20 years since their first adventure, Lloyd and Harry go on a road trip to find Harry’s newly discovered daughter, who was given up for adoption.

It was probably inevitable that ‘Dumb and Dumber To‘ would be terrible all things considered. The fact it had been 20 years in the making had me hoping that the only reason everyone had got back together to make it was down to a good script, but sadly it’s not the case. The story is essentially a rehash of the first one (Macguffin. Check. People trying to kill them. Check. Chasing after a girl. Check. Conclusion at a big event. Check), but it’s not nearly as funny. To an extent the first film is a bit of an anomaly, as the humour shouldn’t really work – it’s crass, it’s undoubtedly stupid and dumb, but the ridiculousness works in its favour and there’s a lot of terrific sequences. The sequel tries to do the same, but it’s got the feel of your mate trying to impersonate the character’s down the pub – You can tell what he’s trying to do, but it doesn’t have the same effect.

It doesn’t help that the performances feel phoned in from most of the cast, and this leads to the film lacking the energy or spontaneity of the original. There’s also a couple of abhorrent script choices that leave a bad taste in the mouth, most notably in a scene at the convention with a character clearly mirrored on Stephen Hawking. The script relies on the audience to laugh purely on the basis that the character is based on Hawking, and not because the content is actually funny, and that feels like a really cheap way to get a laugh. You’ve also got the whole premise that brings Harry and Lloyd there in the first place, which is to track down Harry’s young daughter (who he didn’t know about), who Lloyd of course wants a piece of (disgusting no?).

There are some laughs scattered throughout, with the reveal of Harry’s parents being both ridiculous and funny in the spirit of the original, but they’re too few and far between. Overall, an expected disappointment.

Rating: 2/5

Directed By: Bobby & Peter Farrelly

Starring: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Kathleen Turner, Laurie Holden, Rob Riggle, Brady Bluhm, Steve Tom, Rachel Melvin and Paul Blackthorne

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096672/