Pure,unadulterated comedy

Rating: 10/10 (6 June 2005)

This movie is special to me for the simple fact that it makes no pretense that it is anything BUT a comedy. Loaded with sight gags,verbal humor,toilet humor,pratfalls,cross-ups,mix-ups and perfect timing,this film employs just about every level of film comedy and makes practically all of them work.
The story is almost pedantic and non-essential:two hopelessly half-witted buddies,Harry and Lloyd(the very adept Jeff Daniels and the very comfortable-in-the genre Jim Carrey)agree to travel cross country to return the briefcase that a fare who Lloyd(a chauffeur) taxied to the airport "lost" at the terminal. Of course,they are not aware that the briefcase was intended as a "drop" for a hostage situation where the fare,a lovely redhead named MAry(perennial straight woman Lauren Holly),was to ransom her kidnapped husband. Naturally,Lloyd and Harry's meddling throws the hostage development into chaos,but not before the dim-witted duo get into various forms of trouble along the way.
ONe should have a strong stomach while viewing this,as was the case with most pre-"Shallow Hal" Farrelly Brothers(who wrote and directed in tandem)films. Definitely a film one will either "get" or "not get",with almost no room in-between.