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Dumb and Dumber

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This article is about the film. For the animated series based on the film, see Dumb and Dumber (TV series).
Dumb and Dumber
Theatrical release poster, parodying Forrest Gump
Directed by
Written by
  • Peter Farrelly
  • Bennett Yellin
  • Bobby Farrelly
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMark Irwin
Edited byChristopher Greenbury
Music byTodd Rundgren
Production
company
Distributed byNew Line Cinema1
Release date
  • December 16, 1994 (1994-12-16)
Running time
107 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$17 million[1]
Box office$247 million[2]

Dumb and Dumber (alternatively known as Dumb & Dumber) is a 1994 American road buddy comedy film starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. It was written by the Farrelly brothers and Bennett Yellin, and is the Farrelly brothers' directorial debut. The film tells the story of Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, two good-natured but dimwitted friends from Providence, Rhode Island who set out on a cross-country trip to Aspen, Colorado to return a briefcase full of money to its owner, only to be pursued by a group of criminals who are after the briefcase.

The film was released on December 16, 1994, and was a commercial success, developing a cult following in the years since its release.[2][3] The success of Dumb and Dumber launched the career of the Farrelly brothers and solidified Carrey's.[4] The film also spawned an animated TV series, a 2003 prequel, and a 2014 sequel.

Plot

Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) are best friends and roommates living in Providence, Rhode Island who struggle at every aspect of life. Lloyd, a limousine driver, falls in love with Mary Swanson (Lauren Holly), a woman he is driving to the airport. She intentionally leaves a briefcase in the terminal; Lloyd, unaware that it contains ransom money for her kidnapped husband, Bobby, retrieves it and tries to return it to her, but her Aspen-bound plane has already departed, leading to Lloyd running through and falling out of the jetway.

Fired from his job, Lloyd returns to his apartment and learns that Harry has also been fired as a dog groomer after delivering dogs late to a show and accidentally getting them dirty. Bobby's kidnappers, Joe "Mental" Mentalino (Mike Starr) and J.P. Shay (Karen Duffy), follow Lloyd home from the airport in pursuit of the briefcase. Mistaking the crooks for debt collectors, the duo flee the apartment and return later to find that Mental and Shay have decapitated Harry's parakeet. Upset about their situation, Lloyd suggests they head to Aspen to find Mary and return the briefcase, hoping she can "plug them into the social pipeline." At first Harry opposes the idea, but eventually agrees and the duo leave the next day. Mental and Shay learn about their plans and follow them.

Mental and Shay catch up to the duo at a motel that night. Posing as a hitchhiker, Mental is picked up by Harry and Lloyd the next day, while Shay secretly follows them. During a lunch stop, the duo prank Mental with chili peppers in his burger and then accidentally kill him with rat poison pills (which he planned to use on them) after mistaking it for his medication. Nearing Colorado, Lloyd takes a wrong turn and ends up driving all night through Nebraska. Upon waking up and realizing Lloyd's mishap, Harry gives up on the journey and decides to walk home, but Lloyd later persuades him to continue after trading the van for a minibike.

The two arrive in Aspen but are unable to locate Mary. After a short scuffle over some gloves that night, the briefcase breaks open and they discover the money, and "borrow" it for a hotel suite, clothes and a Lamborghini Diablo. They learn that Mary and her family are hosting a gala and prepare to attend. At the gala, Harry, attempting to lure Mary over to Lloyd, reluctantly agrees to go skiing with her the next day and lies to Lloyd that he got him a date. The next day, Lloyd finds out Harry lied to him after waiting all day for Mary at the hotel bar.

In retaliation, Lloyd pranks Harry with coffee spiked with laxatives, leading to him to defecate in a broken toilet at Mary's house. Lloyd then arrives at Mary's house and informs her he has her briefcase. He takes her to the hotel and shows her the briefcase and confesses his love after some initial struggle, but is rejected. Nicholas Andre, an old friend of the Swansons and the mastermind behind Bobby's kidnapping, arrives with Shay and, upon learning most of the ransom money has been spent by Harry and Lloyd and replaced with IOUs, takes Lloyd and Mary hostage, as well as Harry when he returns. Before Nicholas can kill them, an FBI team raids the suite and arrests him and Shay. After the incident, Mary and Bobby are reunited, much to Lloyd's jealousy.

The next day, Harry and Lloyd begin walking home. All of the items they bought were confiscated and their moped has broken down. The two unknowingly decline the chance to be oil boys for a group of bikini girls, after which Harry ironically tells Lloyd that they will get their "break" one day. Harry and Lloyd then play a friendly game of tag as they continue to walk back home.

Cast

  • Jim Carrey as Lloyd Christmas; a chip-toothed, deranged slacker who has been fired from several jobs; his latest being a limo driver.
  • Jeff Daniels as Harry Dunne; Lloyd's best friend and roommate. Though still being a dim-witted loser, Harry is slightly more intelligent than Lloyd.
  • Lauren Holly as Mary Swanson, a wealthy heiress whose husband, Bobby, has been kidnapped and whom Lloyd falls in love with, unaware that she is already married.
  • Karen Duffy as J.P. Shay, Mental's female accomplice.
  • Mike Starr as Joe "Mental" Mentalino, a criminal who works as a henchman for Nicholas Andre. He suffers from a stomach ulcer and regularly takes a medication for it.
  • Charles Rocket as Nicholas Andre; a greedy, wealthy resident of Aspen, Colorado and the mastermind behind Bobby's kidnapping.
  • Teri Garr as Helen Swanson, Mary's stepmother.
  • Victoria Rowell as Beth Jordan (credited as "Athletic Beauty"), an FBI agent masquerading as a talkative young woman who is moving to Aspen to get away from her boyfriend.
  • Cam Neely as Sea Bass, a trucker who gets into frequent confrontations with Harry and Lloyd on their way to Aspen. Their first encounter was at a Pennsylvania diner.
  • Joe Baker as Barnard
  • Brad Lockerman as Bobby Swanson, Mary's kidnapped husband
  • Lin Shaye as Mrs. Neugeboren
  • Hank Brandt as Karl Swanson, Mary's father
  • Harland Williams as Pennsylvania state trooper
  • Brady Bluhm as Billy, a blind and wheelchair-bound young boy, who Lloyd sold him some of his and Harry's belongings, including Harry's decapitated parrot. It appears on the news when Harry and Lloyd arrive in Aspen.
  • Rob Moran as Bartender
  • Felton Perry as FBI agent
  • Lisa Stothard as Austrian bus stop beauty
  • Connie Sawyer as Elderly woman
  • Fred Stoller as Anxious Man at Phone

Production

Jim Carrey, based on the box-office success of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), received a salary of $7 million for this film.[5]

Jeff Daniels was only paid around $50,000. New Line Cinema originally didn't want Daniels in the film, as he was known only for his dramatic work at the time. The Farrelly brothers fought to have him cast and won out, but the studio offered Daniels the low salary hoping he would turn down the film. Daniels ultimately accepted the role.[6]

Steve Martin and Martin Short both turned down the role of Lloyd.[7]

Jim Carrey's chipped tooth is genuine, resulting from a tussle with a schoolfellow in his boyhood, but he had since had it capped. He had simply had the crown temporarily removed from that tooth to portray Lloyd.[8]

Location

Scenes taking place in Aspen were filmed in Breckenridge, Colorado and Park City, Utah. The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado was transformed into the "Danbury Hotel" for the filming of the movie. The "Danbury Hotel" bar scene and staircase shot were the shots filmed there. The scenes filmed in the snow were shot at Copper Mountain Resort, Colorado.[9]

Some of the external street scenes were filmed in Salt Lake City.[citation needed]

The airport scene was also filmed at Salt Lake City International Airport.

Some scenes from the beginning of the film were also shot on location in the Providence, Rhode Island metropolitan area, including shots of the skyline, The Big Blue Bug, and scenes from the beginning of their road trip were shot in locations in Cumberland.[citation needed]

Soundtrack

Untitled
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Dumb and Dumber at AllMusic. Retrieved 9-28-2014.

Dumb and Dumber: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the original soundtrack to the film, and was released by RCA Records on November 22, 1994.[10]

No.TitleArtistLength
1."The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" (featuring Ellen Reid)Crash Test Dummies3:46
2."New Age Girl"Deadeye Dick3:28
3."Insomniac"Echobelly4:15
4."If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself)"Pete Droge3:33
5."Crash (The '95 Mix)"The Primitives3:14
6."Whiney, Whiney (What Really Drives Me Crazy)"Willi One Blood3:36
7."Where I Find My Heaven"Gigolo Aunts3:25
8."Hurdy Gurdy Man"Butthole Surfers3:57
9."Too Much of a Good Thing" (featuring Bret Reilly)The Sons5:15
10."The Bear Song"Green Jellÿ2:41
11."Take"The Lupins3:01
12."You Sexy Thing"Deee-Lite4:07
13."Get Ready"The Proclaimers3:02

Omissions

The song "The Rain, The Park & Other Things" by The Cowsills was not on the soundtrack, although it was played quite prominently in the montage of Lloyd fantasizing about Mary, nor was "Oh, Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison, though it was featured prominently in the make-over montage.

Also missing are "Can We Still Be Friends" by Todd Rundgren (who also wrote the original soundtrack), "Rollin' Down the Hill" by The Rembrandts, "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by the Crash Test Dummies, "Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, "Boom Shack-A-Lak" by Apache Indian, and "Make Love Now" by Patrick Wilson. "2 Ft. 0 Butt Crack" by Bruce Greenwood was also omitted from the soundtrack and was erroneously credited to the band Circle the Wagon in the film's credits.[11]

The song "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac was featured in the television edit of the film.

Reception

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 66% of 50 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 5.9/10. The site's consensus reads: "A relentlessly stupid comedy elevated by its main actors: Jim Carrey goes bonkers and Jeff Daniels carries himself admirably in an against-type performance."[12] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from film critics, it has a score of 41 based on reviews from 14 critics, which indicates mixed or average reviews.[13]

Roger Ebert gave the film two of four stars(despite praise for performances of Carrey and Daniels, dubbing him a "true original", and the dead parakeet joke).[14] Stephen Holden of The New York Times called Carrey "the new Jerry Lewis",[15] and Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle called it "riotous", "rib-splitting", and gave the film praise for being both a crude and slapstick comedy and a "smart comedy" at the same time.[16] Carrey was nominated for a Razzie Award for "Worst New Star".[17]

It has since become a cult film.[3]

Awards

Although the film did not secure any major American film awards, it was successful at the 1995 MTV Movie Awards. Carrey won for Best Comic Performance, Carrey and Holly (a couple who would later endure a short-lived marriage) won for Best Kiss, and Carrey and Daniels were nominated for Best On-Screen Duo.

In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted Dumb and Dumber the fifth greatest comedy film of all time.[citation needed] The film ranks 445th on Empire Magazine's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.[18]

Box office

The film opened at No. 1 in its opening weekend earning $16.4 million.[19] It went on to gross $127,175,374 in the United States, and $247,275,374 worldwide, and topping the holiday season film gross.[20]

Legacy

Animated series

Main article: Dumb and Dumber (TV series)
File:Dumb & Dumber Cartoon Title.jpg
Title card for the cartoon

In 1995, a Hanna-Barbera-produced animated series aired on ABC, as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup; Matt Frewer provided the voice of Lloyd, while Bill Fagerbakke voiced Harry. In the cartoon, Harry and Lloyd have reacquired their van, now named "Otto". The cartoon also features a new character, Kitty, a female pet purple beaver who appears to be smarter than both men. The animated series was written by Bennett Yellin, co-writer of the film. The show was short-lived and was shelved after one season.[citation needed]

Prequel

Main article: Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd

In 2003, a prequel was theatrically released, entitled Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd. The film featured a cast and crew different from the previous film, and the Farrelly brothers had no involvement in the film's production. It was heavily panned by critics, receiving a 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It grossed approximately $39.2 million worldwide against a $19 million budget, as opposed to the original film's far greater $247 million worldwide gross against a $17 million budget.[21][22]

Sequel

Main article: Dumb and Dumber To

In October 2011, the Farrelly brothers confirmed that they would make a sequel to Dumb and Dumber.[23] The sequel, titled Dumb and Dumber To, was shot in the fall of 2013. Carrey and Daniels have returned to lead the film, and Bobby and Peter Farrelly returned to direct along with original screenwriter Bennett Yellin, and actors reprising their roles from the first film include Brady Bluhm, who played Billy in (Apartment) 4C, and Cam Neely, who played Sea Bass. Dumb and Dumber To was released on November 14, 2014.[24]

Unlike the original film, Dumb and Dumber To was not released by Warner Bros. but rather by Universal Pictures.[25] Despite Warner having no involvement in the film, its New Line Cinema division, which produced the first film and the prequel, was still given studio credit from Universal.[26][27]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ The film's distribution rights were transferred to Warner Bros. in 2008.

References

  1. ^ Box Office Information for Dumb and Dumber. The Wrap. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Dumb and Dumber at Box Office Mojo
  3. ^ a b Alexander, Brian (November 16, 2014). "'Dumb and Dumber To' is top of box office class". USA Today. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  4. ^ "Jim Carrey Biography". Bio. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  5. ^ Cameron-Wilson, James; Speed, F. Maurice (1994). Film Review 1994-5. Great Britain: Virgin Books. p. 146. ISBN 0-86369-842-5Template:Inconsistent citations{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  6. ^ "Jim Carrey Was Paid 140 Times More Than Jeff Daniels For Original 'Dumb And Dumber'". Business Insider.
  7. ^ Katz, Paul (January 6, 2006). "Is the new Dumb and Dumber DVD an improvement?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  8. ^ Meyers, Kate (February 3, 1995). "Jim Carrey's fake tooth". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  9. ^ Adventure-Journal, Adventure-Journal 10 Mountains Misrepresented in Movies
  10. ^ Playlist as listed on the Compact Disc — retrieved on 8/12/13
  11. ^ "Bruce Greenwood Interviewed on The Hour". YouTube. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  12. ^ "Dumb and Dumber". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  13. ^ "Critic Reviews for Dumb & Dumber at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  14. ^ "Dumb And Dumber". Chicago Sun-Times.
  15. ^ Holden, Stephen (December 16, 1994). "FILM REVIEW; Traveling on Half a Tank". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "FILM REVIEW -- 'Dumb and Dumber' a Smart Comedy With Lowbrow Laughs". San Francisco Chronicle. June 23, 1995.
  17. ^ Reed, Ryan (2014-11-03). "In Defense of the Stupid Brilliance of Dumb and Dumber". Esquire. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  18. ^ "Empire Features". Empireonline.com. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  19. ^ Scott Bowles (November 13, 2014). "Can 'Dumb And Dumber To' Outwit Holdovers?: Box Office Preview". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  20. ^ Weinraub, Bernard (January 3, 1995). "'Dumb and Dumber' Tops Holiday Film Grosses". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  21. ^ "Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  22. ^ "Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  23. ^ Fleming, Jr., Mike. "Peter And Bobby Farrelly Plan More 'Dumb And Dumber' For Jim Carrey & Jeff Daniels". Deadline. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  24. ^ Kristobak, Ryan (19 November 2013). "'Dumb And Dumber To' Release Date Set For Nov. 14, 2014". Huffington Post. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  25. ^ Fleming, Jr., Mike. "TOLDJA! 'Dumb And Dumber To' Proves No-Brainer For Universal; Studio Locks Deal For Farrellys, Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels Pic". Deadline. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  26. ^ Goldberg, Matt. "New Poster for DUMB AND DUMBER TO; First Trailer Premieres Tonight". Collider.com. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  27. ^ "Dumb and Dumber To Poster". Collider.com. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
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