Dumb and Dumber To Is Too Dumb for Critics

If you've been waiting two decades for Dumb and Dumber To, the sequel to 1994's cult classic Dumb and Dumber, well, let's hope you aren't as disappointed as critics. The flick starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels has just a 28% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing. Here's what they're saying:

• This "disappointing return" is "so uninspired that it could retroactively tarnish our affection for the original," writes Lindsey Bahr at the AP. "The boys are up to their same old stunts, which is the fundamental problem: They've stayed the same. We've changed." She especially takes issue with the "insidious racism" and "misogynistic treatment of women."

• At a time "when dumb buddy comedy has become an entire strain of filmmaking" (think The Hangover, Wedding Crashers, etc.), Dumb and Dumber To "feels strangely old-fashioned," writes Betsy Sharkey at the Los Angeles Times. That might have something to do with the "expected blind jokes, fart jokes, pee jokes, and poop jokes," Sharkey says. But at least Carrey "is mind-blowing to watch" and "back at the top of his game."
• Rafer Guzman at Newsday says fans of the original might leave the theater satisfied. "Carrey is as energetic and rubber-faced as ever, while Daniels has improved, vying for co-star status instead of playing the straight man," he writes. But as far as their characters go, "Harry and Lloyd remain less than endearing," Guzman writes. "Maybe that's the secret to their success."
• Finally, Ty Burr at the Boston Globe has kind words. "Everyone has piled into this dumber, sillier, more consistently funny reprise with an enthusiasm that's infectious," he writes. In terms of the humor, "the batting average is surprisingly high," though "some of the misfires are vile." Overall, "it's a movie to make you groan and smile in equal guilty measure."

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