Will audiences like it...like it a lot? You’re watching Beyond The Trailer’s review of
Dumb and Dumber 2!
Last year we had the McConaissance, is it now time for the Carreyakening?! It might
seem hard to believe today, but Jim Carrey used to be one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
After a phenomenal breakout year back in 1994, when Ace Ventura, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber
ALL hit theaters, Carrey went on to make megahits Liar Liar, The Truman Show and Bruce Almighty.
And even movies that seemed like flops were actually hits, as How the Grinch Stole Christmas
is still the highest grossing holiday movie of all time while Batman Forever is NOT the
caped crusader’s worst performing flick. But then, as fast as he was on the way up,
he was on the way down... Lemony Snicket, Fun with Dick and Jane, The Number 23, Yes
Man, A Christmas Carol, Mr Poppers Penguins, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone - not to mention
when he just recently imploded with Kick Ass 2. At least Jeff Daniels has had it easy,
as he’s never been famous! (mischevious smile) But if Carrey has needed a shoulder
to cry on, for someone to lend an understanding ear, he has The Farrelly Bros. After debuting
with Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary proved to be an even more spectacular
hit. Yet after that they fell and couldn’t get up with Shallow Hal, Stuck on You, Fever
Pitch, The Heartbreak Kid, Hall Pass and even their dream project The Three Stooges. So
much FAIL... Even 2000’s Me Myself and Irene, where Carrey reunited with The Farrelly Bros,
FAILED to recapture the Dumb and Dumber magic. There didn’t even seem to be any magic in
the brand, as the prequel in 2003 also failed to perform at the box office. Warner Bros,
who’d acquired New Line Cinema since the first Dumb and Dumber, had so little faith
in a sequel that even after The Farrelly Bros acquired independent financing, they still
wouldn’t agree to distribute it. Luckily they allowed The Farrelly Bros to try and
pitch it elsewhere and Universal decided to roll the dice. And come on, these two guys
have been underestimated before! Sure nostalgia couldn’t save Sin City 2 a decade after
its first movie came out, and it’s been TWO decades since the first Dumb and Dumber!
But did you see the rave reviews - and big ratings - Carrey got when he recently hosted
Saturday Night Live? Plus this has been a big year for comedies with 22 Jump Street
and Neighbors, which were both rated R. Meanwhile Dumb and Dumber To has the added benefit of
a PG-13 rating, allowing for a much bigger audience - and before you freak out, so did
the first Dumb and Dumber. Finally, using a tactic favored by Harry and Lloyd themselves,
Universal just played the trailer over and over again until it wore us down - just in
time for a weekend with no other wide releases to get in the way. So, shall the Carreyakening
begin?! Or was this sequel a dumb idea
after all?