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Dumb and Dumber To (2014), PG-13, ★1/2

Carrey and Daniels reunited again as Harry and Lloyd.
Remember those two guys in that photograph, maybe 20 years ago? That's the same duo who helped made, that some say, one of the most hilarious comedies of all time. Dumb and Dumber is a film I saw twice that the first time I did laugh but I did not quite understand the irreverent satire. The second time I laughed and I just went with the flow, but I do not really consider that movie to be one of my favorite comedies of all time. I just had a good time. How did this same team do 20 years later? Well, after a promising start, time goes by quick, but sequels go by real slowly especially when you are seeing a very disappointing comedy sequel.

Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) has been in a mental hospital for 20 years and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) has spent 20 years visiting him. Harry changes Lloyd's waste bag and Lloyd mutters that he has been suffering from a medical condition (like we did not know that from the location). Lloyd wants to tell Harry something but he pranks him and decides to leave with him but he needed help taking out his catheter by asking two gardeners.

When Harry brings back Lloyd to his apartment, they both get re-acquainted with people and a cat that they need to go over with, including a person named Ice Pick (Bill Murray), who makes crystal meth. He sits Lloyd down, and Lloyd tells Pick about his issues with his kidneys and Pick replies that he needs a donor soon.

When the two goes to Harry's house when he finds out from his foster parents who are Asian that well, he was adopted and they provide him with stacked mail that is outdated since 1991. He finds out that Fraida, his old girlfriend, tells Harry in a letter that she is a pregnant and she needs him to contact her. The two track Fraida (Kathleen Turner) who is older and she announces that she gave up her daughter, Fanny, for adoption and has regretted it since. With no hope, Harry gives up but Fraida shows the two guys the picture of their daughter who is significantly attractive and Lloyd has "the hots" for her. And, the quest to find Harry's daughter begins...

Um, ok. Funny.
I was tonally confused by this film because it mixes family drama with irreverent comedic jokes and satire that tries to progress this film. It's very disappointing that the film solely relies on the two very talented actors reciting silly, but dumb dialogue and making jokes. As the film starts out promisingly, I thought it was going to be a real treat. However, with this idiotic action plot of killing the two guys, it gets duller and more exhausting. It felt like they should've rewrite the whole remainder of the film and left the first 15 minutes alone.

Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey do what they can with the lackadaisical script and some jokes work and some do not. It's almost like a bad Saturday Night Live skit with bad production values. The joke with Lloyd putting his hand into an old woman's nightgown to find diamonds is just weak and not funny. It would have worked in a raunchy R-rated film, but I was in utter disbelief. Rob Riggle does not provide any laughs and Kathleen Turner is basically cast just to be humiliated.

As I said earlier, it starts out well and has some funny jokes here and there but the film is inconsistent in terms of tone, storytelling and pacing. The Farrelly Brothers have not made a good movie since Shallow Hal. I'll admit Fever Pitch had great chemistry does not take off and gets predictable immediately. But, this movie, I was very disappointed, because of the amount of talent that is in the casting and they do not do anything remotely funny with them. I chuckled and laughed, but did not laugh-out-loud. I think they should watch the first film, Kingpin and There's Something About Mary to really come back to their raunchy comic ways. It's almost complete disaster and I emphasize almost, otherwise, it would have been one of my worst films of the year. Well, we'll see in December.

*1/2

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