I never thought that the qualities of stupidity, hilarity and (seriously mindless) entertainment could balance one another out so perfectly.
After 20 years, directors and brothers Bobby and Peter Farrelly have brought back the dynamic dimwitted duo, Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) to the silver screen to make us feel a lot smarter, even if we may have lost a few brain cells while viewing this sequel.
Harry (Daniels) in need of a kidney transplant from a blood relative goes to his Asian parents in hopes of being successful. Clearly, Harry is adopted which results in a mini and hilarious “light bulb” moment from both Harry and Lloyd who of course, had no idea.
On their way out, Harry’s non-biological father hands him a box with mail they’ve received over the years. In it Harry and Lloyd find a postcard marked from 1991. An old flame had written to Harry saying she was pregnant, “light bulb!” Harry has a child that he has never met. This moment ignites the fire for another cross-country adventure to find what we later learn to be his 22-year-old daughter Penny played by Rachel Melvin who was given up for adoption by her biological mother.
Now we’ve got a lead, a chase and a blood-relative all in hopes of receiving a suitable kidney.
The film is stacked a mile high with idiot pranks, gnarly plot twists and that kind of crude humor that takes a second to understand before retracting in mild disgust. All hallmarks of the film are renewed from the classic dog grooming mobile to Lloyd’s upside-down breath spray moment.
Since the first Dumb and Dumber, the careers of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels have cooled down significantly compared to their high success in the ’90s, but I was highly impressed by how at ages 52 and 59, they were able to bring back the same unhinged energy and farce with plenty of eagerness.
Still wondering if you should spend a couple bucks to see this or wait for Red Box? The amount of one-liners and gags that range from giggling to gut-twisting howls made this something I wouldn’t want others to wait for it to come to DVD.
Despite the purely profane and raunchy humor this film insures, the Farrelly brothers still have a way of gently pulling on our heartstrings, showing the tightly bound pathos Harry and Lloyd continue to share for one another and solidifying the fact that 20 is really — just a number.
Follow Audrey Bittner on Twitter @PodgeTown