If you were to sit down and think about movies from the past twenty years that you would like to see a sequel to, what movies would be on that list? Films like “Elf” or “Independence Day” may come to mind. There are some stories you might not care about where they go, you may have seen all there is to see. The good and bad news is, even when sometimes don’t want something, someone gives it to you anyway, you just hope it will not tarnish the thing you might have loved.
In 1994 we were introduced to Peter and Bobby Farrelly, who brought us Lloyd and Harry, or as you might know them as, “Dumb and Dumber”. There was something about the sophomoric humor and watching two complete idiots navigate a cross-country trip that made you laugh, and laugh a lot. Twenty years have passed and Lloyd (Jim Carrey) has been at a long-term facility, where Harry (Jeff Daniels) has been visiting him every day. When Harry tells Lloyd that he can no long visit, Lloyd shocks him by telling him he was pulling a practical joke on him the whole time. Harry is not mad, he thinks it is awesome, and the two boyhood friends pick up like nothing has happened. When Harry returns home and finds a postcard from twenty years ago telling him that his is going to be a father, Lloyd and Harry decide to seek out the author of the postcard named Fraida Felcher, who informs them that she had given the child up for adoption. Not wanting to be swayed from their quest, Lloyd and Harry hit the road yet again, where everything that can happen, does, all to find Harry’s daughter.
Boy have things changed in twenty years for comedies. In 1994 Jim Carrey was just another comedian trying to make it big, and Jeff Daniels was starting to make a name for himself. In 2014 both have had their success, and in some cases misses, so what better time to revisit the film that started their ride to the top. That is great for them to be able to do that, but real bad for us. If like me, you found the first film hilarious and original, it is very difficult to watch something you enjoy destroy the good memories you had. I found nothing redeeming in this film, and even less funny, even after the credits rolled I was wondering if my humor changed since the last “Dumb”, or is this just not funny period? I think it is a little of both, there will be plenty of people who find humor in the further adventures of Lloyd and Harry, unfortunately, even though I wanted to, I am not one of those people. All I could do was picture Daniels as Will McAvoy from “Newsroom” and ask what happened to “funny” Jim Carrey. For a film that had been delayed because they couldn’t find the right story, it makes you wonder what ideas were rejected after you see what ended up on screen. This film has no passion behind it, and has the feeling that some involved are trying to recapture magic that they have lost. Instead it makes you wonder if this is the end of funny for the filmmakers, and makes you think that it was a dumb idea to spend any money on what so few people wanted to see in the first place.
Brian Taylor
