Dumb & Dumber

Peter Farrelly’s debut, Dumb & Dumber casts Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne – a pair of dunderheaded best friends who set out to return a briefcase to a beautiful heiress (Lauren Holly’s Mary Swanson). It’s clear immediately that Farrelly, working from a screenplay cowritten with Bobby Farrelly and Bennett Yellin, has set out to accomplish nothing more than the creation of agreeably silly little comedy, with the movie’s pervasively affable atmosphere perpetuated by Carrey and Daniels’ consistently engaging work. The chemistry between the performers certainly heightens the movie’s irresistibly likeable feel, and it’s worth noting, too, that although they’re playing idiots, Carrey and Daniels manage to transform Lloyd and Harry into (relatively) believable figures (ie there are moments of emotion here that ring surprisingly true). It doesn’t hurt, either, that Dumb & Dumber is packed with laugh-out-loud funny bits of comedy, as Farrelly has packed the proceedings with a number of hilarious stupid jokes and gags (eg Lloyd’s now-infamous “most annoying sound in the world” bit). The film’s decidedly episodic structure does, however, ensure that it possesses a rather erratic feel, with the movie’s uneven vibe compounded by a running time that’s at least 15 minutes too long. Still, Dumb & Dumber generally lives up to its reputation as a modern classic of the comedy genre – with the movie ranking at the top of the Farrelly brothers’ incredibly uneven filmography.

*** out of ****