DVD Review - Dumb and Dumber

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Site created 12/15/97.

review added: 3/30/00

Dumb and Dumber
1994 (1997) - New Line

review by Greg Suarez of The Digital Bits

Enhanced for 16x9 TVs

Film Rating: A

Disc Ratings (Video/Audio/Extras): A/B+/D

Specs and Features

106 mins, PG-13, letterboxed widescreen (1.85:1), 16x9 enhanced, full frame (1.33:1), dual-sided, single-layered, Snapper case packaging, original theatrical trailers, cast bios and filmographies, photo gallery, scene access (24 chapters), languages: English (DD 5.1) and French (DD 2.0), subtitles: English, French, and Spanish, Closed Captioned

"When I met Mary, I got that old-fashioned romantic feeling... where I'd do anything to bone her."

When I saw Dumb and Dumber theatrically in December of 1994, I was not expecting to like it very much. I was not a huge Jim Carrey fan, but a good friend of mine guaranteed that I would like this film. Man, was he ever right!

Dumb and Dumber is the story of two down-on-their-luck idiots, Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) with no prospects, money or girlfriends. Working as a chauffeur, Lloyd meets Mary Swanson (Lauren Holly) and immediately falls in love with her, although he can't tell her how he feels. Lloyd drives Mary to the airport, but notices that she leaves a briefcase in the terminal. Unable to catch her before her plane leaves, Lloyd takes possession and vows to return the briefcase to her... but he must travel all the way from Rhode Island to Colorado to do so. Lloyd's best friend and roommate Harry agrees to go along. What ensues is a road trip filled with a lot of hilarious mishaps and close calls. To make it to Colorado in one piece, Lloyd and Harry must use their "wits" to survive. Or is it dumb luck?

Why did I like this movie so much? Not only is this a very, very well written (read: clever) comedy, but the characters of Lloyd and Harry are so endearing. You really start rooting for them. For every step forward, they take two backwards, but always seem to come out ahead despite themselves. Lloyd and Harry are likeable, and that's what really makes the movie click.

This was one of New Line's first DVD releases way back in mid-1997. The picture quality of this disc is beautiful. Images are razor-sharp and finely detailed. Colors look balanced and natural, and there are no distracting artifacts. The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is smooth and pleasing. The front soundstage is used to portray a nice amount of presence, but the rear channels are usually absent. The extras are limited to theatrical trailers and a photo gallery. This is too bad. Judging by the hilarious outtakes contained in Liar Liar, I'm sure there was plenty of backstage humor during the production of this film, and it would have been nice to see some of it presented here.

Is this a guilty pleasure? Definitely. Considering that my brand of humor is more akin to The Marx Brothers and Woody Allen's work in the 1970's, I am really surprised at how much I continually enjoy this farce, no matter how many times I see it. Dumb and Dumber works, because it is amazingly well written and the main characters are immensely enjoyable. This disc is at least worth a rent. In the meantime, do you wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?

Greg Suarez
gregsuarez@thedigitalbits.com