MANILA, Philippines - Right timing and right story. The directors and actors of the 1994 hilarious smash hit Dumb and Dumber all agreed that if they were to make a sequel of this cult classic, it had to meet those two prerequisites. Twenty long years later and the wait is over. Dumb and Dumber To finally reunites Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, and the audience reception is remarkable. It opened in US theaters on the weekend of Nov. 14, and with an earning of $38.1M, it enjoys the No. 1 spot at the box-office.
In this sequel, Lloyd (Carrey) is seen confined in a mental hospital and is visited regularly by his best friend Harry (Daniels). Lloyd appears to be in a catatonic state, but finally snaps out of it. It turns out that Harry has his own health issues. He is in need of a new kidney, and he discovers that he has a daughter (Rachel Malvin) who could be a potential kidney donor. In their efforts to find her, the duo reconnects with Harry’s ex-girlfriend, Fraida Flecher (Kathleen Turner), and deals with Penny’s wealthy and brainy adoptive father (Steve Tom) and his second wife (Laurie Holden).
Production of this sequel began when director Peter Farrelly reached out to Bennett Yellin, his collaborator on the first film, just like his brother Bobby Farrelly. Peter advised him of a plotline that involved Harry and Lloyd looking for a possible love child because Harry needed a new kidney. More creative people from the original team were brought in and the reunion story began taking shape.
Dumb and Dumber To offers nonstop jokes and gags, but the Farrelly brothers note, “The key thing for people to know is that Lloyd and Harry are still good-hearted guys. But since we’ve last seen them, there’s absolutely no mental growth, no character arc. Still, they have each other and that’s enough to get them through life.”
Dumb and Dumber To, a pre-Christmas offering from MVP Entertainment and Viva International Pictures, opens today in cinemas nationwide.