MovieChat Forums > Dumb and Dumber To (2014) Discussion > So they went full retard...

So they went full retard...

posted 9 years ago by thegame9696
32 replies | jump to latest

A lot had been said about the movie. I don't need to emphasis further.

I'm one of those lovers of the original. I can't say I hated this movie. It had its moments. And that's the problem really. It only had moments. Felt like a sketch comedy. It had none of the humanity of the original. From the first gag and onwards, it was a self parody.

What made the original so successful and time-tested, was the humanity of characters. They were guys we could relate to. And the funny situations they found themselves in was a result of their innocence coupled with their lower-than-average intelligence. No matter how dumb they appeared to be, it was still believable.

Not here. From scene to scene, it felt as if we were watching an SNL sketch stretched over the length of a movie. These weren't the same characters anymore. The absurd level was turned to 11. It was simply an homage movie to the 1st, where everything is overblown to the max.

So yeah, they went full retard here. Nothing was relatable anymore. The only saving grace was the nostalgia aspect. We loved the 1st, so we were able to generally "accept" this, despite it not being a good movie. Don't get me wrong, it had its moments, some funny ones, but as a full-length standalone, it's simply not good.

[–] myIDhasalreadybeentaken 9 years ago

The script was fine... the problem was the director.

[–] DendelionBlu 8 years ago

I can't even begin to say how many things are absurd about your statement

[–] LCAWC 9 years ago

It seems like they fell into the same trap that The Simpsons and Family Guy writers fell into where they couldn't come to an agreeable "line" as to how dumb the characters really were, and so they would be too dumb or just smart enough for various situations in order to move the plot along. I thought the first movie found a great balance straddling that line where Harry & Lloyd never really did something so dumb or so clever as to betray what was the established "stupidity" of the characters.

[–] ipsofatso 9 years ago

Why does IMDB allow you to say "retard" but will not allow you to say "ni__er?" Just wondering.

[–] Number_One_Birdlawyer 9 years ago

Because retard is an actual word that ended up being used negatively. Ni__er started off horrible and continues to be horrible.

Retard: delay or hold back in terms of progress, development, or accomplishment.

[–] ipsofatso 9 years ago

That excuse will not suffice, as we all are dealing with the pejorative sense of the word.
Understand, that I think neither word should be censored. I just wonder at the censor's rather arbitrary decision-making of what is offensive and what is not. Just to test, I'm certain the word tits here will be blocked out, but it's fine to say breasts. Similarly you cannot say cock, but I believe penis is OK. In both cases the words denote the same thing.

[–] ipsofatso 9 years ago

Well turns out I was wrong. Let's see what other words are so horrible that they cannot be used. *beep* (Jew). *beep* (woman's vagina). *beep*? (coitus). Evicerate a child's guts? (I have a feeling that will be OK. It is only violence, after all, which all Americans are Okey-dokey with).

[–] ipsofatso 9 years ago

Yep, you can't use a slang term for sex that every 7-yr-old knows, but it's OK to talk about performing an abominably violent act on a child. God bless America.

[–] RoidDroidVoid 9 years ago

Retard.

[–] ipacac22 9 years ago

Why are you singling out Americans with your little diatribe? As if 300+ million people think the same. Do you know how ignorant you sound.

Utah! Get me two.

[–] ipsofatso 9 years ago

Because that's where I live and the culture that I know. Are you defending the censors? They are actually doing what you don't even like me saying: deciding what's fit for everybody else to see and hear.

[–] jamieparsons1 8 years ago

Oh yeah everyone loves violence. Hence why there's so many snuff films on TV nowadays. I can't believe they really kill people for our entertainment.

[–] IvyTempleton 8 years ago

which all Americans are Okey-dokey with)

I thought IMDb was originally UK owned? I know Amazon owns it now.

It's funny you say the USA is OK with violence yet another poster (on another thread) said we are prudes and too politically correct. Basically people just hate us for every reason. I personally think all countries have their good and bad traits.

[–] Brooklynjoe76 (193) 2 years ago

Unless it's being said by black people to one and other, then it's not horrible.

[–] Number_One_Birdlawyer 9 years ago

They were just caricatures of their previous iterations. Gags. They missed the heart and soul of the first movie by miles.

[–] HowYaLikeDemApplesWill 9 years ago

I think your nostalga sensor is in full effect, because the original Dumb and Dumber was pretty absurd, with plenty of potty humor as well....literally. After all, we're talking the Farrelly Brothers here in both instances.

You make several other fine points, particularly where this movie falls short of the level of the original. With that said, I had a pretty low bar going in based on the passage of time and the general quality of all sequels, and actually I thought there were several pretty funny parts/lines, and the movie ended up very watchable for me.

However, these statements...

They were guys we could relate to.
No matter how dumb they appeared to be, it was still believable.

....are absolutely untrue about the original.

Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?

[–] not_richjenkins 9 years ago

They were guys we could relate to.
No matter how dumb they appeared to be, it was still believable.

....are absolutely untrue about the original.

Indeed. The first movie had nothing to do with being believable. It was just... funny.

[–] dbrockskk1 9 years ago

try not to use retard as an insult. It's ignorant and cruel. It also makes you sound jr high.

suzycreamcheese RIP Heath Ledger 1979-2008

[–] LETumEAT 9 years ago

Try not to be offended by anything and everything,it lowers your blood pressure.It also makes you sound like a pretentious douche.

[–] HowYaLikeDemApplesWill 9 years ago

It's a movie quote, nimrod.....

Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?

[–] DrAtelectasis 9 years ago

You hit the nail on the head. I couldn't agree more.

[–] offyerswod 9 years ago

Just to address every direction this thread has gone

1. OP has a lot of valid points ( mostly about the humanity of the first film being lost ) however, The original was an absurd comedy and they have always been absurdly dumb. I think the problem is down to how Vile and Un-Innocent like these characters have become, The lame support cast and additional characters, The story itself and way too much toilet Humour ( Yes , way more than the first one had ) the other reason this film was crap is because it caters to modern audiences and modern humour ( which is terrible )

2. Shut up about the word Retard already ....Don't notice it , don't be offended by it , It shouldn't be censored, it doesn't make the OP sound like he's in Junior high

its just the word he picked to use ( could've been moronic , could've been idiotic ..BUT it was retarded ..I just don't care )
the ppl who are making waves about that choice of words are the ppl who ruin everything and the guy who wanted to know why IMDB hasn't censored it like the N word ..Sshhhhh just dont even bring it up or it will become another forbidden word and tripwire of society.

3. To the guy who said 'Nostalgia Sensor' ..lets not start using the word Nostalgia to belittle someone's opinion and make excuses for this piece of *beep* sequel

I am noticing this more and more, people trying to sway opinions by claiming they are wearing rose tinted specs etc ...people need to except that pretty much everything made these days sucks and it has nothing to do with Nostalgia

The first Movie was ten times better than this in every way.

still, it was cool and surprising to hear Eddie and the Cruiser's hit "Dark side" on the soundtrack of this movie.

[–] HowYaLikeDemApplesWill 9 years ago

"Nostalgia sensor" was not used to belittle the OP's opinion, and in no way was it to make excuses or convince anyone of the merits of this movie.

The OP said some pretty outlandish things about the original movie, that could only be explained by their fondness for the original and possibly due to the passage of time...i.e. nostalgia.

For the record, I absolutely loved the original. But to say the original was "believable", strains credibility. They duct-taped the head on a parakeet and sold it to a blind kid, killed a hit man by feeding him rat poison pills, and drove to Aspen on a moped.

Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?

[–] thegame9696 9 years ago

For those who got offended by the use of the phrase "went full retard", please watch Tropic Thunder, a scene from an actor who got an Oscar nomination.

Just because the first movie was also an absurd comedy doesn't take away that it had humanity and innocence. And no matter how over the top it was, it still felt grounded to a certain reality. The development of the characters felt natural. We as audience members went on the ride with them, and bought into their situation. It didn't feel like it was 20-30 sketches sown lazily together for shock effect. The situations the guys were getting themselves into had a flow to them. There was a grounded purpose in their development and journey within their universe.

Comedy is not about dropping gag reels one after another. It's about creating a world the audience is willing to believe, and establishing a flow of comedic deliveries that seem acceptable in that world. That's where the "reality" statement came from. In our world, sure, what the guys went through or did in the first movie was not believable. But in their established world, the character baseline, the evenly developed story and plot flow, and the convincing, timely and balanced delivered comedy, we bought it more than the sequel.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'm just glad many agree with how I felt.

[–] Philip_90 9 years ago

People are now more sensitive (thank you so much, Political Correctness!) than ever but somehow watching violence is still perfectly acceptable.