Dumb and Dumber To

This movie surprised me. I didn't see the original film in its entirety until I was about to see this show and I think that helped make "Dumb and Dumber To" a lot of fun to watch. The trailer didn't seem like anything special but it was perfect because it left out all the best humor. I don't know what other critics have a problem with. If I thought the first movie had way too many funny moments to point out, this film has twice as much. The Farrelly brothers are in the directors' chairs once again and the cap is off the tooth! Let's laugh!

The story this time feels less nonsensical because the guys have a back-story. One aspect that I enjoyed was the references to the first film, both obvious and subtle. Harry and Lloyd's apartment has the same poster as one example. Once the old dog van appears, I got excited until...well...it was good while it lasted. Jim Carrey really sells the James Bond gags. I love the scene when the guys arrive at the first address on the envelope. The music helps to pull the wall over our eyes in order to set us up for the joke. On the first movie, the road trip felt a lot more believable. The trip to El Paso in this movie didn't feel all that far unfortunately. This time we get two dream sequences. Lloyd's has a fight just like in the last movie so that is fun. Travis' death was priceless and just like other jokes in this sequel, it was set up really well. Penny is a great character. She is dumb just like the guys but a different kind of dumb. She is an exaggerated form of some teenage girls we see on TV and other movies. Just like with the first film, you don't know how the guys are going to get out of this adventure. Along with the characters on screen, I also fell for the FBI's cover. I think there are many reason as to why this sequel is better than its predecessor. The original film was the Farrelly brothers' first ever movie so maybe they have more experience twenty years later. More writers on this show could have made for more gags. There is the nostalgia factor or the fact that the original film left potential for a sequel. In addition, the comedy felt slightly less raunchy for some reason. Maybe its because today comedy's are a lot worse than those from the 90's. A final possible explanation as to why I liked this film more than the original was that Jeff Daniels was funnier this time around

Both Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels slipped perfectly right back into their characters. Carrey appears to have aged only ten years. Even though Daniels is almost 60 now, he was able to take the character and effectively account for the increase in years while still using an impressive amount of energy. I was hoping that the same actor played Billy in 4C and I was happy to learn confirm that fact after the movie was over. Here is something that will blow your mind: Kathleen Turner, was plays Fraida, is the voice of Jessica Rabbit on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". Oh, did that not blow your mind? Well, what if I told you that Harry's new roomate was played by the great Bill Murray? Boom. I wish I had stayed to see the scene after the end credits. That was dumb. Here's a hint: saltshaker. When the studio had little enthusiasm for this sequel before production began, Carrey bailed and Daniels would not return without Carrey. That seemed to create some needed enthusiasm apparently and Carrey came back.

The reason I rate this film higher than some other Jim Carrey comedies (even though they may be funnier such as "Ace Ventura") was that the story of "Dumb and Dumber To" was better written and the gags were plentiful. Everything felt original and the show was well executed. I had a great time.

4 Stars