In
last weeks Face-Off, we gave you a Tarantino-centric match up in Kill Bill against its sequel. The original film took the final verdict, and you readers seemed to agree. That’s not to say Kill Bill Vol. 2 didn’t have its fair share of supporters, and rightfully so.
This week, at the genius request of JoBlo reader LickMyLovePump we pay tribute to everyone’s favorite warm heated dimwits in a battle between Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunn. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels owned these roles, and I honestly hope the sequel grows some legs with these two involved. This battle will be interesting because in the side splitting performance by Carrey, I feel Daniels as Harry gets a bit overlooked. Maybe some of you will agree…maybe some know Lloyd can’t be topped. Let’s discuss.
For the first half of the film, that “84 Sheepdog” was a character all its own and I personally believe that they should have explored the idea that Harry has no business behind the wheel of a vehicle throughout the movie. We see that Harry gets along well with animals, but should never be trusted with one. For a lot of fans it’s all about Lloyd, but I am proud to state that I’ve purchased footlongs just so I can quote the man.
Lloyd Christmas etched himself into our minds forever immediately. From his awkward conversation with the hot Austrian, to the beginning of the great “love story” with Mary, all the way to falling of the jetway…again. Right from jump we sit there and wonder just how in the hell Lloyd has made it through life thus far, and who in the hell hired this man. Now that I think about it, I love how it was foreshadowed early on that Lloyd is the one we can’t trust behind the wheel.
Harry may be a lot of things, but too afraid to spark up a conversation with a piece of tail like Mary is not one of them. He’s infectious and charming in his own moronic way, and we see he can actually be a fun schmuck to hang around during his day out in the snow with Mary. Now early on in life who knows what was wrong with the guy, for his old and possibly only girlfriend to go running to Lloyd (but you have to imagine what this girl would be like in the first place). Bottom line, not only did he score a first date with our main hottie, but would have landed a second had shit not hit the fan. (see what I did there?)
When it came time for Lloyd to bone up and woo Mary, what does he do? Sends his best bud over to do the dirty work, and he deserved the results. When he did finally get one on one time with the girl of his dreams, all he succeeded in doing was freaking her out even more then he did on their first meeting. Also ladies, if you sit next to good ol Lloyd in the bar after he’s had a couple brews, don’t expect him to be the least bit interested in anything you have to say…although to be fair I would have been annoyed with that feds shtick too.
-“Just when I thought you couldn’t possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this… and totally redeem yourself!”
-“No problem, Lloyd. We can be classy and sophistic… Oh check out the funbags on that hosehound.”
-“She gave me a bunch of crap about me not listening to her, or something. I don’t know, I wasn’t really paying attention.”
-“No, you can’t do that… you can’t triple stamp a double stamp, you can’t triple stamp a double stamp! Lloyd!”
-“You sold my dead bird to a blind kid?!”
-“We successfully mated a Bulldog with a Shih-Tzu! Yeah, we called it a bullshit!”
-“The first time I set eyes on Mary Swanson, I just got that old fashioned romantic feeling where I’d do anything to bone her.”
-“We got, we got no food, no jobs… our PETS’ HEADS ARE FALLING OFF!”
-“Mary… I desperately wanna make love to a school boy.”
-“It’s ok, I’m a limo driver!”
-“So you’re telling me there’s a chance… *YEAH!*”
-“No way, that’s great! WE’VE LANDED ON THE MOON!”
It’s important to recognize that Harry, and by extension Jeff Daniels is one of those pieces that perfectly completed this puzzle to make it work as well as it did. He pulled off an amazing character while sharing all the possible chemistry in the world with his wacky co-star. That’s the magic of Daniels, he is dealing with one of the most over-the-top actors of our time as someone to play off of and he manages not to let himself get overshadowed…at times that’s no easy feet. Harry provided half of the memorable moments and if there is a sequel, I look forward to more.
Lloyd Christmas you wonderfully stupid son of a bitch you. At his best Jim Carrey is comedy in its greatest form. Carrey as Lloyd covers all the bases here, awesome physical comedy and quotable lines for days. When I think of all the shenanigans these guys landed themselves in throughout the movie, and what part perfectly embodies these characters I have to think of the very end. That one scene really captures Lloyd and Harry, Lloyd especially…he got the last laugh of it all and it was perfect. A comedy duo for a new generation, and I believe Carrey as Lloyd was the heart of it.
There it is ladies and gentlemen, a lot will probably say this was one of the easiest verdicts in the history of this column…but what I’ve tried to do here is show the world that it wasn’t the Jim Carrey show. Nevertheless, this material is where Carrey shines and he shined the brightest I must say. This was a blast to write so again I have to thank
LickMyLovePump for the suggestion, now tell me where you lot stand.
If you have an idea that you’d like to see in a future FACE OFF column, feel free to shoot an email to me at [email protected] with your ideas and some ideas for the critique to base your ideas off. Thank you and in the meantime…
Which Dumb & Dumber is your favourite?
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