Among modern-day screwball comedies, few compare to Dumb and Dumber, the 1994 Farrelly brothers classic that grossed nearly $250 million worldwide. But as you'll see from this list of dark facts about Dumb and Dumber, the movie has an undercurrent of ominousness that makes it low-key twisted. It's a silly comedy, so these darker-tinged moments are almost always played for laughs, and upon first viewing, one might not give these scenes a second thought. Upon closer inspection, however, you'll note that slayings, animal mistreatment, and creepy behaviors get heavily featured in Dumb and Dumber - these moments make the film one of many messed-up '90s movies.
The movie follows Lloyd (Jim Carrey) and Harry (Jeff Daniels), two dimwitted roommates embarking on a cross-country adventure to return a suitcase. However, they do not realize that they've landed smack dab in the middle of a conspiracy. There is potty humor aplenty, which is part of the movie's enduring appeal. But no matter how funny the jokes are, there are some downright creepy scenes from Dumb and Dumberthat fans often overlook. You'll have to decide for yourself whether or not this movie holds up.
The whole plot of Dumb and Dumber is predicated on a kidnapping. Lloyd drives Mary (Lauren Holly) to the airport in his limo. After Mary exits, she sets down her suitcase in a bustling area and walks away. Little does Lloyd know that the case contains payoff money and she had intentionally abandoned it.
Then the inciting incident occurs: Lloyd sets out to return the case to Mary.
Lloyd and Harry get pursued by a questionable character named Joe "Mental" Mentalino. Mental has ulcers, for which he takes medication. He poses as a hitchhiker so that Lloyd and Harry will pick him up, however, his plan is to retrieve Mary's suitcase full of money. Unfortunately, Lloyd and Harry inadvertently off him before that happens.
The pair had placed chili peppers in Mental's burger during lunch, thinking it would be a fun prank. But when Mental responds poorly to the peppers, Lloyd and Harry inadvertently feed him rat poison pills, thinking the capsules are ulcer meds.
Lloyd and Harry's goal is to return the suitcase to Mary, though Lloyd ultimately wants to win the woman's heart. There's a theory that Lloyd might have first chased Harry. Then, having fulfilled that aim, he moved on to following Mary.
After growing bored with Mary, the theory goes, Harry changes his name to Chip Douglas and becomes the central character in the 1996 film The Cable Guy, another creeper-like individual in the Carrey canon. Farfetched? A little - but hardly more farfetched than anything else in Dumb and Dumber.
In another testament to Lloyd's instability, he fantasizes about slaying people who stand in the way of his courtship with Mary. Once Mary and her abducted husband named Bobby reunite, Lloyd imagines wiping out Bobby. There's a maniacal, unhinged expression on Lloyd's face as he indulges in this fantasy.
It's a brief moment, but it's more proof that Lloyd is sometimes less ha-ha-funny and more call-the-cops-funny.
Early in the movie, Lloyd and Harry flee their apartment when they mistake the bad guys for debt collectors. While the two are out of the house, Mental finds Harry's beloved parakeet, Petey, and removes the bird's head. Though the slaying happens out of view, we hear Petey's frantic chirping before his neck gets audibly cracked.
If you have even the slightest sensitivity to animals in pain, the moment is a tough one to digest.
In a distasteful joke par-for-the-course in many '80s and '90s comedies, the character Sea Bass almost assaults Lloyd. While peeing in a gas station restroom, Lloyd sees graffiti on the wall that advertises "manly love" at 2:15 am.
Lo and behold, it's 2:15 am, and in comes Sea Bass, ostensibly looking for said love.
