Dumb and Dumber To Parent Guide

Dumb and Dumber To may be the most appropriately titled movie I’ve seen in a long time. It is hard to think of another adjective that so succinctly describes a script about two men who are obsessed with bodily functions and fluids. Thankfully it has been two decades since these slow-witted characters first appeared in Dumb and Dumber. But their reputation for crass humor is flourishing. They are largely responsible for spawning a new genre of gross out movies where things like human excrement and urine are supposed to be funny—even hilarious.

Now it appears Harry (Jeff Daniels) has spawned something else—a daughter. He doesn’t find out about the illegitimately fathered child until about 20 years later. (The script isn’t always consistent about how long it has been.) Also in serious need of a kidney, he and Lloyd (Jim Carrey) set out with Penny’s (Rachel Melvin) last known address scribbled on an envelope to reunite father and child.

So what could be more pathetic than a deadbeat dad showing up on your doorstep to ask for a vital organ? Well in this case, it is the road trip. Watching these two make their way across the country will have you questioning not only the competence of other drivers on the road but the governing bodies who hand out licenses. Harry and Lloyd stop in the middle of the Interstate to consult their map, set off an arsenal of fireworks in a hotel room and get ice cold drinks poured down the front of their pants before they even find Penny.

Unfortunately the passage of time hasn’t done anything to dampen this pairs’ penchant for other crude and outright disgusting comedy either. There is still a juvenile fascination with defecation, flatulence and Harry’s partially exposed buttocks. (Honestly, how many times are plumber pants supposed to be funny?) However, potty humor isn’t the only attempt at laughs in this script. Despite society’s increasing concern about political correctness, Dumb and Dumber To seems to have no bounds. The elderly, obese, incapacitated, red-headed and homeless are all made fun of. As well, the script is full of sexual innuendo, crass terms for sex, jokes about anatomy and crude sexual commentary. And for some reason, pushing people into a bush is downright hysterical.

To date, Dumb and Dumber has grossed over $127 million domestically. But with the age of the actors (Carrey is 52 and Daniels is 59) and a glut of gross out movies starring much younger faces, I have to wonder if the franchise can hold its own with the teen crowd. Or will Dumb and Dumber To still resonate with its fans from 20 years ago? Harry and Lloyd obviously haven’t gotten any smarter in that time. But it remains to be seen if their original following will still find mucus bubbles, toxic waste and testicles as humorous as they did two decades ago.

About author

Kerry Bennett

Kerry Bennett is interested in media from both a journalist and parent perspective. Along with authoring articles for several family-oriented publications, she has written for Parent Previews for over 15 years. As a parent herself, she believes parents play a powerful role in teaching media literacy in their homes.