Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd

Directed by Troy Miller, starring Eric Christian Olsen, Derek Richardson, Mimi Rogers, Eugene Levy and Luis Guzman.

There's no real point in beating about the bush so I'll just come out and say it from the outset: 'Dumb and Dumberer' is absolutely worthless. Indeed, it is so chronically unfunny you will no doubt pass the 88 minutes berating yourself for parting with your hard-earned cash in the hopeless hope of a few laughs. Or else you'll just give up on it twenty minutes in and leave. You can avoid both scenarios by just not bothering at all.

Really, it should never have come to this. 1994's 'Dumb and Dumber' was one of the best comedies of the 90s. It marked the arrival of the Farrelly brothers as a considerable force to be reckoned with, and provided Jim Carrey with the vehicle to send his career into orbit.

So why bother sully its memory by even considering a second chapter? It might have been a different story if the team behind the original was on board, but with no Farrellys, no Carrey and no Jeff Daniels, the warning signs are there from the outset. Please heed them.

Not that it matters, but the plot goes something like this. The narrative rewinds from 1994 to when Lloyd and Harry first meet in 1986. Having both been 'educated' at home, the idiots are now ready for a shot at High School. There, however, they become the subject of an audacious scam by the school principal (Levy), who sets up a 'special needs' class (headed, of course, by our eponymous imbeciles) in order to secure a state grant to the tune of $100,000.

This is so utterly pointless and devoid of humour, it is painful to even think about it. There are numerous nods to the first film - Harry in a toilet scene, Lloyd's chipped tooth, both fighting over a girl - but not one of them will bring even a smirk to your face, much less a fully fledged laugh.

Although the performances from newcomers Eric Christian Olsen and Derek Richardson aren't bad per se, it's difficult to feel pity for anyone who agreed to be in such garbage in the first place. But even if Olsen and Richardson have the excuse of being new to things, Luis Guzman and Eugene Levy don't. Both should hang their heads in shame.

With half the year gone it looks like 2003 will be a disappointing year for films. It certainly has been so far. But no matter what other aberration comes our way in the next six months, there's no way it'll stink as much as 'Dumb and Dumberer'.

You've been warned...

Tom Grealis