By Jackson Payne

     When it’s all said and done, 2014 could go down as the year of the sequels. Over the past twelve months, Hollywood has made a splash with over 30 different sequel films, continuing popular franchises such as The Hunger Games, Transformers, 21 Jump Street, and more. Although these films have received varying critical reactions, one thing is for sure: they’re rolling in the dough. Dumb and Dumber To is no exception, and despite coming nearly two decades after the original film, fans flooded the theaters and propelled To all the way to #1 at the box office during its opening weekend.

1994’s Dumb and Dumber follows two dimwitted but good-hearted best friends, Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels), as they set off on a cross country road trip to return a briefcase to its owner while being pursued by a group of criminals also trying to obtain the valuable briefcase. The film’s slapstick humor and hilarious gags made it a smash hit at the box office and launched the careers of the Farrelly Brothers, who have gone on to direct numerous other blockbuster comedies since then. Dumb and Dumber also capped off a terrific year for Jim Carrey, who also starred in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask in ‘94, but it was his dynamite performance as the chip-toothed, mischievous Lloyd Christmas that changed his reputation from “that white guy” on In Living Color to, well, JIM CARREY.

This new film picks up twenty years later, with Lloyd in a mental institute (as a prank) and Harry slowly dying of kidney failure. Harry’s dilemma inspires the two brainless buddies to go on another journey, but this time to find Harry’s long lost daughter, Penny (who Lloyd has fallen in love with) in order to get a new kidney. Their journey takes them all over the map, but with a new enemy plotting to kill them, the film’s end result is one heavy dose of hilarious hijinks.

The original Dumb and Dumber film had a very thin, loose plotline, but the Farrellys made up for this by adding complex characters and various sub-plots which allowed the film to go in any possible direction. This formula worked out in the end, but for the sequel it was obvious that changes would be made. Even with new additions to the cast like Kathleen Turner, Rob Riggle, and Laurie Holden, the sequel’s improved storyline made it a more plot-driven affair, but Harry and Lloyd do steal the show at various points during the film. To also gave audiences a look at Harry and Lloyd’s past, a topic that was barely even touched before that point.

Along with these changes, To still shares many similarities with its predecessor, such as a superb soundtrack (anchored by Australian band “Empire of the Sun”) to really set the tone for the film. In addition, both films get most of their laughs from memorable one-liners, slapstick situations, and crude, college fraternity style humor to earn their PG-13 ratings, but To captures a number of heartfelt moments that the original film cannot claim. Although critics have heavily panned the slapstick-stuffed sequel, it’s apparent that Dumb and Dumber To is needed in today’s high-stress world of ISIS and Ebola to serve as comic relief and remind everyone that life, like the movie, can be pretty funny.

The bottom line: Dumb and Dumber To doesn’t even compare to the original film (but let’s face it, did anyone expect anything different?), and the Farrelly brothers’ sense of humor isn’t as fresh as it once was twenty years ago, but Carrey and Daniels both gave fantastic performances and proved that they still have a bit left in the tank. And let’s not forget the Farrelly brothers, because even though To wasn’t as good as the original, it’s still the funniest movie they’ve made since then (sorry, Kingpin). As I said before, Dumb and Dumber To did not receive a warm welcome from most critics, but it should definitely satisfy fans of the original film, who will ultimately find that it was well worth the wait. As a fan of the Dumb and Dumber series myself, I can only use the words of the great Lloyd Christmas to say “I like it a looooot!”

What did you think of Dumb and Dumber To? Let us know in the comments along with any suggestions for movies that we should review!

-Jackson Payne