I didn’t expect this film to be as good as the first or even a very good movie, but I wasn’t expecting it to be this outright bad either…
What Works: Did you like the trailer? Because all the funniest parts are in the trailer. I’d say about 90 percent of the jokes that actually made me laugh I’ve already seen in TV spots or clips. Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey do everything they can with this material, but the supporting cast is undistinguished. [Remember that supposed Jennifer Lawrence cameo? Well it’s not in the movie, she reportedly had it pulled from the film and I can’t really blame her. And for some reason I thought they got Emma Stone to play Harry’s daughter, but it’s just a lookalike.]
What Doesn’t: I have to put the blame for this movie squarely on the shoulders of Peter and Bobby Farrelly, who directed and co-wrote the film. There’s not a joke in this movie that doesn’t go on for 5 seconds too long, or a scene that wouldn’t have benefited enormously from being trimmed. Comedy is all about timing, and they keep letting scenes grow lifeless and overlong with punchlines that turn sour after being left out in the sun too long. This film is once again polluted with the drab energy and gray tones the Farrelly Brothers have let hijack their style over the years (since when does El Paso look like Nebraska?). It’s been over 15 years since they made There’s Something About Mary, and whatever it is they once had, they don’t anymore.
They also want this movie to play like a bizarre greatest-hits rehash of the first film: both films feature Harry and Loyd going on a road trip to give a package to a woman they care about; both films feature a criminal element that is covertly close to the central woman, and that goes undercover to kill Harry and Loyd; both films feature a surprise death of a criminal before they get to their destination; both films feature a strange fascination with killing the beloved birds of a blind person, etc. Oh, and the end credits show clips from both this movie and the original in an unintentionally dumb decision that seems to be saying “Hey, remember the first movie? Remember how much fun you had with that one? Too bad this one isn’t half as good.”
What I Would Have Done Differently: If I wanted to watch an exact replica of Dumb and Dumber that isn’t as good as the one in my memory I would have stayed home and watched the original. I can understand the temptation for all involved to want to make a sequel—lord knows Jim Carrey needs a hit almost as bad as the Farrellys—but I don’t see this really changing the direction anyone’s career is headed in.