SPOILER FREE
One thing that people must understand before going into this movie is this: If you're not a true fan of the original film and understand the type of humor that this film is throwing at it's target audience, then you will not appreciate this one. There is no middle ground here, you either appreciate the film for what it is or will be left clueless with it. As a whole, the film is nothing to rave about but it isn't as terrible as the critics make it out to be with just a 25 percent on rottentomatoes. Its certainly better than the godawful prequel that came out in 2003, which everyone has seemed to have forgotten about. Even though this film is better than that one, that really isn't saying much as neither touches the first film in terms of quality. Now for the verdict on whether Dumb and Dumber 2 was worth the twenty year wait.
Dumb and Dumber 2 partially succeeds due to the chemistry between the two main leads Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, both who've clearly aged since the events of the first film but comfortably fit right back into the roles that made them iconic figures in the genre of comedy. The plot for Dumb and Dumber 2 has the two leads teaming up twenty years since their first adventure. The characters of Lloyd and Harry have gone on a road trip to find Harry's newly discovered daughter, who ended up being given away at adoption. The plot seems like a logical one given the sentimental aspect of it, but it's execution isn't up to standard with the performances of the two leads. The films greatest flaw is it's script which clearly needed more revisions to really make this second outing more enjoyable than what it turned out to be ultimately. Jim Carrey reportedly turned down the offer to reprise his role numerous times over the last twenty years with his reasoning having to due with the script. Looking at the one for this movie, I can't say I blame him. A sequel to a film like Dumb and Dumber or any other comedy sequel needs to have a script that allows the same joke to be told twice with just as much of a comedic punch as the previous film. Anything short of that response then the comedian has failed, which in this case is the filmmakers of this movie somewhat. One feels an underwhelming feeling while watching this film that more could've done much more with these characters if the storyline was more fleshed out. Personally, I would've liked to see Jim Carrey meet with Mary Swanson again played by Lauren Holly in the first film, in a cameo for the sequel. The problem that this film seems to be having in regards to registering with audiences is the humor possibly being outdated after twenty years. Only real die hard fans of the first movie or Jim Carrey fans from that era are going to appreciate the Farrelly brothers brand of humor that the first film introduced. It doesn't quite work on the same level in this one but that's not to say the film isn't without its funny moments.
In conclusion, Dumb and Dumber 2 is worth watching primarily for the chemistry of the two lead stars but everything outside of that crumbles with the poor script the actors are stuck with. This is one sequel that shouldn't have taken twenty years to make and if Jim Carrey was really abdament about not returning until the script was on par with the first film, then one feels he should've continued to wait. It is not a bad film per say but it feels disappointing that the wait for this was so long and what we ended up getting was a barely passable piece of entertainment. This movie doesn't warrent a full thumbs up but doesn't deserve a complete thumbs down either. It lands somewhere in the middle, and perhaps if they ever intend to do a third one, they will work much harder on trying to find a stronger script that allows Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels to really sink their teeth into.
6/10
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