‘Dumb and Dumber To’ Reviews: Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels Return to Make More Money, But Is It Funny?
The answer depends on how low audiences are willing to set their expectations, as a “Dumb and Dumber” sequel never stood a chance of topping the original
Greg Gilman | November 14, 2014 @ 8:11 AM
Last Updated: November 14, 2014 @ 10:24 AM
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
'Bad Boys for Life' and 35 Other Movie Sequels That Took Forever to Hit the Screen (Photos)
Whether it's because of endless delays, fan demands, a director's passion project or a cash grab reboot that seemingly no one ever actually wanted, Hollywood has produced an enormous amount of sequels to beloved films full decades after they originally hit theaters. Some of them have been wildly successful with critics and audiences, and others we're just pretending never existed. Here are some of the sequels that took forever to hit the screen.
"Psycho II" (1983)
In “Psycho II,” Meg Tilly played a traveler who encounters Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), 23 years after Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror classic. The original film would be remade shot for shot by Gus Van Sant in 1998.
Universal
"The Color of Money" (1986)
Martin Scorsese's "The Color of Money" featured Paul Newman reprising his role as "Fast Eddie" Felson alongside Tom Cruise, 25 years after 1961's "The Hustler." It was also the movie that finally won Newman his Oscar for Best Actor.
Buena Vista
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" (1986)
Critics took director Tobe Hooper to task for infusing too much black humor into the cannibal saga “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2,” which came 12 years after the original 1974 slasher film.
Cannon Films
"The Two Jakes" (1990)
Star Jack Nicholson and writer Robert Towne came back for 1990’s “The Two Jakes,” a 16-year removed follow-up to the 1974 noir classic “Chinatown.” Audiences didn’t however, and it flopped.
Paramount
"Texasville" (1990)
Director Peter Bogdanovich returned to the small town of Anarene, Texas for this sequel to his 1971 classic "The Last Picture Show." "Texasville" however is actually set 32 years after the first film in the summer of 1984 as Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepard attempt to recapture their high school glory days. This time however, Bogdanovich decided to shoot in color rather than black and white.
Columbia
"The Godfather Part III" (1990)
Francis Ford Coppola delivered 1990’s “The Godfather Part III” 16 years after the series’ previous installment and closed the book on Michael Corleone. Though many fans say the film hardly captures the perfection of the first two films, Coppola's sequel still managed an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Paramount
"The Evening Star" (1996)
Following up after the Oscar-winning "Terms of Endearment," "The Evening Star" follows Aurora Greenway in her later years, with the sequel arriving 13 years after the original. Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson both came back to star.
Paramount
"The Odd Couple II" (1998)
30 years after the original comedy classic starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, the two original stars returned for another comedy, this time as they take a road trip for their children's weddings. Both Matthau and Lemmon were in their 70s at the time of the film, and it would be the last time the Hollywood legends would appear on screen together.
Paramount
"Blues Brothers 2000" (1998)
“Blues Brothers 2000” came 18 years after the 1980 comedy classic, this time with John Goodman stepping in for the late John Belushi. John Candy and Cab Calloway also died before the sequel could be made, and though Dan Aykroyd managed to reprise his role as Elwood Blues, the film bombed.
Universal
"Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles" (2001)
Fun fact: ESPN Fantasy Football analyst Matthew Berry wrote the screenplay for this revival of Paul Hogan's Crocodile Dundee character, which came 13 years removed from the second film.
Paramount
"Clerks 2" (2004)
It took 12 years between Kevin Smith's breakout debut film "Clerks" and a formal sequel, this time in color. But the many characters within what Smith calls his "Askewniverse" popped up in several films both before and after. And Smith now even has plans for a "Clerks 3" that might take even longer to get to the screen.
Miramax
"Rocky Balboa" (2006)
16 years after "Rocky V," Stallone wrote, directed and starred in 2006 “Rocky Balboa,” the sixth film in the boxing franchise. It came 16 years after “Rocky V,” and featured Rocky as a widower, retired from the ring and running an Italian restaurant called “Adrian’s,” after his late wife. Though it would be "Creed" from 2015 and "Creed 2" in 2018 that would help truly revitalize the franchise.
MGM
"Basic Instinct 2" (2006)
Sharon Stone reprised her role as Catherine Tramell in 2006's “Basic Instinct 2,” a sequel to the 1992 erotic thriller with a 14-year gap. Though Paul Verhoeven did not return to direct, and critics saddled the film with an abysmal 26 score on Metacritic.
Sony/Columbia
"Live Free or Die Hard" (2007)
“Live Free or Die Hard” might have arrived sooner than 2007, 12 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. Willis staged a fifth "Die Hard" film in 2013's "A Good Day to Die Hard."
Fox
"Rambo" (2008)
Sylvester 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. Another 11 years after that, Stallone returned as Rambo again for 2019's "Rambo: Last Blood."
Lionsgate
"Tron: Legacy" (2010)
Just as the original "Tron" was a pioneer in digital technology and special effects, the 2010 "Tron: Legacy," released 28 years after the original, was an early adopter of 3-D and digital de-aging, specifically to make Jeff Bridges look like he did in the early '80s. It grossed more than $400 million worldwide in 2010.
Disney
"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" (2010)
Greed was still pretty good in “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” which came 23 years after the original and reunited Michael Douglas in his Oscar-winning role as Gordon Gecko with Oliver Stone and co-star Shia LaBeouf.
Fox
"The Best Man Holiday" (2013)
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
"Dumb and Dumber To" (2014)
A full 20 years after "Dumb and Dumber," Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey reprised their roles as dim-witted pals in the Farrelly brothers' "Dumb and Dumber To."
Universal
"Jurassic World" (2015)
This dinosaur sized reboot/sequel to the "Jurassic Park" series, which starred Chris Pratt helping to wrangle raptors at a new and improved definitely-going-to-be-safe-this-time theme park, is still in the top 10 highest grossing movies of all time.
Universal Pictures
"Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015)
The 30 years George Miller took between "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" and "Fury Road" was worth the wait, as his sequel starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron was named by many critics as one of the best movies of the decade.
Warner Bros.
"Independence Day: Resurgence" (2016)
Roland Emmerich's "Independence Day: Resurgence" invaded theaters fully two decades after his 1996 original, though it did so this time without the original's star, Will Smith.
20th Century Fox
"Ghostbusters" (2016)
Paul Feig's female-fronted "Ghostbusters" was more of a reboot than a sequel, one that was met by unfortunate, sexist backlash to the film. So Sony is now releasing another film, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," that's being billed as a proper sequel 31 years after "Ghostbusters 2."
Sony
"My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" (2016)
The original "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" remains one of the biggest indie box office surprises ever. But the sequel, which star Nia Vardalos also wrote, fell flat in comparison 14 years later when it only grossed $88 million, though that's still impressive for a comedy.
Universal
"Zoolander 2" (2016)
"Zoolander 2," with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson reprising their roles, came out 15 years after the original, and the two even walked a real runway in Paris to support the movie. But the sequel was a bomb and only managed to gross $28 million.
Paramount Pictures
"Bridget Jones's Baby" (2016)
Renée Zellweger's return to the beloved British character arrived 12 years after the sequel, "The Edge of Reason," this time with Bridget's single life being interrupted upon discovering that she's pregnant.
Universal
"Finding Dory" (2016)
Pixar could've rushed out a "Finding Nemo" sequel as soon as possible, but the studio waited 13 years to tell Dory's story about finding her family the right way. It was rewarded with over $1 billion worldwide.
PIxar
"Barbershop: The Next Cut" (2016)
12 years removed from the second "Barbershop" film, the threequel paired Ice Cube with a cast of old stars and new, including Cedric the Entertainer returning to the franchise, and newcomers like Nicki Minaj and Anthony Anderson taking a turn in the chair.
"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.
"T2 Trainspotting" (2017)
Ewan McGregor's Mark Renton returned for "T2 Trainspotting," 21 years after Danny Boyle's trippy, cult classic set in the Edinburgh drug scene.
Fox
"Blade Runner 2049" (2017)
35 years after the original, Denis Villeneuve took over for Ridley Scott for the "Blade Runner" sequel, which also took place 30 years after the events of the original film that was set in 2019 Los Angeles. Harrison Ford returned to the sequel along with Ryan Gosling as a replicant designed to hunt other rogue replicants.
Columbia Pictures
"xXx: Return of Xander Cage" (2017)
"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 disappointed domestically but ultimately made $346.1 million worldwide.
Paramount
"Super Troopers 2" (2018)
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
"Incredibles 2" (2018)
While Pixar held off from doing too many sequels for some time to get more original stories into its catalog, the 14-year-gap before "Incredibles 2" paid off. The return of the Parr family netted an Oscar nomination and was one of the highest grossing animated films ever, earning $1.2 billion worldwide.
Disney-Pixar
"Glass" (2019)
While it's technically a sequel to "Split" from 2016, M. Night Shyamalan also envisioned "Glass" as a quasi-sequel to his 2000 classic "Unbreakable." The film brought back James McAvoy, Anya-Taylor Joy, Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson from both films.
Universal Pictures
"Bad Boys For Life" (2020)
There had been talk for years about getting the boys back together, and the reunion finally happened this year, with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence teaming up for one last ride. This time however Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are taking over directing duties from Michael Bay.
Sony Pictures
"Bill & Ted Face the Music" (2020)
It's fortunate that Keanu Reeves started going down memory lane with a number of nostalgia moves and cameos in recent years, as for years, decades even, it felt like a third "Bill & Ted" movie would never happen, despite how many times Reeves and Alex Winter would be asked about it. The new film follows the time-traveling buddies as older men whose rock and roll destinies have still not been fulfilled. The film opens Aug. 21, 2020, 29 years after "Bogus Journey."
United Artists Releasing
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It took Will Smith and Martin Lawrence 17 years before they reunited on the big screen
Whether it's because of endless delays, fan demands, a director's passion project or a cash grab reboot that seemingly no one ever actually wanted, Hollywood has produced an enormous amount of sequels to beloved films full decades after they originally hit theaters. Some of them have been wildly successful with critics and audiences, and others we're just pretending never existed. Here are some of the sequels that took forever to hit the screen.
Universal
