Dumb and Dumber, the 1994 comedy movie directed by Peter Farrelly, starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, is a classic in the making.
The plot revolves around Lloyd Christmas (Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Daniels), who are two best friends from different backgrounds. They both want to get married but have very different ideas on how to go about it.
The Meaning of The Film’s Title
The film’s title is a play on words, as Dumb and Dumber is actually two words. The first word, “dumb,” means that neither character is particularly smart or intelligent.
The second word, “dumber,” means something that is weaker or less significant. Taken together, this title reflects both characters’ relative levels of intelligence and sophistication.
Dumb and Dumber is also a single wordplay on the simple question: “What do you call an idiot? Dumb!” One could say that it expands upon this formula to leave room for freedom of interpretation. Therefore, in addition to my explanations of the title, one can consider Harry Dunne and Lloyd Christmas alone.
The name itself reflects characteristics shared by these two friends – names such as dumb and dumber possess individuals who cannot keep the information they know in their mind without selfishly rambling continuously and those whose intelligence is not very high.
In addition to this name being perfect for these two characters, it makes them a pair – one can be compared to “the other,” so to speak.
Dumb and Dumber is about Lloyd Christmas’ (Jim Carey) downfall of becoming an old hobo when he exposes that he is losing his memory due to Alzheimer’s Disease.
The Story Of The Dumb & Dumber (1994) Movie
The Dumb & Dumber movie story is about two friends, Lloyd and Harry, who are accidentally transported to a remote area in America.
There they discover that they are both aging rapidly and have to find a way back home before it’s too late. Along the way, they make several ridiculous decisions which lead to various humorous incidents.
The movie’s plot is simple, and they both plan to end their lives together after restoring their “hippy trailer.” The dumb part refers to how this is clearly out in public by using pills taped inside the newspaper placed right next to them as pill bottles.
This indicates it can be assumed Lloyd was still constantly dealing with Harry’s tendency to die, though neither knew where or what he died from.
Dumb & Dumber (1994) Movie Meaning
Movie meaning for Dumb & Dumber (1994): The film shows the conflict between old friends and how that changes their views on life, love, friendship and commitment.
When Lloyd’s beloved Richard calls him to meet up, they recall a pact they made as kids: Harry will be his best man in exchange for enjoying a normal wedding after forty years.
During their meeting, Harry introduces Robert Arthur Aric -a guy he met who pays 1 million dollars to get his wife married. Since they’re both dopeheads, Harry and Lloyd can’t help but laugh at the guy’s expense until it’s revealed that Robert is a felon who had served time in jail.
So, they decide to feint him out with their idea, stealing $1 million from their dead Aunt Susan’s ransacked home safe by obstructing her cataracts and taking over all of her stocks on Wall Street.
As stated above, a rich man’s wife is planning to fake her husband out by using some unexpected ingredients in their food – including rabbit meat, cheese and crushed bugs- for his birthday…or so she says.
But unbeknownst to them, the two are being watched from afar as Lloyd tricks Robert into marrying Harry and then decides that he isn’t going through with it after all only because of his orphaning again, will successively lose both love and life, and it is each other that are the obstacles.
How Lloyd Get His “Dumber” Persona Back
When Lloyd realizes that he has lost his memory due to Alzheimer’s Disease, he adopts the persona of “dumber.” This comedy genre, which first appeared in the 1981 cult movie “The Jerk,” is a large part of Lloyd’s outlook on life.
His visits to doctors who can’t cure his ailment make him more determined than ever to find a way to stay that way permanently so as not to become reliant on others’ kindness and use up valuable brain cells.
While in therapy, Lloyd decides to move on with life without having the ability to remember his past. After creating escape plans for survivors of catastrophic events, which is what he and Aric had discussed as part-time careers before being interrupted by other matters such as surviving emergencies and dying alone.
He continues obsessively planning survival scenarios while confessing everything that he finds important at this point in his life, stating: “If we live long enough, people will be able to trust us. Or at least give up on the idea that we need therapy when all we want is a simple trade.”
The Ending of The Film
The film ends with Lloyd and Aric back in their old apartment, where Lloyd holds a birthday cake for Harry. He tells her that he’s been asking his neurologist to give him amnesia “just for tonight,” saying: “…
I’m going to go back and get into our bed, Aric, with the lights off. We’re going to pretend like none of this ever happened.”
He then moves over towards Harry and surprises her when she leans forward questioningly as if there was something she wanted to ask but didn’t want Lloyd thinking or trying hard enough to remember. When she finally realizes that he has no clue what it was, she hugs him and says, “I love you.” Lloyd then looks at the cake again, seemingly lost in thought.
The end credits roll as we see his life flash before us – endless days spent together working on their dream projects: designing websites for a startup firm;
Star Trek fan films with Ed and Danny trying to create the ultimate adventure using Harry’s and Aric’s created characters.
Harry and Lloyd teaching a summer camp in Vermont; then playing Star Trek-esque games between scenes where Aric would utter “I’m the Captain now” – ending with him remarrying? After the credits, we hear that he is still alive.
The Message of The Dumb & Dumber (1994) Movie
In Dumb & Dumber, it is shown that life for Lloyd and Harry had many adventures as well after their wedding in 1994.
Their relationship seems to have been a true love one since, from every scene, we can tell they love each other so much through both of them pitching jokes to cover the other’s mistakes.
Both seem happy after they are married and even have kids. Still, Lloyd is not as successful in his new career as he wanted because of Harry being a sitcom star.
In contrast, he only has an internet company now rather than the previous work with computers or photographic skills that would make him rich, which ended up killing their dream TV show.
Ellen Bark also mentioned that Harry was unhappy about Lloyd’s salary disparity and even said to her, though she did not see it or hear it: “These pictures you keep sending me of yourself are great.
I don’t mean any harm to them, and I’m sure they wish all the success in the world for you.”
This could be because both he and Harry didn’t have as high up jobs in their first picture (1994) where with each movie, they got bigger and more famous, with each of them being main cast members in the series to lead Lloyd. He is shown over at his dad’s computer listening to all of their conversations on what made him want to leave home.
Ending Explanation
The ending of the Dumb & Dumber film shows that Lloyd and Harry DID manage to get back together again, albeit many years after their initial wedding. They also appear very happy in their new lives – Lloyd with his successful internet company while Harry is still a sitcom star.
This means it is most likely that Lloyd managed to find a new partner after splitting up with Harry, as seen in his last movie.
This can be deduced due to the fact they are now retired and living together playing golf at their old age (both were reported dead by the news team right before Dumb & Dumber To)!
For the first time, Lloyd and Harry see each other after their divorce, and a golf competition occurs. Regarding this scene, it was described by Billy Bob Thornton on his character…
“There are moments in life when there are little things that you do out of habit or obedience, and sometimes they work great your entire life, but sometimes they’re exposed as breaking down and then it’s too late.”
The movie mentions that both characters were supporting each other’s back “through thick and thin” together through their entire life.
This can be taken from how they were implied to have stayed married at the moment of divorce up until a long time after that – which means Harry had probably been with his current wife for some years at this point too!
Main Idea Of Dumb & Dumber (1994) Movie
The main idea of the Dumb & Dumber (1994) movie is that life can be unpredictable and confusing, but ultimately, it’s still full of humor. The film revolves around Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, two friends who go on various adventures together while struggling to make ends meet.
Despite their predicaments, they remain hilarious adventurers who immensely enjoy each other’s company. Ultimately, the film celebrates friendship and family values above all else.
It’s seen that Lloyd and Harry are great friends, though each one is very different from the other. Lloyd is a hard worker, while Harry has the mentality of being lazy until he takes advantage by asking him to pay off his debts after they get paid up at their job.
It seems that while his usual routine involved finding somewhere quiet in order not to encounter Zombina (played by Katherine Heigl) or any other zombies and “cat” types, this movie has taken him and his friends right into the craziness that follows life in suburbia.
The entire car chases were extremely eye-catching because they seemed to be choreographed perfectly: without any gaps or sudden moves, which left us all wondering how the actors had managed it!
None of those scenes began with a bang but rather incorporated seamlessly so that none would seem forced under normal circumstances (the tagline did make it a little more obvious).
Watching Lloyd and Harry’s encounters with everything from zombies to moving cars, the movie seemed reminiscent of their life partners. It was like they managed to capture all possible activity in suburbia.
Dumb & Dumber (1994) Movie Hidden Meaning
Dumb & Dumber is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Peter Farrelly and written by Jim Carrey and Farrelly. The film stars Carrey as Lloyd Christmas, an average man who befriends his friend Harry Dunne (played by Jeff Daniels) after the latter suffers from amnesia.
Dumb & Dumber features numerous pop culture references, many of which are hidden in the movie’s dialogue or settings. For example, during one of their first conversations, Harry’s phone rings, and he has to ask for the names of his family members by saying “Mom” before she eventually answers.
Soon after this scene happens, her voice is heard on the phone: ‘If you’re with Mom – just hang up.’
As a viewer, it seems like there might be more going on than what we are initially shown: that mom isn’t really alone in her house, but rather she is trying to keep the phone line free so that Harry and Lloyd can call their friends in America while on the road.
IMDB And Rotten Tomatoes
Dumb & Dumber was met with widespread acclaim by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 97% approval rating, based on 171 reviews, with an average score of 8/10.
The site’s critical consensus reads: “Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels clown their way through an impeccably written and perfectly executed comedy classic.”
On Metacritic, the film received a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 from 36 critics, indicating “universal acclaim.”
It is also suggested that this movie has remained popular despite its poor box-office returns; it was released worldwide on November 29, 2001, and earned $16.5 million U.S., against a budget estimated at around $30 million (before rebates).
Dumb & Dumber became one of the top 50 highest-earning films of all time and has been speculated to have made over $300 million.
Conclusion
Dumb and Dumber is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Peter Farrelly. The film stars Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, two best friends who are bumbling idiots who travel from town to town in search of money to pay off their delinquent taxes.
FAQs
1.Are There Inappropriate Scenes in Dumb and Dumber?
Ans: Although there is plenty of adult humor in this movie, that’s not the only thing that makes it a great comedy. Some people will tell you to skip this one because of its profanity and sexual references.
Yes, some bad words are used, but compared with other comedies from today, the ones included seem rather mild (5 f-words; 9 s-word).
2.What Is the Meaning of Dumb and Dumber?
Ans: There is no one specific meaning to “Dumb and Dumber.” It could be interpreted in many ways, some more obvious than others.
One interpretation is that the film is about two idiots who do the dumbest things possible and find amusement in it. Another interpretation might be that Dumb and Dumber is a metaphor for how difficult life can sometimes be, but we still have to keep going despite our challenges.
3.What Is the Meaning of Dumb and Dumber?
Ans: The briefcase in Dumb and Dumber contained $200,000. Who Was Supposed to Play Harry in Dumb and Dumber?
Originally, Harry was supposed to be played by Tom Hanks. However, Hanks had already committed to performing in The Green Mile at the time Dumb and Dumber was being made, so Peter Farrelly replaced him.
4.What age is Liar Liar?
Ans: The film Liar Liar was released in 1998 and was directed by Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. The movie is a black comedy and has received very positive reviews over the years, scoring an 80% “Fresh” rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
The original screenplay submitted by Danny Kleinman was rejected as it wasn’t funny enough, or according to some stories would have been too self-aware, so Jeff Robbin wrote another script which he became attached to direct with Jim Carrey rising through his work in Ace Ventura:
Pet Detective (1994) and Man on the Moon (1999). The movie features popular comedians like Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels and Olivia Wilde.
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