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The prequel of the 1994 hit Dumb and Dumber, the movie dates back to 1996 when Harry
(Eric Christian Olsen, played by Jim Carrey in the original) met Lloyd (Derek Richardson) in high school. They literally bumped into each other and became pals right
there and then. The high school Principal Collins (Eugene Levy) thought of putting up a "special needs" class, a scheme to bilk the school of the $100,000 grant for a
special education program.
When Collins see Harry and Lloyd, he immediately enrolls the two guys as the first students of the class. He enlists his lunch-lady girlfriend (Cheri Oteri) to teach the class, held in a tool shed. Then Harry and Lloyd are sent to find other misfits to fill the roster, and come up with a Mohawk-wearing Turk (Elden Henson) and a foreign-exchange student named Ching Chong (Michelle Krusiec). When a crusading student reporter, Jessica (Rachel Nichols), she smells a scoop, she makes separate dates with the boys to find out what they know, which isn't much. The guys, dumb as they are, think she is coming on to them.
There isn't really much in this movie that tries hard to pretend as a prequel of the surprise
hit, Dumb and Dumber. The movie can only bank on the popularity of the previous one, but besides that, Dumb and Dumberer is not worth watching.
We need not mention its storyline and plot structure for the title suggests that the movie is devoid of both asks for the film's logical structure appears to be the dumbest for no one in his or her right mind will take the move seriously. It also does not follow that the audience should expect to be entertained, or at the least, be given a bunch of hard laughs.
Dumb and Dumberer
still fails in this aspect. The toilet, and sex-related humor and gags lack comic appeal that the original movie, though as stupid, previously had.
The movie's original premise on the friendship between two "special" or mentally challenged
individuals could have been a good jumpstart.
Genuine friendship and unconditional love can only be possible between individuals with child-like mind and heart. The child like naivetι of Harry and Lloyd that are not explained though and leans towards the stereotypical exaggeration portrayal of their characters becomes disgusting. Instead of giving such "special" individuals a space and a voice in society, this movie further reinforces their discrimination like all the other discrimination in the movie (racial and gender discrimination, etc.) The story may have redeemed the two protagonists by making them accidental heroes in the end, but them, it is just incidental in the story and, their characters do not evolve and do not go beyond being dumb and dumberer.
(Date reviewed: July 4, 2003)
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