Directors: Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly

Starring: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Rob Riggle, Kathleen Turner, Laurie Holden, Rachel Melvin.

Written by: Sean Anders, Mike Corrone, Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly, John Morris and Bennett Yellin

Running Time: 109 mins

Cert: 15

Release date: 19th December 2014

Has it really been twenty years since the original Dumb And Dumber came out of nowhere and became one of the funniest films of the 90’s? A film that you watched and laughed constantly at, even though you did feel a little guilty while doing so. Yet it was genuinely hilarious if very infantile. So imagine the excitement to hear that the Farrelly Brothers were bringing back Harry and Lloyd with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. The most shocking mis-matched partnership in cinema history that worked surprisingly well. Can lightning strike twice? The answer is no!

Harry Dunne has discovered that he is a father. His grown-up daughter was given up for adoption and now lives with a scientist, whose wife is trying to kill him for his vast fortunes. Dragging his long-time friend, Lloyd Christmas, across the country to find her, they unwittingly become involved in the plot.

While I was watching this huge disappointment, I kept asking myself one question: have I lost my sense of humour? It worried me because I love comedy, I love making people laugh and I love laughing myself. Yet where I was almost wetting myself throughout the whole of the original film from hysterics, here I was almost wetting myself from having too much water! One or two moments did make me giggle but I was expecting so much more and so much better.

It’s as if the Farrelly brothers have forgotten what made them the kings of screen comedy in the 90’s. Along with There’s Something About Mary, they pushed the boundaries of good taste and politically incorrect comedies. Yet here, they try and they fall flat on their faces. The jokes are mainly rehashes of material from the first film, given a few twists but this time, and they just don’t work. There are gags about sexual encounters with bed-ridden old ladies (one of the funnier scenes) and the blind bird lover comes under attack again, yet it all feels juvenile and unappealing.

The plot is virtually the same as the first, with a road trip full of incidents and antics that leave the boys almost unscathed and everyone else either bemused or injured. Which is fine, as most sequels follow the same route as their originals, yet this feels strangely stale and tiresome. Jokes along the way that caused huge belly laughs seem to be dragged out far too long and the time of others are well off the mark. It also doesn’t seem to know when to stop either and so the finale goes on and on and on.

The partnership of Carrey and Daniels is still and odd one. Carrey, the clown, still has moments of lunacy and it all comes quite naturally while Daniels, who we are so used to being in more dramatic roles, does look more manic this time and in places looks like he’s trying too hard. Another odd piece of casting is Kathleen Turner. I hate to say this but time has not been kind to her and her acting ability.

Dumb And Dumber To is not the film that I was hoping it would be. It has become like every other American comedy out there: middle aged men acting like fools and The Farrellys too afraid to really go for the gross out and playing safe with fart jokes and hands down trousers. Dumb And Dumber was far cleverer than that.

2/5