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are really committed to the material once again delivering hyperactive physical comedy, but unfortunately it is a bit outdated.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.   

My Review: The Three Stooges (5/10)

¨Will work for $830,000, no job too small. We'll pres your shirts. We'll shine your shoes. We'll raid your fridge and drink your booze.¨

The Three Stooges were the kings of slapstick comedy during the early 30`s and continued to have success until the 60`s. They were amongst the greatest comedians in early film history along with Charles Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy, and Buster Keaton who all wrote the book on this genre of film. The Farrelly brothers were also huge fans of the trio so they decided to make an original film in homage to the kings of knucklehead comedies. Fans of the Stooges might be impressed, I on the other hand didn`t find the film all that hilarious. I laughed at very few scenes, although I did admire some of the wit. The problem is that I was familiar with most of the gags and I find it hard to laugh at a same joke twice. I wasn`t really a fan of the original Three Stooges, but I still admired their work. If anything works in this film it`s the addition of the Jersey Shore cast to remind us how terrible television has gotten, and how far away we are from the early years where truly talented actors dominated the screen. Nowadays, with reality television no particular talent is needed and Jersey Shore is proof of that. Seeing the Three Stooges interact with the reality cast was a reminder of this. The cast was pretty good, although none of the actors are real film stars: Sean Hayes is known for his work in Will and Grace, Will Sasso for MadTV, Jane Lynch for Glee, Larry David for Seinfeld, and Sofia Vergara for Modern Family. They were funny and reminded us that some TV series actually do work and we don`t have to fall for all those reality television stars.

Larry (Sean Hayes), Curly (Will Sasso), and Moe (Chris Diamantopoulos) grow up in an Orphanage run by Mother Superior (Jane Lynch). At first the nuns were excited about the arrival of the triplet babies, but when the film moves ten years forward none of them want anything to do with the kids. They mean trouble and no one can handle them, especially Sister Mary-Mengele (Larry David) who wants to call it quits. They design a plan to get the boys adopted, but no one ever chooses them. The movie then jumps 25 years forward where we see the Stooges as grown men still living in the Orphanage working in Maintenance. Mother Superior, Sister Mary-Mengele, and Sister Rosemary (Jennifer Hudson) are still there as well and ironically haven’t aged one bit. Things change for the Stooges when Monsignor Ratliffe (Brian Doyle-Murray) arrives to deliver the bad news: There is no money to finance the orphanage any more, if they don’t come up with 830,000 thousand dollars in a month they will lose it. That is when the three stooges go on a mission to raise the money and save the place. For the first time in their lives, Larry, Curly, and Moe set their foot in society and have no clue as to how to raise the money, but their lives change when they meet Lydia (Sofia Vergara) who offers them the money if they kill her husband. All sort of misunderstandings take place as the three stooges try to find a way to save their beloved orphanage.

The Farrelly brothers’ comedy, There is Something About Mary, changed modern comedies in the 90`s. It was one of my favorite comedies at the time and many comedies have been shaped by it ever since. Unfortunately, the Farrelly brothers haven’t been able to match the success of that film and have been on a downhill slope since then. The Three Stooges had some hilarious moments, but unfortunately the great jokes were too spread out apart and mixed with some terrible scenes that didn’t work and killed the momentum (for instance the baby diaper changing scene). It was unfortunate because the cast was pretty good. The three actors who played the stooges had the physical appearance of the original ones and really gave funny performances. The problem I have with these slapstick comedies is that once you`ve seen one hilarious movie about the Stooges then you`ve seen them all. There is nothing new to add to the premise which always includes a lot of eye-popping, slapping, smacking each other over the head with a hammer, and so on. If you see it for the first time the gag is hilarious, but watching the same act over and over again gets old. The Three Stooges wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t a memorable comedy either. I wouldn’t recommend it, unless you are a die hard Three Stooges fan.

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