DUMB AND DUMBER TO With Its Ups And Downs!

Jeri Jacquin, Movie Maven, Dumb and Dumber To, Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Kathleen Turner, comedy

Telling it like it is folks!

Jeri Jacquin & Jenise Jacquin

In theatres this Friday from directors Bobby and Peter Farrelly is the return of Harry & Lloyd with Universal Pictures DUMB AND DUMBER TO.

It has been 20 years since audiences first met Lloyd (Jim Carrey) and Harry (Jeff Daniels)! Now, Lloyd is marinating in the funny farm and Harry has spent years visiting him. In this final visit Harry tells his best bud that he can’t visit anymore because he needs a kidney.

Lloyd comes to the rescue, not with a kidney of course but suggesting that they might ask Harry’s parents. While visiting Harry finds a postcard that changes his life – he is a father! Tracking down baby-mama Fraida Felcher (Kathleen Turner), the guys learn that Penny (Rachel Melvin) was adopted.

They take to the road to find the young girl and meet Dr. Pinchelow (Steve Tom) and wife Adele (Laurie Holden) who are surprised to meet Harry and Lloyd. But Penny is in El Paso and, along with shady handyman Travis (Rob Riggle); they take a road trip to find her.

Along the way there are side tracks, gags, and more surprises in store for Harry and Lloyd!

FINAL WORD: Carrey as Lloyd carries the comedy of the film. I expect several things from Carrey, physicality, facial funny, gags (literally), and fake fainting and I got a lot of each. If it weren’t for the above aforementioned I don’t think the film would have had the giggles it did. THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE is an example of how Carrey can have even a short stint in a film and fans love him. Carrey gives audiences what they have come to expect from him, chipped tooth and all!

Daniels as Harry was definitely the straight guy in the film. He carries the weight of the jokes and trying to be serious at times. That being said it was hard for me to see Emmy Award winning Daniels play this role. It just seems Harry’s time had passed and some things need to be left alone. I am totally in awe of his performance in cable series NEWSROOM as Will McAvoy. Honestly I just couldn’t get past it.

Riggle as Travis is fine but funnier as Cpt. Lippincott. I won’t tell you why, you’ll see for yourself – or will you?

Melvin as Penny is equally as scatterbrained as Harry and Lloyd. I must admit the scenes between she and Carrey were just not right for me. Holden as Adele gets to once again be a badass with a gun but there isn’t much more than that. Turner as Fraida has moments but she isn’t on screen as much as we might have liked. It is good to see her since the last time I did was Californication in 2009.

Other cast include: Don Lake as Dr. Meldmann, Patricia French as Ms. Sourpuss, Tembi Locke as Dr. Walcott, Paul Blackthorne as Dr. Meldman, Brady Bluhm as Billy and Eddie Shin as Gordy.

TUBS OF POPCORN: I give DUMB AND DUMBER TO three tubs of popcorn out of five. It’s with a heavy heart that I say I truly wish this had been funnier. I think fans will be happy with the offering but I don’t believe it’s worth the price of admission. The jokes are fairly straight forward and the routines a little dated.

So here is my quandary - Carrey brought everything to the film that I wanted and expected from him and made me laugh but Daniels did just the opposite. You can’t have Lloyd without Harry so perhaps it’s taking the good with the not so good yet it’s not so good in not a bad way – you follow?

The trailers give a pretty good sum up of the film which is why I don’t understand trailers anymore. If you want someone to see a film, how about you not give away everything and show the funniest stuff.

Jenise, aka Film Brat: I’m a long time Jim Carrey fan which is what motivated me to give the film a look-see. I think the film will do find but the humor is left over from the original film. Carrey is still the same ole Carrey who doesn’t disappoint. I agree with Maven that Daniels’ role is just too late. Not an awful performance, just an unnecessary one. Melvin’s Penny dim-witted character wasn’t believable on any level and the scene with Carrey was a bit pervie to me. Over all people will see it – just please, for the love of gawd, don’t make a part three!

In the end – lock up your women, children and pets because the boys are back!