Dumb and Dumber To (4/10): The Farrelly brothers unsuccessful attempt of recreating their success after 20 years

“There he is again. Almost two decades and he still comes.”

It’s been 20 years since the Farrelly brothers directed the cult hit comedy Dumb and Dumber starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. I was a huge fan of the original film, as well as pretty much every comedy Jim Carrey starred in the 90’s. I don’t know if my sense of humor has changed, but this sequel didn’t work for me at all despite having a very similar structure and familiar gags. I’ve actually not been a fan of the Farrelly’s recent work either, but I still had high hopes for this sequel because I knew the chemistry between Carrey and Daniels couldn’t go wrong. I guess I was wrong because despite some very funny moments the film never worked for me and I found most of the jokes repetitive and at times offensive. I know the original film didn’t have a memorable plot, but it still worked thanks to the original crude jokes and a fantastic chemistry from the two leads. This time the formula is repeated, but without that unique quality and with only flashes of what once was a great pairing of two talented actors. There are still some funny moments scattered throughout its 110 minute run time, but it never lives up to the high standards set by the original. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels are really committed to the material once again delivering hyperactive physical comedy, but unfortunately it is a bit outdated. There are much more misses than hits in this highly anticipated sequel and most of the hits are induced by the nostalgia from the original. In short, Dumb and Dumber To lacks its freshness.

I’m really having a hard time finding things to say about this uninspired comedy because there really wasn’t much thought put into it. There are some great scenes and funny moments with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. I’d be lying if I told you I was silent throughout the entire film because I did laugh several times. Carrey and Daniels are great together, but I didn’t really find the material interesting this time. There are also some great cameos (one I really didn’t recognize until I read the spoiler section in the IMDB page). I still don’t understand how they got Kathleen Turner to star in this film, but she did have some funny scenes. I didn’t really find Rachel Melvin all that funny in this film, but a lot of the blame can be given to the poor script (which is credited between six people including the Farrelly brothers themselves).The sequel also refers to the original in several occasions which actually hurt the film because we are constantly comparing it to the way the original made us feel. Dumb and Dumber To feels like a lazy comedy with many recycled gags which is why I found the pacing sort of torturous as it approached the two hour mark.