MovieFreak.com - "Dumb and Dumberer" DVD Review by Dennis Landmann

Harry (Derek Richardson) and Lloyd (Eric Christian Olsen) bump heads on their way to school and become instant buddies. Meanwhile, the school's principal and the head lunch-lady (Cheri Oteri) hatch a scheme to cheat the school out of $100,000 in grant money. Naturally, only Harry and Lloyd can foil this scam, although they get help from an inquisitive school reporter and students of the "fake" special needs class that is part of the scam.

Before screenwriter Robert Brener and director Troy Miller turned in their screenplay for the Dumb and Dumber prequel, New Line paid South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone some $1.5 million to write a screenplay about Harry and Lloyd as a teenage duo. After some time Parker and Stone declined the job and returned all the money. Perhaps they realized a prequel just couldn't work or be as funny as the original film. If that was the case, I'm glad. These two guys rarely miss out on jokes and humor in a South Park episode so from that standpoint I think they know how to write humor. Then again, perhaps they just didn't know where to go with the characters of Harry and Lloyd. And if that is the case, well, I don't know what. But I do know the script for Dumb and Dumberer is crap. And the film itself is crap. There is zero humor, except for a melted chocolate bar in Harry's pants. But that's another story.

Aside from more than several anachronisms, such as Lloyd watching a film on TV that at the time wasn't even released, the plot for Dumb and Dumberer is so thin even Kate Moss can't compete. The story is simple-minded and doesn't contain enough material to maintain 90 minutes of entertainment. Entertainment is also another story. Anyway, all the things Harry and Lloyd do in the film are just boring and unfunny.

However, the actors playing the roles, Derek Richardson and Eric Christian Olsen, respectively, do a pretty good job, though their talent or screen persona is totally wasted by action and dialogue that just isn't interesting or funny. Actually, the supporting cast is interesting. Elden Henson and Shia LaBeouf have fun characters, while the presence of Eugene Levy and Mimi Rogers is quite dumbfounding. The roles for Luis Guzmàn and Cheri Oteri are also a waste. However, many of the actors playing the "special needs" students appear to have fun. So that's nice, but it doesn't make the film better. I can see a little bit of potential in Dumb and Dumberer but what is ultimately presented is just terrible standard fare and less. Following two idiots around in the original film was fun, but doing the same thing a second time around is old. It's also not "so stupid it's funny". Mainly, it's boring.

The front cover of the DVD looks damn ugly. The design is taken from the poster art. Horrendous! The front cover also displays a confusing blurb from Eleanor O'Sullivan from the Indianapolis Star. What exactly does it mean for a film to be "a slap-happy time"? I don't really care, but I thought I'd ask the question anyway. Really, the only time you'll have by watching this film is lost time. Time you wish you could get back. Also, I did not find any entertainment value in the film.

I must admit I kind of looked forward to the prequel, but that is before I saw the trailer. The trailer looks somewhat interesting, but it also reveals how bad the film looks. I ended up not seeing it in theaters. After watching the DVD I'm not really disappointed. I expected it to be bad. The overall problem with the film is the script. Like I said, there is just not enough story here. Not much is going on. And when there is something going on, such as Harry and Lloyd fighting for the same girl (Jessica, the school reporter), it doesn't matter.

Midway through the film Harry uses the bathroom in Jessica's house. He smells something, so he puts his hand down his pants. It emerges covered with some sort of brown slime. The filmmakers will want you to think it's shit. But Harry pulls out a chocolate bar. So he licks his fingers. When he wants to clean his hands he smears the chocolate all over the bathroom instead. But the sheer amount of chocolate that's covering the walls does not come from a single bar. That's so overkill.

So I think I've said everything I needed to. Don't waste your time on this lame and unfunny film. Dumb and Dumberer is not unfunny, it's unfunnierer. How dumb is that?

New Line Cinema presents Dumb and Dumberer in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is a pretty nice presentation overall. Colors are vibrant and color detail is quite sharp. There are certain spots where grain appears, mostly during night scenes, yet the rest of the film looks quite clear. It's a fresh look.

New Line Cinema presents Dumb and Dumberer in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The music comes alive quite nicely in this presentation. Rear speakers are active from time to time. Dialog is reproduced across the two front channels with some good dynamic range, though it is also clear and easy to understand. Sound effects, like burps and farts, can be heard loud and clear also. Just terrific, isn't it. This is a pretty good soundtrack presentation for a film like this. A 2.0 track is also included.

This Platinum Series DVD contains a good line-up of special features, but they're not terribly interesting. The actors playing Harry and Lloyd show up in the background of the main menus doing all sorts of blah stuff, like walking in circles or chasing each other. A "do not press" sign will have them fart or burp in your face when selected. Uh, dumb.

First, director Troy Miller, Eric Christian Olsen and Derek Richardson participate in a commentary. They talk about this and that, but despite a few anecdotes this track is not for your ears. There are also two 3-minute gag commentaries, one with two fake critics and the other with the Ciccone family over dinner. Who are these people? A peculiar idea, but ultimately dumb.

Next are two decent documentaries. Casting the Perfect Dummies (25:14) looks at the casting of the characters. It includes interviews with Troy Miller and others as well as screen tests of many of the actors in the film. Dumb and Dangerous: The Making of (17:09) offers behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Olsen and Richardson inside the sound mixing bay. Cameras appear to be everywhere on set. Usually pop-up bars will, uh, pop up, like VH1's Pop Up Video, to introduce people on the screen.

In the Lost and Found department you will find 9 deleted scenes w/ optional commentary by Troy Miller and editor Larry Jordan as well as a strange combination of outtakes and interviews in something called Dumberer (8:18). If you go to the set-up menu you can select to view the film in three different ways; extended mode (slow motion; 1:00), jiffy mode (rapid scene progression, 1:18), or pillow mode (shown vertically; 1:00). Then there's an interesting Scottish soundtrack option that runs for about two minutes. I liked this idea and the DVD producers should've dubbed the whole film in Scottish. That would've been funnier than anything in the film itself.

Most main menus contain easter eggs that you can select to view brief clips of on-set nonsense and other things. You also get the film's trailer, teaser trailer and bonus trailers (Dumb and Dumber, The Mask, and Austin Powers in Goldfinger)

You can select to view the film with optional English and Spanish subtitles. The 86-minute feature is organized into fifteen chapters.

A prequel to Dumb and Dumber might have seemed like a good idea, but the film ultimately falls flat on nearly every possible level. Despite two decent lead performances, nothing is funny about the film. It's so dumb it's not even funny. New Line's video and audio quality is pretty good. The special features are not too shabby, but considering the film most are dismissible. Do yourself a favor and avoid this garbage. Skip it at all costs.

THE MOVIE	2
THE VIDEO	8
THE AUDIO	8
THE EXTRAS	6
OVERALL (not an average)	3