Dumb And Dumber To – Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Chris Eberle

Synopsis

20 years have passed since Harry and Lloyd’s first big road trip and Harry discovers he has a daughter named Penny. He also learns he has kidney disease and needs a transplant to survive. The best friends track her down at a technology conference where she is to give a speech honoring her adoptive father, Dr. Pinchelow. While this is happening, Penny’s stepmother plots to poison the good doctor and steal a valuable package. Harry and Lloyd attempt to deliver the package and make a few more surprising discoveries along the way.

Commentary

Twenty years is a long time between a movie and its first sequel but at least Dumb And Dumber To works the actual elapsed time into its otherwise thin storyline. Really though, it’s not about the plot but the gags and physical comedy. There I’d say the film scores well. It’s interesting to compare the performances of Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey. As a team they work extremely well together but when you watch them individually, Daniels has to work at being funny while Carrey just does it naturally. The talent divide is considerable and that’s not to take anything away from Jeff Daniels. He’s simply a good comic in the presence of a great one; perhaps the caliber of Lucille Ball or John Ritter.

The movie’s humor isn’t quite raunchy enough to qualify as frat-house-worthy (fortunately) but it can’t be called refined either. There are moments that remove Dumb And Dumber To from the family entertainment list but most of the jokes are at least young-adult fare. The plot sticks to the tried-and-true formula of the first film with a quest, a road trip and a decent twist at the end. If you’re a fan of the original, or you just like good physical comedy, you’ll enjoy this film; recommended.

Technical

The image is generally sharp and artifact-free throughout. My only beef is a slight de-saturation of color and occasional red tints in flesh tones. The lack of rich tones results in a somewhat flat presentation without the pop of many other modern films.

Audio quality has no real flaw but it doesn’t wow either. Most of the action takes place in a wide front sound stage with sparing use of the surrounds and subwoofer. Dialog is always clear and properly centered. The film’s music is scored by Australian electronic duo Empire of the Sun and is well-suited for the subject matter.

Extras

Bonus features are all in HD and include a five-chapter making-of documentary, a gag reel, an alternate opening, deleted scenes and a brief cast/crew interview.