Dumb and Dumber (1994)

Movie · 1994 · Comedy · 1h 47m · PG-13 · English

Curator score: 3.3/10 (885.7K ratings)

For Harry and Lloyd, every day is a no-brainer.

Overview

Lloyd and Harry are two men whose stupidity is really indescribable. When Mary, a beautiful woman, loses an important suitcase with money before she leaves for Aspen, the two friends (who have found the suitcase) decide to return it to her. After some "adventures" they finally get to Aspen where, using the lost money they live it up and fight for Mary's heart.

Ratings

Director

Peter Farrelly

Production

New Line Cinema, Motion Picture Corporation of America

Cast

Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Lauren Holly, Teri Garr, Charles Rocket, Karen Duffy, Mike Starr, Felton Perry, Hank Brandt, Brad Lockerman, Victoria Rowell, Brady Bluhm, Cam Neely, Rob Moran, Joe Baker, Kathryn Frick, Zen Gesner, Lawrence Kopp, Clint Allen, Connie Sawyer

Curator Review

Verdict

A peak 90s gross-out road comedy with huge, elastic performances and a surprisingly sweet buddy dynamic. Its jokes are broad and often absurd, but the movie’s commitment to the bit makes it a classic for fans of high-energy, quotable comedy.

Best for

  • fans of broad slapstick and physical comedy
  • viewers who like dumb-but-sincere buddy comedies
  • people in the mood for endlessly quotable 90s comedy
  • Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels fans

Skip if

  • you dislike crude, juvenile humor
  • you need tightly plotted or subtle comedy
  • you are tired of nonstop yelling, pratfalls, and absurdity
  • you prefer meaner or more ironic comedy

Overview

Dumb and Dumber is one of those comedies that knows exactly what it is and attacks that idea with total confidence. The premise is simple, but the execution is all timing, escalation, and commitment, with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels turning idiocy into a kind of comic choreography. The movie’s best trick is that it never feels embarrassed by its own stupidity; it leans in until the stupidity becomes the joke and the style.

Worth noting

What keeps it from being disposable is the odd sincerity underneath the chaos. Lloyd and Harry are ridiculous, but their friendship has real warmth, and the movie treats their loyalty as something almost heroic. That gives the film a sweeter center than many of its cruder peers, even when it’s firing off some of the most juvenile gags of the decade.

Bottom line

It’s not for everyone, and it absolutely knows that. If the humor clicks, it’s a machine for quotable scenes and big laughs; if it doesn’t, the whole thing can feel like a prolonged tantrum. For the right audience, though, it’s one of the defining American comedies of the 1990s.

Top Letterboxd reviews

SilentDawn (5★) · 1732 likes

"Hey, wait a second..... What was all that one-in-a-million talk?" Every line in this film can be classified as this: Brilliantly stupid.

Frandi Peralta (3.5★) · 1436 likes

“We got no food, we got no jobs, our pets heads are falling off!” ONE OF THE GREATEST LINES OF ALL TIME.

Christian Di Leo (5★) · 1316 likes

🤔"Why you going to the airport? Flying somewhere?"😏 🤨"How'd you guess?"🤨 😏"I saw your luggage. Then when I noticed the airline ticket, I put two and two together."😃 🤦🤦🏼🐶🚙🐦👨‍🦽🍔🌶🥵💊😵🗻🛵💼💵🚘🎿💩🚽

James (Schaffrillas) (4★) · 930 likes

Funny stuff! Weirdly more sincere than a lot of other 90's Carrey comedies! I kinda want to go to Aspen now!

Grooveman (5★) · 897 likes

"Yeah I called her up. She gave me a bunch of crap about me not listening to her, or something. I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention."

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Topics

slapstick, gross-out comedy, buddy comedy, road movie, 90s comedy, quotable, absurdist, juvenile humor, physical comedy, feel-good

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