Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? Yes.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Sure.
Secret ending? Yes.
Running time: 110 minutes (~2 hours)
“Dumb and Dumber To” is a comedy about the hijinks of two dimwitted friends with the most incredible luck. It is the sequel to “Dumb and Dumber,” which debuted in 1994. It stars Jim Carrey (Lloyd Christmas), Jeff Daniels (Harry Dunne), Laurie Holden (Adele Pinchelow), Kathleen Turner (Fraida Felcher), and Rob Riggie (Travis/Captain Lippincott).
It’s amazing that “Dumb and Dumber To” finally got made after 20 years, seeing as which the generation that watched it has probably moved on into a different phase of life (and might not be keen on this type of movie any more). But not to fear – the protagonists of “Dumb and Dumber To” have also aged and are now on a quest for Harry’s daughter! Whether they’ve grown up or not is another matter altogether.
Regardless, it’s still a pretty good film in its own right, and you don’t have to be old enough to have caught the original “Dumb and Dumber” to enjoy the humour in this film.
Highlights
Humour appeals on different levels
What was really impressive was the array of different jokes in the film – it’s not all just visual gags and slapstick. They use puns, irony, intellectual jokes, and often the jokes can be set up in Act One and paid off in Act Three – no mean feat indeed for the amount of laughs in the film! Many of the joke are grounded in the characters of Harry and Lloyd, rather than being situation specific. And the movie doesn’t belabour any of the jokes – if you don’t get it, the film quickly moves on to the next joke.
A fast-paced plot
The plot is definitely smarter than the characters. That being said, there’s never a slow moment in “Dumb and Dumber To” – the characters are constantly jostling from one location to another in search of Harry’s daughter. The best part about the script is that the characters move the plot forward, not the other way around. It’s Harry and Lloyd’s intelligence (or lack of it thereof) that propels the story, and serves to highlight just how special they are – nobody with average intelligence would ever get into the kind of situations they have.
Harry and Lloyd’s friendship
Despite their constant attempts to outdo each other, Harry and Lloyd are quite endearing because of their sheer loyalty towards each other. You’d think that their ineptitude and incompetence would make them a pain to watch, right? On the contrary, it’s their creativity and sincerity, in spite of their handicapped IQs, that show you they truly mean well. The lengths they would go to for each other is the heart which underscores the entire premise of the show.
Letdowns
Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels really show their age
No amount of make up can hide the fact that both lead actors have aged visibly in twenty years. It shows up particularly in the flashbacks, and is particularly jarring if you’ve watched the first movie. It just stretches your suspension of disbelief, that two men this old could still have maturity of ten-year-olds.
“Dumb and Dumber To” is a surprisingly good comedy, and the level of toilet humour is low enough to earn it a PG13 rating. It appeals to all ages thanks to its comic range, and is definitely worth watching if you’d like your funny bone tickled every which way.
This review was also published on Yahoo Movies Singapore.
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