Fans have waited 20 long years to see Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels return as impossibly stupid best friends, Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne. While “Dumb and Dumber To” is set to rake in the most money at the box office this weekend, it’s not inspiring many critics to tell their readers to go see it.

The Farrelly brothers’ latest directing effort has only achieved a 28 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with 41 out of 57 reviews counted being declared “rotten.”

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The Universal Pictures release sticks to the original’s road trip formula, but this time the boys cruise to Texas in order to track down Harry’s long-lost daughter (Rachel Melvin), who might just be the only person able to save his life by donating a kidney. Lloyd, as usual, is only after the prospect of getting laid.

TheWrap‘s Inkoo Kang was among the minority who enjoyed the comedy, which let’s be honest, had a slim shot of ever topping its predecessor.

“I probably laughed more watching “Dumb and Dumber To” than any other movie this year,” Kang wrote in her review. “It’s not just that the jokes and gags arrive one after another, barreling toward the audience with relentless regularity like baseballs from a pitching machine, although that certainly helps.”

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The movie is a familiar restructuring of the first. It proudly features new versions of the ridiculous dream sequences you laughed at in 1994, the “second most annoying sound in the world,” Harry and Lloyd’s blind neighbor Billy, bad guys after money, and the dumb duo accidentally outsmarting their enemies. It’s chock full of intentional winks and nods to their last adventure, and that’s just fine with Toronto Star critic Peter Howell, because it all results in a steady stream of laughter.

“Rehashing plot points of the original is perfectly OK, as it turns out. I laughed a lot at this movie, possibly even more than I did at the original film, which I enjoyed quite a bit,” Howell wrote. “‘Dumb and Dumber To’ is that rare long-delayed sequel that hasn’t suffered from a weight of unrealized expectations, probably because the bar is always low on comedies like this.”

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Detroit News critic Tom Long agreed “it’s really funny.”

“This despite the fact that lead dodos Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) are played by actors now aged 52 and 59. Dumbness apparently transcends age, and both actors throw themselves into the goofiness with total abandon,” Long wrote. “True, the emphasis this time around seems a bit more verbal than physical. But Carrey still brings his clownish agility to the party, and Daniels, as smart an actor as there is, is fearlessly oblivious at all times.”

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But back to the disappointed majority. While Los Angeles Times critic Betsy Sharkey gave Carrey major props for a “mind-blowing” performance, she couldn’t say the same for his co-star, or the rest of the movie.

“If you buy a ticket to a movie called ‘Dumb and Dumber To,’ dumb is precisely what you expect, want and possibly need. But what felt fresh in Peter and Bobby Farrelly‘s original “Dumb and Dumber,” with the Carrey-Daniels dense duo channeling the Stooges and Jerry Lewis and something else entirely, feels strangely old-fashioned two decades later,” Sharkey wrote. “To his credit, Daniels tries his best, but when it comes to dumb and dumber, Carrey is better.”

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Village Voice critic Stephanie Zacharek noticed “more than a few inspired gags,” but concluded the script whiffed more than it hit her funny bone, and was missing a vital component that made the first a beloved classic.

“Something’s not right. There’s a vague sourness to ‘Dumb and Dumber To,’ uncharacteristic of the Farrellys,” Zacherek wrote. “In ‘Dumb and Dumber To,’ the moments that underscore Lloyd and Harry’s devotion to each other feel overwritten and forced (even if they do include a few instances of wholly selfless diaper changing). The two spend more time dishing out sharp jabs to the nuts and semi-advertently killing off tropical birds than doing sweet stuff like smelling each other’s farts — although there’s a little of that, too.”

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Arizona Republic critic Bill Goodykoontz wasn’t impressed with the sequel he classified as “not worth the 20-year wait,” but then again, he admits he didn’t particularly care for what he saw two decades ago, either.

“The movie has its fans, however, and there’s a pretty good chance they’ll be happy with the sequel, because 20 years later, Carrey’s Lloyd Christmas and Daniels’ Harry Dunne haven’t upped their IQs one iota,” Goodykoontz wrote. “But whatever was fresh about Carrey and Daniels’ descent into stupidity the first time around just isn’t the same in the sequel.”

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Long-gestating follow-ups include blockbusters like "Jurassic World" and famous flops like "Blues Brothers 2000" and "Zoolander 2" -- that arrived more than a decade after their predecessors.
Harrison Ford returned for Denis Villeneuve's "Blade Runner 2049" a full 35 years after starring in Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi classic.
George Miller took nearly 30 years to follow up "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" with the Tom Hardy-Charlize Theron thriller "Mad Max: Fury Road."
“The Odd Couple II” is among the sequels with the biggest gaps between films. Twenty-nine years after the 1968 original, Jack Lemmon returned as Felix Unger and Walter Matthau was Oscar Madison in their last film together.
Paramount
“Tron: Legacy” came 28 years after the original, and featured Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner. Shot in 3D, the film featured extensive visual effects and a score by Daft Punk. It grossed more than $400 million worldwide in 2010.
Disney
Paul Fieg's "Ghostbusters" reboot starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon slimed its way into theaters in July 2016 fully 27 years after 1989's "Ghostbusters II."
"The Color of Money" featured Paul Newman reprising his role as "Fast Eddie" Felson alongside Tom Cruise. Newman won the Best Actor Oscar, 25 years after 1961's "The Hustler."
Buena Vista
In “Psycho 2,” Meg Tilly played a traveler who encounters Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), 23 years after Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror classic.
Universal
Greed was still pretty good in “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” which came 23 years after the original and returned Michael Douglas as Gordon Gecko and co-starred Shia LaBeouf.
Fox
Who says you can't go home again? Ewan McGregor's Mark Renton returned for "T2 Trainspotting" 21 years after the original film.
Fox
Sly Stallone wrote, directed and starred in 2008’s “Rambo,” which came 20 years after “Rambo III.” It was dedicated to the memory of Richard Crenna, who played Col. Sam Trautman in the first three films.
Lionsgate
Roland Emmerich's "Independence Day: Resurgence" invaded theaters fully two decades after his 1996 original -- and this time without Will Smith.
A full 20 years after "Dumb and Dumber," Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey reprised their roles as dim-witted pals in 2014's "Dumb and Dumber To."
“The Last Picture Show” stars Cybill Shepherd and Jeff Bridges returned after 19 years for 1990’s “Texasville,” which unlike the original drama about small-town America, was shot in color.
Columbia
“Blues Brothers 2000” came 18 years after the 1980 original. John Goodman stepped in for the late John Belushi – John Candy and Cab Calloway also died before the sequel – but the film bombed.
Universal
“Live Free or Die Hard” might have arrived sooner than 2007, 16 years after “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” but it was delayed after the events of 9/11. In this one, Bruce Willis’ John McClane character battles cyber terrorists.
Fox
Sly Stallone wrote, directed and stars in 2006’ “Rocky Balboa,” the sixth film in the boxing franchise. It came 16 years after “Rocky V,” and featured the pugilist as widower, retired from the ring and running an Italian restaurant called “Adrian’s,” after his late wife.
MGM
Star Jack Nicholson and writer Robert Towne came back for 1990’s “The Two Jakes,” the followup to the 1974 noir classic “Chinatown.” Audiences didn’t however, and it flopped.
Paramount
The hapless Vermont state troopers from the Broken Lizard comedy troupe returned to the big screen in 2018's "Super Troopers 2" -- fully 17 years after the 2001 original.
Fox
Francis Ford Coppola delivered 1990’s “The Godfather Part III” 16 years after the series’ previous installment and closed the book on Michael Corleone. The director’s casting of his daughter Sofia drew fire; Julia Roberts, Madonna and Winona Ryder were also considered for the role.
Paramount
Sharon Stone reprised her role as Catherine Tramell in 2006's “Basic Instinct 2,” the sequel to the 1992 erotic thriller. But moviegoers weren’t turned on and it bombed.
Sony/Columbia
Pixar waited a full 14 years to bring the superhero Parr family back to the big screen in 2018's "Incredibles 2."
Writer-director Malcolm D. Lee waited 14 years before turning out “The Best Man Holiday,” a sequel to his 1999 ensemble comedy “The Best Man.” The timing was right: the sequel made $71 million on a $17 million budget.
Universal
2015's "Jurassic World" starring Chris Pratt landed in theaters nearly 14 years after "Jurassic Park III."
Universal Pictures
Paul Hogan and Linda Kozlowski returned for “Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles,” which followed the original by 13 years. But the sequel didn’t have many g’days at the box office.
Paramount
Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson came back after 13 years for “Evening Star,” the followup to 1983’s Best Picture Oscar winner “Terms of Endearment.”
Paramount
"xXx: Return of Xander Cage" came out 15 years after the original and 12 years after its sequel. The second film did not star Vin Diesel as Xander Cage, but he made his return in the third film, which grossed $20 million its opening weekend.
Paramount
The 2003 action film “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” came 12 years after “Judgment Day” and was the last film for Arnold Schwarzenegger before he took over as California’s governor.
Warner Bros.
Writer-director Kevin Smith didn't plan on making a sequel to his 1994 cult hit "Clerks." But after 11 years -- and "Jersey Girl" -- he changed his mind.
Miramax
Critics took director Tobe Hooper to task for infusing too much black humor into the cannibal saga “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2,” which came a decade after the original 1974 slasher film.
Cannon Films
"Zoolander 2," with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson reprising their roles, came out 15 years after the original. Hoping to reel in fans of the first film, the sequel only managed to gross $28 million.
Paramount Pictures
"My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" is opening in theaters on March 25, 14 years after the original hit the big screen. It will be opening against box office behemoth "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill.
Universal
"Finding Dory" is the sequel to 2003's "Finding Nemo," meaning it took 13 years for our fishy friends to come back to the big screen.
PIxar
"Bridget Jones's Baby" is hitting theaters a full 12 years after the last in the franchise and 15 years after the first film, "Bridget Jones's Diary." The 2001 original was a commercial and box office success, while its 2004 sequel "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" scored measly reviews and has a score of 27 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Universal
"Barbershop: The Next Cut," the 2016 follow-up to 2004's "Barbershop 2: Back in Business," was the third movie in the franchise.
Warner Bros.

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