The 1994 cult
classic Dumb and Dumber is as funny as they come. The movie was a critical and
commercial success, earning my respect as one of those films that, no matter
when you watch it, will have you laughing.
The concept and
the way the characters interact make you wonder if you’re witnessing the next
level of on-screen chemistry between two actors. They didn’t portray their
dumbness as an over-the-top caricature—they made it easy to believe such people
could exist. In other movies where dumbness is portrayed, actors often overact
or rely on slapstick to emphasize how dumb a character is.
Here, their
portrayal is clean, easy to follow, and at times, just madly cool to watch.
Whether it’s their dialogue or the way they’re completely oblivious to the
chaos they cause, it’s both hilarious and oddly endearing.
The plot goes
like this: Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) are
friends brought together by their lack of intelligence. Both live together and
struggle to hold down jobs because they’re always causing problems that are
beyond anyone’s understanding.
Lloyd, at the
time, is a limo driver tasked with driving a woman to the airport. He falls in
love with her and becomes convinced they’re meant to be together. Unbeknownst
to him, the woman was in his limo because she was instructed by kidnappers
holding her husband hostage. She was told to leave a briefcase full of money in
the limo.
She does, but
Lloyd thinks it was left by mistake and makes it his new life goal to return
the briefcase to her. The pair embarks on a trip to Aspen, Colorado, to deliver
the briefcase, all while being chased by the kidnappers, who are now
desperately trying to get it back from this clueless duo.
The movie
spawned an animated TV series, which wasn’t as successful as other animated
series based on Jim Carrey’s movies (The Mask: Animated Series and Ace Ventura:
Pet Detective). The franchise also birthed a prequel in 2003, Dumb and
Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, which I strongly advise you to avoid.
Then, against
Jim Carrey’s better judgment, he decided to make a sequel to this movie, titled
Dumb and Dumber To (2014), with both him and Jeff Daniels reprising their
roles. The movie’s plot sounds funny on paper but falls flat when actually
watched.
This movie, the original Dumb and Dumber, is amazingly fun and an absolute keeper. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and watch it.
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