Dumb and Dumber | |
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Directed by | Peter Farrelly |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Mark Irwin |
Edited by | Christopher Greenbury |
Music by | Todd Rundgren |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | New Line Cinema [1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 106 minutes [1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $17 million [3] |
Box office | $247.3 million [4] |
Dumb and Dumber is a 1994 American buddy comedy film directed by Peter Farrelly, [1] [2] who cowrote the screenplay with Bobby Farrelly and Bennett Yellin. It is the first installment in the Dumb and Dumber franchise. Starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, it tells the story of Lloyd Christmas (Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Daniels), two dumb but well-meaning friends from Providence, Rhode Island, who set out on a cross-country road trip to Aspen, Colorado, to return a briefcase full of money to its owner, thinking it was abandoned as a mistake though it was actually left as a ransom. Lauren Holly, Karen Duffy, Mike Starr, Charles Rocket, and Teri Garr play supporting roles.
The film was released on December 16, 1994 to mixed reviews from critics. It grossed $247 million at the box office and has since developed a cult following. [4] [5] The success of Dumb and Dumber launched the career of the Farrelly brothers, established the range of the heretofore dramatically acclaimed Daniels as a gifted comedic actor and revitalized his Hollywood career, [6] and solidified Carrey's reputation as one of the most prominent actors of the 1990s. [7] The film also spawned an animated TV series, a 2003 prequel, and a 2014 sequel.
Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, two dimwitted young men, are best friends and roommates living in Providence, Rhode Island. Lloyd, a chip-toothed limousine driver, falls in love with Mary Swanson, a woman he is driving to the airport. She leaves a briefcase in the terminal. Lloyd attempts to return it, unaware that it contains ransom money for her kidnapped husband, Bobby, and that she left it for her husband's captors, Joe "Mental" Mentalino and J. P. Shay. Her Aspen-bound plane has departed, leading to Lloyd running and falling out of the jetway.
Fired for leaving the scene of an accident, Lloyd returns to his apartment and learns that Harry, who works as a dog groomer, has also been fired for showing up late to a dog show with the dogs covered in food. Mental and Shay follow Lloyd home from the airport in pursuit of the briefcase. Mistaking the crooks for debt collectors, the two flee the apartment and return to find that Mental and Shay have ransacked the apartment and decapitated Harry's parakeet, Petey. Lloyd suggests they head to Aspen to find Mary and return her briefcase. Harry agrees, and they leave the next day.
Mental and Shay catch up to the duo. Posing as a hitchhiker, Mental is picked up by Harry and Lloyd while Shay secretly follows them. However, Harry and Lloyd annoy Mental with their childish antics. During a lunch stop, the duo pranks Mental with chili peppers in his burger, unaware that he has a stomach ulcer. When Mental reacts adversely, they accidentally give him rat poison pills (which he had planned to use on them) after mistaking it for his medication, thus killing him. In response, police wait to intercept the two on the road to Colorado, but Lloyd takes a wrong turn and drives all night through Nebraska. Harry gives up on the journey and decides to walk home, but Lloyd persuades him to continue after trading the van for a minibike.
The two arrive in Aspen but cannot find Mary. Harry attacks Lloyd in frustration, breaking the briefcase open by accident; after discovering the money, the two spend it on a hotel suite, clothes and a car. They learn that Mary and her family are hosting a gala and prepare to attend by getting makeovers and renting outlandishly gaudy tuxedoes. 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 that Harry lied and spent the day with her himself.
In retaliation, Lloyd pranks Harry by serving him a coffee laced with a heavy dose of laxatives, causing Harry to spontaneously defecate in a broken toilet at Mary's apartment bathroom. Lloyd arrives at Mary's house and informs her that he has her briefcase. He takes her to the hotel, shows her the briefcase, and confesses his love, but she rejects him as she is married. Nicholas Andre, an old friend of the Swansons and the mastermind behind Bobby's kidnapping, shows up.
Lloyd learns from Andre of Mary’s marriage to Bobby, and Andre learns that Lloyd and Harry spent the ransom money. Furious, he takes Lloyd and Mary hostage, as well as Harry when he returns. An argument leads Nicholas to shoot Harry, who plays dead before ineptly returning fire. Before Nicholas can fire another shot, an FBI team led by Beth Jordan (whom Harry had met at a gas station and Lloyd met earlier at the bar) raids the suite, where Beth tells Harry and Lloyd that the FBI and police had been following them. Harry reveals that they gave him a bulletproof vest and gun when he arrived. Nicolas and Shay are arrested, and Mary and Bobby are reunited. The next day, Harry and Lloyd have begun walking home because their purchases were confiscated and their minibike broke down. Harry tells Lloyd that they will get their "break" one day, and they play a game of tag as they walk back to Rhode Island.
John Hughes originally conceived the film before he sold it to the Farrelly Brothers and asked for his name to be removed from the writing credits. [8] The Farrelly Brothers had been trying for years to get their first movie made. Director Peter's agent encouraged him to make a movie himself, alongside his brother Bobby. The Farrelly Brothers did not know who Jim Carrey was; they were only told that he was "The White Guy" on In Living Color . Only after a screening of Carrey's first major acting role, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective , did they become interested in casting him. Based on the box-office success of Ace Ventura, Carrey was able to negotiate a salary of $7 million for this film. [9]
Nicolas Cage, who was proposed to be Carrey's co-star, tried to negotiate a $2 million increase in his fee but New Line Cinema decided against casting him and signed Jeff Daniels instead. [10] Cage said he turned it down to do Leaving Las Vegas instead. [11] Daniels was only paid around $50,000. New Line Cinema originally did not want Daniels in the film, as he was known only for his dramatic work at the time. However, the Farrellys and Carrey wanted Daniels for the part. Although New Line Cinema agreed to their demands, Daniels was offered the low salary in the hopes it would discourage him from signing on to the film. Daniels ultimately accepted the role, despite his agent reportedly dissuading him out of fears it would kill his career. [12]
Steve Martin and Martin Short both turned down the role of Lloyd. [13] According to Splitsider, Gary Oldman and Cage were the original choices for Lloyd and Harry. [14] Chris Elliott and Rob Lowe were both also considered for the role of Harry. [14] Carrey's chipped tooth was genuine, resulting from a fight with a classmate in his childhood, but he had since had it capped. He simply had the crown temporarily removed from that tooth to portray Lloyd. [15]
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. [16] Some of the external street scenes were filmed in Salt Lake City, and the airport scene was filmed at Salt Lake City International Airport. [17] Some scenes from the beginning of the film were shot on location in the Providence metropolitan area, including shots of the skyline and The Big Blue Bug; scenes from the beginning of their road trip were shot in locations in Cumberland, Rhode Island. [18] Parts of the film were also shot in Ogden, Utah and American Fork Canyon. [19]
Dumb and Dumber: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
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Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
Released | November 22, 1994 |
Genre | Soundtrack |
Length | 46:51 |
Label | RCA Records |
Producer | Various Artists |
Singles from Dumb and Dumber: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
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The original soundtrack to the film was released by RCA Records on November 22, 1994. [20] The soundtrack album's first single, "New Age Girl" by Deadeye Dick, was a chart hit, reaching number 27 in the US, while the music video for the Crash Test Dummies' version of "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" featured Jeff Daniels reprising his role of Harry. [21]
The soundtrack album has generally seen positive reception from critics. Joe Bishop of Vice named the album his favorite movie soundtrack, while the same site's Cameron Matthews described it as "a perfect slice of the mid-'90s sound: bubbly pop rock with jangly chords and just enough grit, or aka the thing you can give your kids when they one day ask you what the '90s were like". [21] [22]
Though not present on the soundtrack, the film famously features Carrey and Daniels singing an a cappella version of "Mockingbird" to Mike Starr's character. [21] Also missing on the soundtrack is Apache Indian's "Boom Shack-A-Lak", which accompanies the film's opening sequence, as well as several other songs appearing in the film. Songs not included on the soundtrack are "Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" by The Cowsills, "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by Crash Test Dummies, "Oh, Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison, "Can We Still Be Friends?" by Todd Rundgren and "Rollin' Down the Hill" by The Rembrandts.
Beck had been approached about including his song "Loser" on the soundtrack, but he refused. He recalled the process: "I remember getting a phone call one day. My manager said, 'There's a film. They want to use 'Loser' as the theme song'. There was a long pause, and he said, 'The name of the film is Dumb And Dumber. And I just remember: That sums up what the world thinks of me at this point. I tried to have fun with it, tried to not take it too serious. But at the same time, it was a little disheartening sometimes". [23]
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
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1. | "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" | Crash Test Dummies featuring Ellen Reid | |
2. | "New Age Girl" | Deadeye Dick | |
3. | "Insomniac" | Echobelly | |
4. | "If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself)" | Pete Droge | |
5. | "Crash – The '95 Mix" | The Primitives | |
6. | "Whiney, Whiney (What Really Drives Me Crazy)" | Willi One Blood | |
7. | "Where I Find My Heaven" | Gigolo Aunts | |
8. | "Hurdy Gurdy Man" | Butthole Surfers | |
9. | "Too Much of a Good Thing" | The Sons featuring Bret Reilly | |
10. | "The Bear Song" | Green Jelly | |
11. | "Take" | The Lupins | |
12. | "You Sexy Thing" | Deee-Lite | |
13. | "Get Ready" | The Proclaimers |
Dumb and Dumber opened at No. 1 in its opening weekend, earning $16.4 million. [24] It went on to gross $127,175,374 in the United States, and $247,275,374 worldwide, and topping the holiday season film gross. [25]
Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 68% of 53 surveyed critics gave Dumb and Dumber a positive review; the average rating is 6.1/10. 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". [26] On Metacritic, which assigns a 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". [27] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. [28]
Roger Ebert gave the film two of four stars for the hit-or-miss comedic elements, but praised the performances of Carrey and Daniels, dubbing the former a "true original", and writing that the dead parakeet joke "made me laugh so loudly I embarrassed myself. I just couldn't stop". [29] Stephen Holden of The New York Times called Carrey "the new Jerry Lewis", [30] 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. [31] Carrey was nominated for a Razzie Award for "Worst New Star". [32]
Although Dumb and Dumber 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. The film ranks 445th on Empire 's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time. [33]
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.
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 panned by critics, receiving a 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. [39] 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. [40]
The Farrelly brothers returned to make a sequel to Dumb and Dumber. [41] The sequel, titled Dumb and Dumber To , was shot in the fall of 2013. Carrey and Daniels returned, and Bobby and Peter Farrelly returned to direct along with original screenwriter Bennett Yellin. 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. [42] Compared to the original film, Dumb and Dumber To was met with mixed reviews from critics, although it did well commercially. Dumb and Dumber To was not released by Warner Bros. Pictures (who now owns New Line Cinema), but rather by Universal Pictures. [43] Despite having no involvement in the film, New Line was still given studio credit from Universal. [44] [45]
James Eugene Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian known for his energetic slapstick performances. After spending the 1980s honing his stand-up comedy act and portraying mostly supporting roles in films, Carrey gained wide recognition in 1990 when he was cast in the American sketch comedy television series In Living Color (1990–1994). He broke out as a film star after starring in a string of box office hits with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber, which he followed up with Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Batman Forever. The success of these five films led to Carrey being the first actor to receive a $20 million salary for performing in films, beginning with The Cable Guy (1996).
There's Something About Mary is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly, who co-wrote it with Ed Decter and John J. Strauss. The film features Cameron Diaz as the title character, while Ben Stiller, Matt Dillon, Lee Evans, and Chris Elliott all play men who are in love with Mary, and vying for her affection.
Jeffrey Warren Daniels is an American actor. He is known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, in addition to nominations for five Golden Globe Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Tony Awards.
Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly, collectively referred to as the Farrelly brothers, are American screenwriters and directors. They have made eleven films together, including Dumb and Dumber, Outside Providence, and There's Something About Mary.
Peter John Farrelly is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and novelist. Along with his brother Bobby, the Farrelly brothers are mostly famous for directing and producing quirky comedy and romantic comedy films such as Dumb and Dumber; Outside Providence; Shallow Hal; Me, Myself and Irene; There's Something About Mary; and the 2007 remake of The Heartbreak Kid.
Robert Leo Farrelly Jr. is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is one of the Farrelly brothers, alongside his brother Peter, who together are known for directing and producing quirky, slightly offensive comedy films such as Dumb and Dumber, Shallow Hal, Me, Myself and Irene, There's Something About Mary, and the 2007 remake of The Heartbreak Kid. He made his solo directorial debut in 2023 with Champions.
Me, Myself & Irene is a 2000 American slapstick black comedy film directed by the Farrelly brothers, and starring Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger. Chris Cooper, Robert Forster, Richard Jenkins, Daniel Greene, Anthony Anderson, Jerod Mixon and Mongo Brownlee co-star. The film is about a Rhode Island state trooper named Charlie who, after years of continuously suppressing his rage and feelings, suffers a psychotic breakdown that results in a second personality, Hank. This was Carrey's first role in a 20th Century Fox film, along with being the Farrelly brothers' second film with Carrey since Dumb and Dumber (1994). Filming was done from May 11 to July 29, 1999 in various locations in Rhode Island and Vermont. It was a box office success but received mixed to negative critic reviews.
Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd is a 2003 American buddy comedy film directed by Troy Miller from a screenplay by Miller and Robert Brener. It is the second installment in the Dumb and Dumber franchise and a prequel to the 1994 film Dumb and Dumber. Depicting the original film's characters during their high school years, it stars Derek Richardson and Eric Christian Olsen in the title roles. The film was a moderate box office success, but was panned by critics, who compared it unfavorably with the original.
The Mask is a 1994 American superhero comedy film directed by Chuck Russell and produced by Bob Engelman from a screenplay by Mike Werb and a story by Michael Fallon and Mark Verheiden. It is the first film in the Mask franchise, based on the comic book series of the same name by Mike Richardson, published by Dark Horse Comics. It stars Jim Carrey in the title role along with Peter Riegert, Peter Greene, Amy Yasbeck, Richard Jeni, and Cameron Diaz in her film debut. Carrey plays Stanley Ipkiss, an ordinary man who finds a magical wooden mask that transforms him into the titular green-faced troublemaker who can cartoonishly alter himself and his surroundings at will. Filming began on August 30, 1993, and concluded in October 1993.
Lauren Holly is an American–Canadian actress. She has played the roles of Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the television series Picket Fences, NCIS Director Jenny Shepard in the series NCIS, and Dr. Betty Rogers on Motive. In film, she portrayed Mary Swanson in Dumb and Dumber (1994), Bruce Lee's wife Linda Lee in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993), Darian Smalls in Beautiful Girls (1996), and Gigi in What Women Want (2000).
Zen Brant Gesner is an American television and movie actor. He is perhaps most recognized for his roles as Sinbad in the syndicated television series The Adventures of Sinbad, and was a regular cast member on the ABC daytime drama All My Children as bad boy and rapist Braden Lavery. More recently he's appeared in Miller Lite's "Man Laws" commercials as one of the "Men Of The Square Table". Gesner also appeared on an episode of the popular sitcom Friends in which he played Rachel Green's date. A graduate of the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), Gesner has appeared in several movies since his cinematic debut as "Dale's Man #1" in the 1994 comedy Dumb & Dumber, including Osmosis Jones, Me, Myself & Irene, Shallow Hal (Ralph), and There's Something About Mary. In 2005, he had a small part in the romantic comedy Fever Pitch starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon.
Harland Williams is a Canadian and American actor, comedian, and author. After several years of performing stand-up comedy in Toronto and Los Angeles, he made his film debut in Dumb and Dumber (1994) before playing starring roles in the short-lived sitcom Simon and the Disney comedy RocketMan (1997). He co-starred in Half Baked and played a psychopathic hitch-hiker in There's Something About Mary in 1998. He later appeared in films such as The Whole Nine Yards (2000), Freddy Got Fingered (2001) and Sorority Boys (2002), and provided voices in works such as Gary & Mike, Robots (2005), Meet the Robinsons (2007), and Sausage Party (2016). He is also an author of children's books, and creator of the children's animated series Puppy Dog Pals (2017–2023).
Dumb and Dumber is an animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera and New Line Television for ABC. It is based on the 1994 comedy film of the same name. It premiered in October 1995, making it the last Hanna-Barbera show to air on a television channel other than Cartoon Network.
The Three Stooges is a 2012 American slapstick comedy film based on the 1934–59 film shorts starring the comedy trio of the same name. It was produced, written and directed by the Farrelly brothers and co-written by Mike Cerrone. It stars Chris Diamantopoulos, Sean Hayes, and Will Sasso, re-creating the eponymous characters played by Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard.
Brad Krevoy is a film producer, entrepreneur, and founder and chairman/CEO of the Motion Picture Corporation of America. Over his 37-year career, Krevoy has been involved in the production and distribution of more than 250 film and television projects, most notably Dumb and Dumber, and Christmas-themed entertainment, including the A Christmas Prince and The Princess Switch trilogies, as well as Falling for Christmas and Irish Wish.
Charles B. Wessler is an American film producer best known for his collaborations with the Farrelly brothers.
Joey McFarland is an American film producer and the founder of McFarland Entertainment, a content development and production company for both film and television. He was previously vice chairman of Red Granite Pictures.
Dumb and Dumber To is a 2014 American buddy comedy film co-written and directed by the Farrelly brothers. It is the third film in the Dumb and Dumber franchise and a sequel to the 1994 film Dumb and Dumber. The film stars Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reprising their roles 20 years after the events of the first film, and also features Rob Riggle, Laurie Holden, Rachel Melvin, and Kathleen Turner. The film tells the story of Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, two dimwitted adults who set out on a cross-country road trip to locate Harry's daughter, who has been adopted.
Jim Carrey is a Canadian and American actor and comedian who has appeared in various feature films, television films/series, along with one video game appearance. He is one of the top-50 highest-grossing actors of all time at the North American box office, with over $2.5 billion total gross and an average of $94.3 million per film. He has been involved with thirteen films that grossed over $250 million at the worldwide box office; the highest-grossing film being Bruce Almighty. Carrey gained his first lead role on the short-lived television series The Duck Factory in 1984, playing a young cartoonist. His first starring role in film was the 1985 comedy horror Once Bitten, with Lauren Hutton as a vampire countess and Carrey playing her victim. He landed supporting roles in films, such as Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), The Dead Pool (1988) and Earth Girls Are Easy. In 1990, Carrey received his commercial breakthrough on Fox's In Living Color (1990–1994), where he displayed his character work.
Dumb and Dumber is a series of comedy films starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. The films have been released from 1994 to 2014.