It’s been 20 years since Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels graced us as two of the most lovable idiots in the history of cinema.
Their insane antics helped 1994’s “Dumb and Dumber” charm its way into pop culture in a way few other comedies of the 1990s did. They’ve both gone on to become bigger stars since then, and now they are back in the highly anticipated sequel, “Dumb and Dumber To.” But in my opinion, it’s a sad case of too little, too late.
Carrey and Daniels return as Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, respectively, this time around receiving a postcard from Harry’s old flame, Frieda Felcher (Kathleen Turner), informing him that he has a daughter with her. The two once again start traveling across country to find her. A subplot involves Lloyd falling for the daughter.
The movie gives us a trip straight down memory lane for those who were nostalgic about the first film. We get Billy the blind kid as an adult and having more birds than he knows what to do with. Plus, the Mutt Cutts vehicle makes a welcome return.
The problem with this sequel is that it doesn’t attempt to add anything new. The filmmakers seem like they must’ve entered through the wormhole in “Interstellar” and never changed because the movie does nothing more than recycle old jokes and plot points from the original.
Now, I am going to give “Dumb and Dumber To” its fair due and admit that there are some laughs in it. However, those well-earned laughs are few and far between.
The first movie was a pleasant surprise, and it had great timing when it came out in 1994. It was a new kind of comedy that hadn’t been seen on screen before and has been emulated too many times over. That’s both a blessing and a curse, I guess.
Like I said, there are some funny moments and it’s great to see Carrey and Daniels back in the saddle. But basically, “Dumb and Dumber To” sinks under the weight of too much repetition.
Grade: C
Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, partial nudity, language and some drug references.
Hall is a syndicated columnist in South Georgia.
'Dumb...' has some laughs; little else
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