Dumb and Dumber

[StevePulaski]

Harry (Daniels) and Lloyd (Carrey) are both dumb as can be in Dumb and Dumber.

Rating: ★★½

Dumb and Dumber is one of those films I watched when I was a kid. I watched it up until Lloyd was daydreaming at the wheel of the car about his dreamgirl, Mary and then shut it off. I liked it up until the state of events about the bumbling crooks, the suitcase full of money, etc. I didn't want the film to be about that. I wanted it to be about two idiots getting into trouble. Not all this serious crap going on.

Now that it's been about eight years since I've seen it, I appreciate the film a bit more now. The first forty five minutes of the film are very entertaining and very funny. I laughed a lot in that time frame. Then once the film gets more and more about the crooks, and less about the antics of the two goofball leads I started to care less and less about the outcome.

The plot: Lloyd (Carrey) and Harry (Daniels) are two slackers who are trying to save enough money to go into business selling worm related novelties and "worm-farms." Lloyd is a limo driver, and Harry is a dog-groomer. One day, while taxiing a beautiful women to the airport (Holly), Lloyd noticed she leaves a suitcase on the ground (purposely). The suitcase was left for two henchman to have. Lloyd swoops in and retrieves the case much to the dismay of the henchman who now believe Lloyd works for someone who is planning to disrupt their plan.

Lloyd and Harry aren't aware that they are prey to two dangerous henchman, so they now go on a trip from Rhode Island to Aspen to give the beautiful women her suitcase back. Which obviously leads to slapsticky antics by both of the leads.

The jokes are hit or miss, but there are scenes like at the diner and when the guys get pulled over that I can help but laugh at. They are right up my alley those kind of scenes. My favorite line in the film is when Harry and Lloyd go to Nebraska instead of Aspen. Both are expecting to see The Rocky Mountains, but seeing Nebraska is flat as a board Jim Carrey states "John Denver is full of s**t, man!" Had me laughing out loud for minutes. Both Carrey and Daniels give surprisingly great performances. I say surprisingly because I'm rather not too fond of Jim Carrey because in many of his films he seems to be off his own medicine, or just running around like a dumbass for ninety minutes. In this film he does a rather humorous role, and is actually a pleasure to have on screen.

I would give this film a better review it had been about the two trying to start their own business. I'm rather not too fond of the film's plot because I don't care about the goofs trying to flee from thugs. The whole joke is that they don't know they're prey, and are pretty much going with the flow on the whole trip. If the film would've played like a better comedy instead of throwing this ho-hum plot at us maybe I would've appreciated it more.

Dumb and Dumber is good slapstick material, but it doesn't compete to slapstick gold like Tommy Boy and Black Sheep. Black Sheep is one of my favorite films, and has one of my favorite actors in it too, Chris Farley obviously. Dumb and Dumber was said to put The Farrelly Brothers on the map. This was followed by films like Me, Myself & Irene and There's Something About Mary. Who would've thought that a movie about two dopes would've gave two brothers a successful career. That is so dumb, fo' real.

Starring: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, and Lauren Holly. Directed by: Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly.