Why are Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey heading back to the big screen for a sequel to "Dumb and Dumber" 20 years after the original? Well, according to Daniels, it's not rocket science.
"We thought we'd cornered the market on 12-year-old boys [with the first movie]," Daniels explained during a Thursday morning visit to TODAY. "But over the years … fans of all ages were going, 'I still laugh. It still cracks me up.'
According to the actor, even co-star Carrey, who'd long been resistant to big-screen sequels, realized "Dumb and Dumber To" just had to happen when fans and producers continued to clamor for more. And those who appreciated the 12-year-old-type humor of the original can rest assured, there's more where that came from.
"There is no plot," Daniels insisted. "It's thin and thinner, the plot. … Was there any research to do? No. They haven't grown an ounce of intelligence in 20 years. What have they been doing? I don't know. … We don't change at all."
For some flicks that might not sound so great, but no one is looking for character growth when it comes to "Dumb and Dumber's" Lloyd and Harry and their harebrained hijinks — a point Daniels accepted early on in filming the sequel.
"Many times on 'Dumb and Dumber To' — certainly 36 hours after winning the [best actor in a drama] Emmy [for 'Newsroom'] — they said, 'Jeff, we need to see some butt crack,'" Daniels fondly recalled. "'I won an Emmy!' 'Yeah. Drop your pants.'"
The gags marked a welcome return for the star who looks back on his success from the first installment with fondness.
"'Dumb and Dumber' was one of the things that when the career slowed down, I did that and — boom! — it bought me another 10 years," he recalled.
The highly anticipated sequel hits theaters nationwide Nov. 14.
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