Dumb and Dumber To

I'll say this right off the bat:

I absolutely loved Dumb and Dumber. I caught it many years after it had originally released but it was fresh, funny, and stupid in the best of ways.

Recently I rewatched it and found it to be nearly as funny as the first several times I had seen it...it's truly a comedy that can stand the test of time (for the most part) and be funny in almost any language.

Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as Lloyd and Harry, respectively, really captured the hearts of many with the innocence that emerges from their stupidity. They may have been dumber than a sack of rocks, but they were generally nice guys with a lot of heart.

The first movie took them on a rather inventive adventure all the way to Aspen that was exciting, funny, and just plain fun to watch. Much of the humor was stupid, slightly ungrounded from reality, but played to perfection by Carrey and Daniels. Off the top of my head, I'm not positive what score I would give it (perhaps I will Retro Review it someday), but it was truly a comedy gem that was as unique as it was funny, much like the original Hangover film.

And, much like the original Hangover, they decided to recycle the plot from the first and put it in the second with little to no change. Unfortunately unlike The Hangover Part II, they forgot to make Dumb and Dumber To anything close to funny. Oh come on, Hangover Part II wasn't that bad!

Recycled joke #1...

Would have been funnier had the trailers not
ruined it...

It is with great sadness in my heart that I have to say, Dumb and Dumber To just isn't that funny, and quite frankly, it's a bad film. Right off the bat, Carrey and Daniels feel like they are trying too hard to recreate the characters and it makes for some stiffly acted first scenes. Eventually this wears off and we are left with an aged Harry and Lloyd, who, apparently, became incredibly misogynistic in their 20 years since we have last seen them, on top of a little mean. Whereas the first film created situations where their stupidity led to some "mean" results, the talent of masking that is gone in this one and they openly mock women left and right. Honestly, it wouldn't be that big of a deal if the jokes were funny right? I'm not one to get on my high horse and call jokes offensive or anything, but the fact of the matter is that the jokes of this nature in the film are just not funny, like so many of the others throughout it. I had a few good chuckles here and there, but these laughs were probably equivalent to some of the original film's lighter jokes. For a highly anticipated comedy sequel, my theater was often silent and both myself and other audience members seemed to be pity laughing more than anything. I heard more honest-to-God-from-the-belly laughter during some of the trailers than I did the actual film. It doesn't help that the trailers for this film ruin most of its funniest bits.

The plot of the first one was fairly unique, and I was kind of hoping for something a little less recycled this time around. It's a tad different as Harry and Lloyd set out to find Harry's daughter, but all in all it hit a lot of the same notes, with really none of the same grace. The film is entirely too long for a plot this thin (not to mention one we have seen before), and much of it could have been cut out, including many of the recycled jokes that don't match up with their original counterparts. Along for the ride is Rob Riggle in a disappointingly unfunny role (except for a few scenes) and he is really the only standout worth noting.

Funny that Riggle was in 22 Jump Street, which mocked
many of the things that this film did

I could go on and on about Dumb and Dumber To but I really won't as it's pretty sad to me that this big of an opportunity was wasted for this cheap effort at a quick buck. Dumb and Dumber To is disconnected not only from what's funny, but from what made it and these characters so special in the first place. Others might find it funnier than I, but it pains me to say that not only is it a far cry from the original in just about every way, shape, and form, it's probably the worst movie I've seen at the theaters this year.

Add a "Beyond Disappointed" to the end of the score down there...

CONS:

• The jokes are just not funny. There is something really off with the way that this film was written because the Harry and Lloyd of this film are very different, and much less likable than the ones we knew
• Too many jokes about women, all of which aren't that funny
• Some scenes it feels like a different film series as it completely escapes reality
• Unoriginal and recycled plot that really never comes full circle
• Overly long
• The trailers ruined what would have been some of the film's highlights
• I heard talk about cameos. Was Honey Boo Boo's mother supposed to be the "big one"? Oops, *Spoiler Alert*! 
• Takes Carrey and Daniels some time to get back into character
• Here at Rath's Reviews being a "massive disappointment" really hurts your final score

PROS:

• There are a handful of funny scenes with a couple decent laughs
• Carrey and Daniels do have some great chemistry and at times, it's just good to see these characters again

Rath's Review Score: 3/10