connected with as a kid. Loving the over the top physical humor Jim Carrey brought to Fire Marshall Bill on In Living Color, Ace Ventura and The Mask, I remember actually being pretty disappointed seeing it in the theater when I was 14 years old. When I scored tickets to an early screening of Dumb And Dumber To, I decided to sit down and watch the original all the way through for the first time in close to 20 years, and I’m glad I did. As an adult, I appreciate Farrelly brothers style of humor much more than when I was a young teen.
Since I don’t have a two decade attachment to Dumb and Dumber, I didn’t have huge built up expectations for the sequel. My expectations, as non-existent as they were, were exceeded greatly. I laughed extremely hard during Dumb and Dumber To, as did the rest of the people in the theater with me.
Even after so much time, Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey did not appear to have any issues falling back into the characters of Harry and Lloyd. If it weren’t for the fact that the two actors naturally look twenty years older than in the first movie, you would never know they ever stopped acting as these characters, which fits them both like comfortable gloves.
Per the trailers, the premise of the sequel is that Harry finds a twenty year old post card from former girlfriend Fraida Felcher (Kathleen Turner) telling him she’s pregnant. He realizes he has a daughter, and the movie is a quest to find her. There are specific reasons for this quest (other than Lloyd thinking she’s hot), but since they were not in the trailer, I won’t go into them.
The movie continues the ridiculous antics of the original, with Harry and Lloyd’s cluelessness leading them into absurd and hysterical situations. Rob Riggle, Laurie Holden and Rachel Melvin are all strong additions to the Dumb and Dumber-verse, and appear to be having a blast playing in this sandbox. Rachel Melvin is particularly good in capturing what the next generation of “Dumb” would be like as the daughter, Penny. For fans of the original, there’s also a few other returning cast members reprising their original roles, and they do not disappoint at all.
The only true fault I have with Dumb and Dumber To is that it starts off a bit slow. The first act setup is filled with a couple of conversations that are kind of dry, and go on a little longer than they should. However, once the setup is complete, the laughs almost never stop.
Sequels always have a lot of pressure to live up to, or be better than their original film. Maybe it’s because the lack of attachment I have to the original, but I thought Dumb and Dumber To succeeded in being a very solid sequel film. If you’re a fan of the original, you’re guaranteed to get some serious laughs this second go around with Harry and Lloyd. Also, stick around for the credits. There’s a short, but sweet post-credit stinger that will put one last smile on your face before exiting the theater.
Dumb and Dumber To hits theaters Friday, November 14th.