Scemo & + scemo 2

I was pretty disappointed in this movie, and I'm not really sure why. There were definitely some funny parts where I laughed, but the whole thing felt pretty....forced. Harry and Lloyd felt like exaggerated versions of themselves, the storyline was just OK, and I think what threw me off the most was that so much of the movie was recycled.

I mean, you wait this long for a sequel to an absolutely classic movie, you start wondering what brilliance they must be cooking up. However, a LOT of the jokes were literally the same as the ones from the original, like exactly the same. They also tried to recreate similar scenes, they even used a lot of the same soundtrack. While some may see this as nostalgia, I saw it as lazy film making.

I also didn't particularly like the silliness. The first movie had some random very silly parts that in context of the rest of the genuinely funny parts didn't bother me at all. However, this movie seemed to be made up of entirely ridiculous scenes. Almost cartoon like in the way it was done. Not a fan. It reminded me a little of the three stooges movie.

Overall, just not worth going to the movies to see. It's a shame Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels waited this long just to put out something so mediocre.

Dumb and Dumber To (2014)

*** (out of 4)

Lloyd (Jim Carrey) and Harry (Jeff Daniels) decide to take a road trip when a medical condition has Harry trying to track down the daughter he never knew he had. Along the way the two get caught up in a murder plot and well as countless misadventures.

DUMB AND DUMBER TO was a film fans wanted since they walked out of the original movie twenty-years ago. Considering how long it took to arrive, I must admit that my expectations were rather low. There's no question that this film isn't nearly as good as the original but with that said, it kept me smiling throughout and it did feature some very big laughs. Again, I understand how some fans are upset at this thing because there are certainly some flaws but at the same time there were just way too many funny moments not to enjoy it.

Of course, one of the biggest highlights was just seeing Carrey and Daniels back in the roles that they made so memorable. For the most part I thought both slipped back into them quite well, although there's no doubt that Carrey seems more "in character" as Lloyd. The two certainly have some great chemistry together and after two decades they're still able to work well off of one another. Rob Riggle is also very funny in his supporting role as is Laurie Holden, Kathleen Turner and a couple nice cameos.

While watching the film there's certainly a very uneven feel to it. This was pretty much explained during the closing credit when I saw six writers listed. It seems that there really wasn't a good story to carry these guys through and it really did feel at times like they were just throwing anything on the screen just hoping that people would laugh. This uneven flow is what kept it from being as good and as fresh as the original but there's just no denying the countless laughs that do work. There were times when tears were running down my face but others where I couldn't believe they'd even attempt the joke that fell so flat (the AIDS one). Still, DUMB AND DUMBER TO has me hoping that Lloyd and Harry revisit us in another two decades.

Reading the negative reviews really affected me as I went to see this movie, and yes you can right away tell Carry and Daniels are of course not their younger selves, and yeah yeah the whole premise of the film looks forced, I know - but after watching I think it's not half as forced as other US-made comedies and their plastic "jokes".

This is because the movie succeeds(a bit) in bringing back the lighthearted spirit of the 90's, so even when half the jokes don't work, it's never overbearing, and has many good, fun ideas! It's just that the writing of these ideas and the plot, the characters growth, connection between characters- all seem to have been done in a very lazy or rushed way. (for example, the villain's role is a classic idea but is too short for us to care about)

Now, that's kinda saddening and annoying because when you look at the jokes that *do* make you laugh, you get the feeling that maybe- just maybe- if these guys consciously decided to make a better a movie, they could have done so!! They just didn't put enough time and effort. And this is what annoys people so much. I get that. Maybe it's the nature of being complacent - everyone in this film don't have the drive and fears they had 20 years ago. No one's success is hanging in the balance etc- Too bad! There's obviously some potential here - some of that magic that guys like Jim Carry take wherever they go. It's just not utilized well !!

I believe it was Jeff Daniels who said that the directors of Dumb and Dumber were "guessing" about what would be funny the first time, but "now they know." If that is the case, they definitely have a fair amount of arrogance and narcissism, because this film is vastly inferior to the original. What started as honest-to-goodness stupidity has given way to a mean-spirited attempt to be funny. Harry and Lloyd are no longer running on their own redundant behaviour alone; they're using their naïveté to hurt others and to be lewd and crude, which is never what the original film was. This movie has its comedic moments, but it ultimately falls flat, trying too hard in some areas and not hard enough where it truly matters.

Yes I know it's only one "o" and not two. Or two if you talk about the title (it could be a "w" missing also, depending on what way you want to go). But back to the movie. I haven't seen that unofficial movie that was made in between those two movies. But I was excited about this getting our two main characters back together (literally). Is it as good as the original though? You probably won't think so.

And neither did I. But it's still a good movie, especially if you were a fan of the original. You just have to accept, that some jokes will be replayed (the end credits even put similar scenes side to side with video/pictures of them being shown). Not perfect, but the chemistry is there and it's as mean as it was back then ...