Dumb and Dumber To

When it comes to comedy writing today, the best, or some of the best writing out there is done by The Farrelly Brothers. They actually have the ability to turn an otherwise dumb comedy into something that is smartly written that one can forgive that the majority of the characters in their films are stupid, conniving and total jerks depending on the premises of the stories. Most comedy writers today do not have this capability, so their films are just plain stupid and inane. Now we have "Dumb and Dumber To" which appears to be more of a re-hatching of their classic just in case you have forgotten about it.

This story revisits the titular duo of dumb Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) and dumber Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey), 20 years after the events of the first film, :Dumb & Dumber". Harry pays his first visit to his parents since the early '90s, and discovers a two-decade old postcard from a gal he hooked up with Fraida Felcher (Kathleen Turner) informing him that she's pregnant. It turns out she had a daughter Adele (Laurie Holden) and put the girl up for adoption. Harry is moved by the prospect of having an adult child out there somewhere (and it just so happens that he needs a kidney transplant), so he and Lloyd embark on a road trip to track down his daughter. Along the way they encounter many wacky situations-- like finding and stealing their old "Shaggin' Wagon" and end up driving a riding companion Travis (Rob Riggle) totally crazy because of their incredible stupidity and banality.

Others to round out the cast are Rachel Melvin as Penny, Steve Tom as Dr. Pinchelow, Don Lake as Dr. Meldmann, Patricia French as Ms. Sourpuss, Tembi Locke as Dr. Walcott, Paul Blackthorne as Dr. Meldman, Brady Bluhm as Billy, Bill Murray as Ice Pick, Eddie Shin as Gordy, and Gregory Fears as Man at Gas Station.

This has directors Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly's stamp written all over this one. Just one look at their resume says it all, ("Dumb & Dumber" '94, "Kingpin" '96, "There's Something About Mary" '98, "Me, Myself & Irene" 2000, "Osmosis Jones" '01, "Shallow Hal" '01, "Stuck on You" '03, "Fever Pitch" '05, "The Heartbreak Kid" '07, "Hall Pass" '11, "The Three Stooges" '12). This is just one of many films that follow that similar format that these guys can do so well. This was written by Sean Anders, John Morris, Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly based on characters created by Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly and Bennett Yellin. Maybe it's that when "Dumb & Dumber" was released, it was considered fresh and original for its day, but now that we have this film, it almost seems like these guys--directors, writers and actors did this to market on an already sustained hit. And on top of everything, this was simply a rehash of the original and not nearly executed as well. Yes, there were some very funny moments, but were these laughs generated from nostalgia or were these lines really being funny? While the premise was original, in a sense, the layout and format we've all seen in many of their films, especially the original. "There's Something About Mary" was without a doubt , the best film (funniest) the Farrelly Brothers have done to this date. It was stupid, but done in such a slick, smart way, that you couldn't help but not laugh genuinely. I know these guys can do that again, for the talent is there hugely.

Certainly if you're a fan of the original film, this will be one you will want to see. But, beware, while there are similarities in this to its original, the differences will definitely be a hit and miss. This was made to be total fluff, but do you want to feel dumb and dumber yourself after exposing yourself this 109 minute running time?

Out of 4 Stars: 2                                 Rated: PG-13                            109mins.