Dumb and Dumber To

Director: Bobby Farrelly & Peter Farrelly
Screenplay: Sean Anders & John Morris and Peter Farrelly & Bobby Farrelly & Bennett Yellin & Mike Cerrone (based on character created by Bennett Yellin & Peter Farrelly & Bobby Farrelly)
Stars: Jim Carrey (Lloyd Christmas), Jeff Daniels (Harry Dunne), Rob Riggle (Travis / Captain Lippincott), Laurie Holden (Adele), Rachel Melvin (Penny), Steve Tom (Dr. Pinchelow), Don Lake (Dr. Meldmann), Patricia French (Ms. Sourpuss), Kathleen Turner (Fraida FelcherBill Murray (Ice Pick), Tembi Locke (Dr. Walcott), Paul Blackthorne (Dr. Meldman), Brady Bluhm (Billy), Eddie Shin (Gordy), Tommy Snider (Tom)
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Year of Release: 2014
Country: U.S.
Dumb and Dumber To Blu-ray
Dumb and Dumber ToThere had been rumors for years, but I don’t think that anyone ever realistically thought that Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels would reunite with the Farrelly Brothers to produce a sequel to Dumb and Dumber (1994), their Clinton-era hit about two affable morons trying to return a briefcase full of money. That film marked a seminal moment for Carrey, who was in the process of fully solidifying his rubber-faced stardom following his breakout in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1993) and The Mask (1994). Jeff Daniels, ever the consummate character actor, was simply illustrating that he could play literally any role put in front of him (the previous year he had played a Civil War general in Gettysburg). It also marked the emergence of Peter and Bobby Farrelly, who used their writing/directing debut to illustrate that the art of the gross-out comedy need not be completely divorced from recognizable humanity, something they would perfect and never quite equal four years later in There’s Something About Mary (1998).

Given that the careers of Carrey and the Farrellys in the ensuing 21 years have been something of a rollercoaster ride of hits and failures and a lot in-between, the very existence of Dumber and Dumber To carries with it a whiff of desperation, as if retreading previous ground will bring them back to the heights they enjoyed at the end of the 1990s. But, for those who loved the original, there is something very nearly magical about seeing Carrey and Daniels reprise their roles as Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, the lovably imbecilic best buds who demonstrate their affection for each other primarily via outlandishly inappropriate practical jokes. Thus, it is not surprising that the film opens with Lloyd revealing that his 20-year stint in a mental institution has been nothing more than an elaborate put-on to fool his best friend, who is as dim as Lloyd is about the consequences of having thrown away the best years of his life in the service of something so pointless.

But, pointless is the name of the game with Harry and Lloyd, who soon find themselves on another road odyssey (thus replicating the narrative structure of the first movie) when Harry, who is suffering from kidney disease, reads a much belated postcard informing him that he is the father of a now 22-year-old girl named Penny (Rachel Melvin), who may be able to provide him with a donor kidney. The girl’s mother, Fraida Felcher (Kathleen Turner), informs him that she gave the girl up for adoption, and Harry and Lloyd manage to track her back to her adoptive parents, a wealthy scientist (Steve Tom) and his scheming second wife (Laurie Holden), who is in cahoots with their yardman (Rob Riggle) to poison him and steal all his money. Thus, as with Dumb and Dumber, part of the film’s pleasure lies in Harry and Lloyd’s blissful lack of awareness of the intricate and nefarious plotting unfolding around them. Their survival more often than not hinges entire on dumb luck, as it were (the sudden arrival of a train in one scene being a perfectly timed deus ex machina).

For what it’s worth, Carrey and Daniels are both game in replaying their roles, although their more advanced age takes some of the fun out of their obliviousness (at one point does stupidity at this level simply become sad?). Carrey once again mines Lloyd’s misguided deviousness and misplaced bravado, while Daniels plays the exasperated straight man always striving and failing to fit in. If Dumb and Dumber To works on any kind of emotional level, it is because we recognize Harry and Lloyd for what they are: consummate outsiders who make it only because they have each other, a gambit the film’s non-Farrelly-involved prequel Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003) completely failed to exploit a dozen years ago. There is a lot that is overly familiar here, and not just because the film so willfully follows up with gags from the first film (including that poor blind kind with the decapitated parrot), but it doesn’t keep it from being funny enough to pass as a worthwhile diversion—hardly worth waiting two decades for, but still nice to have around in its own way.

Dumb and Dumber To Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD

Aspect Ratio1.85:1
Audio
  • English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround
  • English Dolby Digital 2.0 surround
  • Castilian Spanish DTS 5.1 surround
  • L.A. Spanish DTS 5.1 surround
  • French Canadian DTS 5.1 surround
  • German DTS 5.1 surround
  • SubtitlesEnglish, Spanish, French, German
    Supplements
  • That’s Awesome! The Story of Dumb and Dumber To making-of documentary
  • “What’s So Smart About Dumb and Dumber To?” featurette
  • Alternate opening
  • Deleted and extended scenes
  • Gag reel
  • DistributorUniversal Home Entertainment
    SRP$34.98
    Release DateFebruary 17, 2015

    VIDEO
    Dumb and Dumber To looks quite good in its 1080p/AVC-encode. The film was shot digitally on the Arri Alexa, and the resulting image definitely has a digital sheen to it. The image is very sharp throughout, with strong detail and contrast (most of the film takes place in bright sunlight or well-lit interiors, although there are some darker scenes that boast solid blacks and good shadow detail). Colors really pop throughout, giving the film an almost comic book-like feel. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-surround soundtrack does its job admirably, keeping dialogue clear in the front soundstage while utilizing the surround channels effectively for environmental sounds and the occasional jokes (such as when Harry and Lloyd surprise someone by suddenly appearing from either side of the screen). The various songs on the soundtrack, which are usually used for transitional purposes, sound good, although the volume difference from the rest of the film feels a tad high.
    SUPPLEMENTS
    That’s Awesome!–The Story Of Dumb and Dumber To is a 45-minute making-of documentary that is, in some ways, more fun that the film itself. It is actually a compilation of six featurettes—“‘I Like it a Lot’–The Beginning,” “‘Gotcha’–The Cast,” “‘That’s Insane!’–The Cameos,” “‘We’re Gunna Need Some Wheels’–The Cars,” “‘That’s Commitment!’–The Stunts,” and “‘There’s No Diamonds In Her’–The Editorial”—each of which looks at a different aspect of the production. They include interviews with all the main participants, including co-writers/directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly, actors Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Kathleen Turner, Rob Riggle, and others, and a number of producers and technicians, as well as a bunch of long-time fans of the original movie. The main thing you take away from the doc is that making the film was a lot of fun. Another included featurette is “What’s So Smart about Dumb and Dumber To?,” in which film’s cast and crew and the author of Psychology for Dummies talk about the pleasures of getting dumb. Also included is a gag reel (a shock, I know), about 13 minutes worth of deleted and extended scenes, and a very misleadingly titled “alternate opening,” which is basically exactly the same as the opening in the film except for an additional joke tacked onto the end of the catheter-pulling gag.

    Copyright ©2015 James Kendrick

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    All images copyright © Universal Home Entertainment



    Overall Rating: (2.5)




    James Kendrick

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