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Dumb and Dumber is my favorite comedy of all time. Say what you will about it, but I think it's the perfect comedy. An easy 10/10 for this 1994 hit with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. There was something about this film that hit me in all the right spots. I think what's really special is that everyone did a perfect job, not just Carrey and Daniels. Everyone who weren't the two main characters were also funny. The Farrelly Bros. writing was spot on and made every character in the film have something funny to say. You have Mental and Shay tracking Harry and Lloyd across the U.S. because they think they stole money from them. Mental and Shay actually think Harry and Lloyd are masterminds and consider them "pros". That's absolutely genius right there. The story was great, the acting was legitimately funny and it makes you keep watching due to how dumb Harry and Lloyd are. They are the perfect amount of "dumb" without being considered mentally handicapped and all of those things are what make me respect the original so much. A film I can watch at any time and still laugh. Plus, did I mention the excellent 90's soundtrack? This movie literally had it all and doesn't feel dated whatsoever. There isn't a day where I don't quote Dumb and Dumber, it made that much of an impact in my life and I think a few of here on here know how much I love the original. I know I keep going on and on about it, but that's because the passion and comedy the original had, the sequel doesn't have whatsoever. Dumb and Dumber To is only slightly better than the prequel, a movie Farrelly Bros. had nothing to do with, and that's saying a lot. Now, obviously I'm going to make some comparisons to the original film and I think that's justified because it's a direct sequel.
*****Also, I'd like it to be known that when I say the word "prequel", I'm talking about the 2003 abomination.
As I said before, the original had the perfect amount of "dumb" in Harry and Lloyd (Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey). They weren't over the top and the viewer could actually relate to them. "I can't believe there are no jobs anywhere. Nothing Nada Zip! Yeah, not unless you want to work 40 hours a week..psh". That quote from the original tells me right there that they actively looked for jobs. In the sequel, they wouldn't know what a fucking job is. You may be asking yourself "what?", but hear me out. The Farrelly Bros. made Harry and Lloyd down right mentally ill. To the point where they should actually be locked up in a looney bin rather than traveling across the country again. That makes the scenes not funny to watch in my opinion. The scenes are so over the top and wacky, I feel like I'm watching a cartoon. The Farrelly Bros. stated in an interview that they made them that way on purpose and I can't understand it. In the original film, Harry and Lloyd had basic cognitive functions. In this film, they don't know what sex is. I'm not even lying, they literally had no idea what sex was. I looked at my friend in the theater and was dumbfounded. He is as big of a Dumb and Dumber fan as I am and we were both shaking our heads. Even the scene in the trailer I was tilting my head at. You're telling me the guys who drove to Aspen, Colorado to delivery a suit case and constantly make sex jokes in the original, have no fucking idea what sex is in the sequel? Sure I guess in a weird sense that would seem funny that after all this time they don't know what sex is, but it's not. It's unrealistic and that took me out of the film. The original was extremely realistic in some aspects because I do firmly believe there are people this dumb out there. In the sequel, they do terrible and over the top bullshit that I believe no one would ever do. It seems completely out of character for Harry and Lloyd and they went from "Oh my god, that is priceless!" to "That is so completely far-fetched, it's not even worth a chuckle." I guess I shouldn't view these films for the realism aspect, but when the first has it, but the sequel doesn't, it takes away from the film overall.
The original film had actors that were genuinely funny. You had Billy in 4C that said "pretty bird, Polly want a cracker?" and it became a tagline for 20 years. You had people who never seen the original film know what that line is from. I went over Mental and Shay before who had some amazing lines. Even the main villain was complaining to an airline about having a vegetarian meal. Like, it's the little lines from the first one that make it rewatchable. This sequel has none of that. I give that they added Rob Riggle and he does a really good job for the shitty script he has. I always had a soft spot for Rob Riggle and I think, with the right script, he could have done wonders in this role, but he just comes up short. He is involved in this super complex story that is not needed for this film. There are a lot of side characters and they all do a terrible job. Besides Riggle, there is not one convincing actor/actress in this film. I say convincing because the original had convincingly stupid people. In this, you can just tell they are acting. Don't get me started on the Penny character. Every time she was on screen, I wanted to rip my fucking ears off. Great to look at, but her acting is so insanely bad that you can tell they ONLY casted her for her looks. Even Kathleen Turner looks like she's not even trying. There are some extended scenes with these side characters that had me cringing in my seat. You can tell they were trying so hard to be funny, but it wasn't at all. Even in my theater there was silence in the majority of the film. It really just isn't funny at all.
There are so many aspects in the 94 film that make it a perfect film. Sure the writing and acting is amazing, but you know what else stood out? The music. You know what this film doesn't have? The music. Even a simple Facebook search for Dumb and Dumber will show that fans wanted the same 90's feel as in the original. I was actually surprised because twice in the sequel they used 90's music. For those short moments, I felt like I was watching a true sequel and I loved it. They played 10 seconds of the song and then they'll switch to forgettable random trash. I may sound like an old man and I'm picking it apart, but it's just another thing that took the film down a few notches. Why add two 90's songs? What's the point? To make us think about how good the original was and then take it away? Shitty directing at that part and it was just a tease. In fact, most of the characteristics of this film are teases. You see glimpses and hints, here and there, calling back to the original and they just skim over them. They'll skim over the great things about the original film and then use the same fucking gags over and over again in the sequel. Yes, "the most annoying sound in the world" was fantastic in the 94 version. You know why it was fantastic? Because Jim Carrey made it up on the spot. It's a proven fact that Daniels and Mike Starr had no idea where he was going with that and you can tell the look on Daniels face when Carrey says it that he has no idea what the hell he's talking about. The sequel obviously has a callback to that, but it doesn't have the same spark as the first time. Most of the reusable gags don't have the same spark, making them ineffective. Sure, it could be said that it's funny that they have been doing these things and saying these things wrong all these years, but they really shove it down your face in this one and it only made me think of how great the 94 version was.
I don't want to come off as a crab in this review. Comedy and Horror are my two favorite genres in film and I think I have a great taste in both. I just thought this was going to blow the prequel out of the water, but it barely does that. While the prequel had one funny moment that only involved Bob Saget, this film did have a lot more. There were a few parts here and there that showed the shark fin of talent that is known as the Farrelly Bros., but then it is quickly taken away. A few memorable lines here and there don't make an entire film. They simply made Harry and Lloyd too stupid for this film. They were completely out of character and over the top. The side characters, besides Riggle, were extremely annoying and I couldn't take them seriously whatsoever. Maybe that was the intention of the Farrelly Bros., but based off their most recent shitty flicks, I don't think it was. The way it was being hyped up should be considered a crime against humanity. I fell for the hype, but really the only decent parts are in the trailer. No amount of character callbacks or reusable gags could save this film. While I'd give the prequel a 3/10, I'd only give this a 4/10. It was amazing to see Carrey and Daniels return to their old selves, but the script butchered it. If they had a good script, this could have been something amazing.