All Rise...

Judge Patrick Naugle's IQ is too high for this crap.

The Charge

Stupid is as stupid does.

The Case

After Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey, The Truman Show) pulls a twenty year long prank on his best friend Harry Dunn (Jeff Daniels, Terms of Endearment) by pretending to be comatose, the twosome are reunited just as Harry drops a bomb that he's in need of a new kidney. The two fools find out that Harry had a daughter, Penny (Rachel Melvin, Zombeavers), that he'd never met before from a 1991 affair with Fraida (Kathleen Turner, Who Framed Roger Rabbit). Penny is Harry's only chance at finding a matching donor for his kidney issue. With Fraida's help, the twosome take a road trip to find Penny and maybe get a new lease on life, if they can avoid Penny's scheming stepmother Adele (Laurie Holden, The Walking Dead) and her lackey, Travis (Rob Riggle, The Hangover).

I suppose if Weekend at Bernie's can garner a follow-up, anything is truly possible. The original Dumb and Dumber is considered a comedy classic, although I'm not one of those who celebrates its merits. I saw the film in theaters and found it just slightly funnier than Jim Carrey's Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, which is hands down one of the least funniest movies I've ever had the displeasure of sitting through. Dumb and Dumber had a few humorous moments but was hardly a great comedy. But, a lot of other movie fans disagree (I recognize that comedy is subjective) and the film is oft quoted, usually in dorm rooms with cases of Coors Light on the floor. Twenty years later and Universal decided that a sequel was in order, totally ignoring the horrible 2003 prequel, Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd. Thus, Dumb and Dumber To was unleashed to theaters and became a success even if critics weren't quite so impressed.

Lightning does not strike twice with Dumb and Dumber To. First of all, let's address the elephant in the room: Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels have aged. A lot. To the point where their ridiculous antics come off more as creepy than amusing. Two 50+ year old men acting like complete idiots is just kind of sad (see: Jerry Lewis). Certainly I can't fault Carrey and Daniels for giving it their all to recapture whatever magic they found with Harry and Lloyd. Jim Carrey spends a lot of time making faces and noises, hoping to amuse viewers by just acting like a complete idiot. Daniels looks like he's pushing 70, which is just way too old to be pulling a catheter out of a another man's penis. Not surprisingly, the film mixes in older actors with newer talent. Joining Carrey and Daniels are comedian Rob Riggle in dual roles (neither of which utilize the actor's talents very well), Laurie Holden as the cold hearted Adele, and an always welcome Kathleen Turner as one of Harry's previous flings. The screenplay doesn't give these actors much to do, which is a shame considering how talented and fun these actors can be with the right material.

Much of Dumb and Dumber To falls on deaf ears because times and comedy styles have changed; what played as hysterical in the mid '90s looks outdated and antiquated by today's standards. The Farrelly brothers—creators of the original—try hard to keep the laughs going but can't sustain the humor because it feels so repetitive, often recycling gags from the first film. Shockingly, the screenplay is credit to not one, not two, but six writers (including directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly). There are some amusing lines peppered throughout ("Can I ask you a question? Does the doctor has Aspergers?" "Probably—he doesn't really wipe very well."), but a majority of the dialogue lands with a thud. A very loud, sad thud.

Universal's Dumb and Dumber To (Blu-ray) is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen in 1080p high definition. This Universal title looks nearly perfect with solid black levels and bright bold colors. The image is clean and crisp without any defects marring the image. In short, fans will be thrilled with how great this image looks. The soundtrack is presented in DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio in English, French, German, and Spanish. This is a rather aggressive audio mix that has a fair amount of surround sounds and pop songs distributed throughout the mix. Also included on this disc are German, French, Spanish, and English subtitles.

Extra features include an alternate opening to the film, some deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, and a couple of featurettes ("That's Awesome! The Story of Dumb and Dumber To," "What's so Smart about Dumb and Dumber To") on the making of the film. Also included are DVD and digital copies.

I suppose if you enjoyed the original Dumb and Dumber, you may get a kick out of this. I won't pretend I didn't laugh a few times, but those times were few and far between. There are a of moments where it tries to copy the jokes from the original film—and everyone knows that a copy is never even half as good as the original.

The Verdict

Lives up to its billing.

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