Movie Review: Dumb and Dumber To

Dumb and Dumber To is a real thing. Sure it’s fifteen years too late and an obvious nostalgia cash grab…but it exists. The how’s and whys aren’t important, to fans of the original, who grew up under the sage tutelage of Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunn, there’s only one thing they care about regarding this ill-timed sequel: does it suck? Will the pristine legacy of the original be sullied by this…you get the picture.

So what’s the verdict? Dumb and Dumber To isn’t a total abomination. It’s not as hilarious as it’s predecessor, but it does provide few big laughs of its own and stays true to the spirit of the original. Or in other words: “WE LANDED ON THE MOON!”

The movie takes place twenty years after the fiasco in Aspen, where that little filly Mary Swanson broke ol’ Lloyd’s heart. He’s been recovering in a convalescent hospital for the past two decades in a state of catatonia. Harry stops by every week to check on his pal and help take care of him until…nevermind. Nobody cares about Dumb and Dumber To’s plot. The only thing that matters is that Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels still have amazing chemistry together. The movie really struggles in the first act because we, and Lloyd, have twenty years’ worth of catching up to do and exposition has never been the Farrelly Brothers’ strong point, but once our heroes get into their groove, it starts to feel like old times again which is really all anyone wants to see.

Dumb and Dumber To isn’t a complete travesty and with beer/nostalgia goggles on it might actually be hilarious. I’m not quite sure but, it brought a smile to this overtly cynical ol’ bastard’s face.

Movie Review: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

false title is false

The only thing incredible about this movie was that it ever got made. The script is flat. I'm talking phoned in plot and godawful dialogue. The direction is boring. It's a film about Vegas magicians, you'd think some dazzling camera work might complement the theatrical/hokey subject matter...but we get none of that. The film boasts an all-star cast whose talents are largely wasted and by the end the movie feels about a half hour longer than it really was. The film's only saving grace is Jim Carrey. Oh Jim. Welcome back. Earth needs you.

Jim Carrey plays a Criss Angel/David Blaine type street magician who swoops into Las Vegas and steals Steve Carell's thunder. Carrey steals every scene he's in and literally carries (get it? get it?) the entire film. If The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is remembered for anything, I hope it's for Jim Carrey's triumphant return to slapstick comedy. Even at 51 years old, nobody does it better. Carrey has spent the past fifteen years doing kid films, lighthearted comedies (re: Bruce Almighty ripoffs) and stretching his wings as a serious actor (The Truman Show, Man on the Moon, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I Love You Phillip Morris). His performance as wacked out street magician Steve Grey, is his first over the top, laugh out loud funny role in years. Watching Carrey contort and mutilate himself onscreen was reminiscent of his Ace Ventura and Fire Marshall Bill days.

Too bad he's not the star though. I like Steve Carell but his one dimensional character is thoroughly unlikeable. Even when he undergoes the standard change of heart in the third act, he's still a boring douche. Steve Buscemi and Alan Arkin are great in their supporting roles as well, even with such a sorry script. Their characters bring the heart, Jim Carrey brings the laughs, but it's still not enough to salvage The Incredible Burt Wonderstone from being a mediocre film. 

Warning: Almost every funny bit from the movie is in this trailer.