Every story has a beginning, and this film goes back to the roots
of the 1994 film Dumb and Dumber to show how Harry Dunne and Lloyd Christmas
(played by Derek Richardson and Eric Christian Olsen) became friends in high school.
When the home-schooled Dunne shows up for his first day of public school,
it is Christmas who begins to show him around. As seen in the first film, Dunne and
Christmas (originally played by Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey) aren’t the brightest bulbs
in the box, and in this movie, their high school principal decides to use that fact for a
scam to start a “special needs” class.
I was not initially a fan of
Dumb and Dumber, but after seeing it on TBS throughout the years, it began to grow
on me. I was even looking forward to this prequel being released on DVD. I regret to say
that while I found the film to be funny in spots, for the most part it didn’t keep my
attention.
Oh lord…am I growing old? And is the low-brow humor not
affecting me like it used to? That may be the case — or maybe, after seeing it all the
time on Ted Turner’s station, Dumb and Dumberer will eventually grow on me. Who
knows? In the meantime, I recommend it as a rental to enjoy the extras (which include
commentary, a making-of featurette, a documentary on the casting of the film, deleted
scenes, and a blooper reel) — but make sure to use a coupon.
Grade: C
(movie), B (extras)