Saw Dumb and Dumber (thanks, Chris!) It was the extremely-well-known-if-not-classic tale of two penniless alcoholics who track down a rich woman to bumblingly return her suitcase to her. Along the way, they unwittingly foil a kidnapping scheme, kill a hitman, and beat up a mean ol' bully. The film is half road-trip and half snobs vs slobs comedy. During the roadtrip part, they are trying to get to Aspen without knowing where Aspen is. This bit gets us acquainted with their personalities and also reassures us of their inability to fail into success. When they arrive in Aspen and stumble into wealth, they get to fight over the romantic interests of the suitcase-owning woman by showing up at hotels so ritzy, presidents and kings stay there. To the film's credit, they do not trash those places.
The protagonists are the sort of cartoon idiots who mean no harm. They are miraculously able to function in society despite having apparently no impulse control. They aren't so dumb that they don't know what rain and snow is, for example, or what death is, but when they're down to their last dollar they just can't help buying a giant foam novelty cowboy hat. They're endearing. They do of course kill a hitman, but they only do it with the poison he was going to slip them. If he hadn't meant them any harm, their encounter might have been harmless. Anyway, the film lets them get off more-or-less scot-free ethically speaking.
I didn't find the film hilarious, but neither did I find it tedious or offensive (which is my reaction to a lot of comedies.) It's a charming little film. I get the feeling that I would hate to be in the company of these jokers, but they're entertaining to watch. There's something guileless and sweet about a pair of guys who cry at kodak camera commercials.
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