DUMB AND DUMBER TO (2014)

Directed By: Bobby Farelly & Peter Farrelly 
Written By: Bobby Farelly, Peter Farrelly, Sean Anders, John Morris, Mike Cerrone & Bennett Yellin 
Cinematography By: Matthew F. Leonetti 
Editor: Steven Rasch 


Cast: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Kathleen Turner, Rob Riggle, Laurie Holden, Rachel Melvin, Don Lake, Steve Tom

It's been 20 years and Harry Dunn has found something out - he has a daughter! Lloyd Christmas, his equally dim-witted friend, takes one look at a picture of her, develops a crush, and insists the two track her down. What ensues when Harry finally agrees is a bizarre encounter with an old lady and more hilarity because of their sheer stupidity.

Now while I will admit the first film is one of my laugh out loud comedic favorites. I knew once I began seeing the trailers this would be disappointing.

Now having watched it, it's not as bad as I would think. It actually had me laughing out of pure silliness rather than jokes. As with most Farrelly brother films. They all have a certain nasty charm. Where we shouldn't like the film or most of it's character by the end they have won us over, it might even be by exhausting our defended until we give in.

The Farrelly brothers early comedies seem to all be on point. Then they reached critical mass with THERE's something about Mary. After that they seemed to try and repeat that success hard by soon making their films less well structured comedically and more about shocking and gross out gags. These films seemed to diminish on quality. Though against hey all had this aw shucks charm that they tried to relate and would land. Maybe it is their tendency to have so many writers on a project that they seem to go all over the place and have so many different tones.

With this film though it is familiar and gross at times. They seem to have slowed and softened a bit. Letting the film not be all I out shock and grossness. Unless I have just gotten used to their films. It seems here while more about jokes and keeping a comedic spirit. It also seems like they are trying. Even if half the gags feel flat or like nothing new.

It's a nice follow up, but even with the same characters and actors still seems to not measure up to the original. The original seemed more focused in it’s agenda. Here it seems like a bunch of made up gags while needing the characters to get from point A to point B.

It is nice to see Kathleen turner on the big screen again and in a more comedic role then she has been in, in awhile.

After all these years Jeff Daniels actually seems to good for his role here. He full commits and seems to be having fun, but recently as he has been in more dramatic roles or smarter comedic roles it feels like a backslide it makes him feel less believable in the role that we remember him in.

Jeff Daniels won his first Emmy award the night before production began.

Jim Carrey of course is over the top and fully commits and is all over the place. Though somehow his mad antics don't add up to the demented joy that he bring to the role in the original. Maybe we as an audience are so used to his hijinks that if hems not going. Above and beyond it seems fun yet typical?

The films story is predictable, though the surprises are more in the comedy and how they get to the punchlines. Even if at times it makes no sense.

Now, no matter what I am usually a fan of Farrelly brother comedies. As even at their worse I can find something nice to say or admire about the films they make and are involved in. Even MOVIE 43 which i will just say was a good idea and bad follow through. Not entirely their faults. Here the film seems like most of their recent output. It's ok at a base level. Yet never rises above ok. Especially as sequels are supposed to be bigger. Usually trying to be better hey come off as the same or below. Here of course it's not as good, but it also seems like little effort or fanfare was made when it comes to story, characters or gags. Almost feels randomly inspired. Like they were at the locations and then thought what can we do now, here.

Considering their last few films like HALL PASS and the remake of THE HEARTBREAK KID. It is kind of a relief that this film in sexually clean and chaste. Next to those films as this is aimed more at a teen audience then anything else.

If you are a completist and huge fan of the original. You might find some laughs and enjoyment here. It just seems like the spirit of the film was taken or that no one had as much energy as they had with the previous film. As before they seemed to enjoy trying to prove something. Here they already have success. It's like a reunion tour only with some familiar hits, but a bunch of new material. That they act liens are gifts. As they will be new classics. Unfortunately they play more like filler.


GRADE: C-