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| Dumb and Dumberer |
| Genre |
"comedy" |
| Director |
Troy Miller |
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“Dumb and Dumberer” is very close to the cinematic train wreck one might expect. Believe the hype, it really is that bad.
The original “Dumb and Dumber” is one of the best comedies in the last 15 years, marking the collaboration of the Farrelly Brothers and Jim Carrey in their prime. Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle called the film “an inspired, irreverent, spark-driven comedy”. I still argue that it stands as Jim Carrey’s finest hour.
Right, so what happens when we lose the director, writers, the stars and everyone else? You get one of the worst movies of the year. It’s bad. Not in an enjoyable “Anaconda” or ”The Core” kind of way. It just sucks. The film really feels unprofessional. Unlike “2 Fast 2 Furious” which also lost some big name stars, it does not appear as though a major studio hired professionals to work on the script, direct or edit.
Set in 1986 when mentally challenged best friends Harry (Derek Richardson) and Lloyd (Eric C. Olsen) were teenagers, “Dumberer” chronicles their unwitting involvement in the plot of the corrupt Principal Collins (Eugene Levy) and the over-sexed lunch lady Ms. Heller (Cheri Oteri) to concoct a bogus "special needs" class in order to get $100,000 in grant money. Lloyd and Harry are chosen and put in charge of recruiting the rest of the class.
One of the sad things about this movie was that the budget was a reported $30 million (almost double the first film's $16 million budget). 30 million! Can I mention one more time that the fascinating “Better Luck Tomorrow” was made for $250,000. That means that director Justin Lin could have made 120 films! Imagine a film every 3 days for. . . .. Oh forget it.
Some decent actors are stuck here including: Mimi Rogers (“Austin Powers”) as Harry's widowed mother, Luis Guzman (“Punch Drunk Love”) as Lloyd's dad, the school janitor, and Eugene Levy (“American Pie 2”) as the evil principal. All three bravely soldier through the film.
I’ll give Eric Olsen (no relation to the twins) credit, his impersonation of Carrey is somewhat amusing. Derek Richardson on the other hand doesn’t really seem to have a grip on his character or remind me at all of a young Jeff Daniels (besides the crazy hair). The weariness from going through life, year after year, without a clue, that Daniels brought to the role is gone.
There were also vague hints of Asian racism which I found mildy offensive. A Chinese student is named Ching Chong, apparently because of her funny accent. (I will never openly approve of racism unless it’s against the French).
We should all blame Troy Miller who also directed “Jack Frost” with Michel Keaton. (Not to be confused with the horror films “Jack Frost” or the sequel “Jack Frost II: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman”. If you remember the screenwriter of “Identity” wrote and directed those two). Shockingly all of the screenwriters on “Dumberer” had never done anything else.
All this being said, I knew coming into the film what I was getting into and I decided that if the film made me laugh out loud even twice, I would be happy. Surprisingly Bob Saget (“Full House” and “Half Baked”) has a very funny role as a Dad who confuses melted chocolate with feces. Another amusing scene was one in which Harry and Lloyd pump gas into the window of a car in an effort to look inconspicuous. But two laughs in 90 minutes isn’t that impressive.
I don’t know if I think that “Dumb and Dumberer” marks a low point in American Cinema, but I can tell you that this is one is to be avoided at all costs. While not the worst film I have ever seen (that might be “Nell” with Jodie Foster), it’s pretty bad. (F+ to D-)
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| "We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then question the manner in which I provide it." |
- Jack Nicholson
A Few Good Men
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Distributed Beers
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| 5 |
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot |
| 4 |
Guinness Draught |
| 3 |
Newcastle Brown Ale |
| 2 |
Bass Pale Ale |
| 1 |
Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
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