Don't consider yourself too dumb if you didn't already know: the Universal Pictures comedy Dumb and Dumber To is now available to stream on Netflix.
The 1994 comedy Dumb and Dumber starred Jim Carrey (Sonic The Hedgehog) and Jeff Daniels as Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, respectively who set out to return a briefcase full of money to its owner in Aspen, Colorado with a few mishaps along the way when they realize that the briefcase is full of ransom money. It made a whopping $127,175,668 at the international box office and has a huge cult following. The film launched the careers of Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly aka The Farrelly Brothers who returned to co-write and direct the third film. Yep, you read that right. There is a second film in the franchise: Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, which takes place in 1986. This prequel was not well-received and was directed by Troy Miller with Eric Christian Olsen as Lloyd and Derek Richardson as Harry.
Dumb and Dumber To takes place twenty years after the ending of Dumb and Dumber. It marks the return of Lloyd and Harry, the two dim-witted friends who set out on another cross-country road trip, but this time in order to find Harry's daughter. The cast includes Rob Riggle, Laurie Holden, Don Lake, Kathleen Turner, and Steve Tom as Dr. Bernard.
The question on your mind is most likely about whether you should watch this at family movie night or not. Read on for a full breakdown of what to expect in Dumb and Dumber To!
Dumb and Dumber To parents guide: Explaining the PG-13 age rating
Dumb and Dumber To received a PG-13 rating for crude and sexual humor, partial nudity, language, and some drug references. The breakdown below will provide you with enough context to figure out if this movie is worth the watch with the whole family.
Sex and Nudity: In this film, there's plenty of innuendo to go around, meaning some younger children might not be fit to watch primarily because there are references to sexual acts. There are some flashback scenes that hint at the characters' sexual past. There are mentions of foreplay, and viewers will see a couple about to engage in intercourse in a van. Fraida Felcher is described as an ex-whore who was involved with both Harry and Lloyd.
Language: Given that this is a PG-13 movie, there is a bit of profane language heard. A few choice words are thrown around including the "f" word', "s--t," "damn," "hell," "d--k," "tits" etc.
Violence: The franchise is known for its cartoonish prank violence that Lloyd and Harry endure. An animal is shot and killed. Animal cruelty is a running theme in this film. A man is shot, with some blood. As previously mentioned, this film is known for its slapstick humor so some incidents in the movie are played up for the amusement of the viewers such as someone getting hit by a train.
Alcohol and drugs: For the most part, alcohol and drugs aren’t central to the film. There are a few scenes where characters are drinking beer and one of the characters is shown cooking meth. Yikes!
Overall verdict: Who is Dumb and Dumber To appropriate for?
Dumb...I mean drum roll please! This film is definitely appropriate for high-school-aged kids who understand what the innuendos and insults being hurled on-screen mean. While the film is technically rated so that younger kids can go with their parents, the film's propensity towards crudeness is something you can't avoid, no matter how far you skip through. I will say that kids may get a kick out of this buddy comedy for the sole purpose of seeing adults act like kids and also knowing that these are two friends who have stayed friends for a very long time. The bright side is that friendship is always a message that's universally accepted no matter how dumb the friendship may be.
Dumb and Dumber To is available to stream now on Netflix with a subscription.