Review of Dumb and Dumber (1994) by Matthew O — 23 Nov 2014

Dumb and Dumber is one of those movies a lot of people think of as stupid, but is actually a lot more intelligent than it's given credit for. Yes, there's jokes about bodily functions, but for one of those there's ten that are skillfully crafted gems, and a fair amount of those crude jokes are just as funny.

Gross out comedy is an art form few have mastered, and while the Farrelly brothers aren't on the level of vulgar geniuses like John Kricfalusi and (someone who most forget of being a master at this) Jackie Chan, a lot of it is timed well and acted superbly.

What makes this movie work is it's two main stars, Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels show their comedic props in this as two idiotic, but well meaning friends that go on a bizarre adventure. There's a ton of great moments in this film, the hot tub conversation, the tragic fate of a pet bird, Lloyd's chat with an elderly woman, and the hilarious moment when the duo decides to live in luxury, which could have fallen flat, but it's actors and writers make them classics not to be forgotten.

The good-natured tone of the movie is what really makes it in my opinion, had it been mean-spirited it would have been another typical "comedy", but the charm of the cast bring it up to create lovable characters and gags that'll make you smile.

Overall, while there's still some misses, Dumb and Dumber is a definitive 90's comedy that shouldn't be missed.