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The Farrelly brothers are the masters of toilet humour, and if this sort of hilarity amuses you, this film exemplifies the whole genre. Natives of Rhode Island, Peter and Bobby are concerned with visiting the extremities of conviviality, mixing the strangest characters, simplest plots, and sometimes even parodies of disability to illustrate their very distinctive films. If the term is appropriate, Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary (1998) would arguably be the two 'masterpieces' that the brothers have written and directed to much cult following and widespread generational fondness. Dumb and Dumber is still hilariously funny with repeated viewings - obvious laughs still get a chuckle and hidden in-jokes, like the heroine's possible future name being "Mary Christmas", are very uncomplicated and yet very effective.
Jim Carrey's timing is first-rate in this film and his Lloyd Christmas kicks things off in a perfect manor as a limo driver with the "Interesting accent..." monologue. Carrey doesn't run away with the film however as the usually dramatic actor, Jeff Daniels, more than holds his own against his rubber-faced counterpart, and Daniels' Harry Dunn has just as many side-splitting scenes, including the infamous 'bathroom incident' and his ski lift troubles. What the film lacks in a quality plot is comfortably cancelled out by the absurd thrills the Farrelly brothers serve up, with Lloyd and Harry having to overcome every obstacle with less than favourable odds but hilarious consequences. In their quest to return a briefcase to its "rightful owner" (Lauren Holly's Mary Swanson), Lloyd and Harry undertake a quasi-American Dream, thinking they will end up in California. Various spanners are thrown into proceedings to complicate the expedition, but Carrey and Daniels always have the ability to keep the viewer hungry for the comedic touches in the dialogue and only rarely completely revert to the overt stupidity of today's slapstick age. When the slapstick does arrive though, it's tremendously delivered, overstepping the hyperbolic nature of the violence to a flawless degree without going too far. Basically, what they say is cleverly dumb, and to have a screenplay that conveys a story mixed with so many well-thought jokes is a hard objective completed and maintained here. Some people have even gone as far as to state that the duo is actually a realistic pair of dim-witted buffoons. I wouldn't quite go to those extremes, but one does have to credit the two protagonists for trying to act as daft as possible, and they do a sterling job with Carrey especially using this perfect opportunity to showcase his obvious talent and take a massive step towards his present superstardom.
The extras
The added scenes don't really give much more to the film in terms of substance aside from a few homosexual jibes and an extended hot-tub sequence. This 'Uncut Edition' is rather poor in terms of extras as well with a very basic documentary on the film's longevity since 1994 and alternate endings. The two other cheaper versions with even less extras may be better choices for the average consumer as far as value is concerned.
The summary
For the laugh-a-minute stakes, the Farrelly brothers' magnum opus never falls short. Ammunition never appears scarce in a film where the audience is treated to so much more than just an average slapstick comedy.
