Dumb and Dumber (1994)

Metacritic gave Dumb and Dumber a 41, which is roughly what Lloyd Christmas would score on a spelling test if you spotted him the vowels. Critics shrugged. Critics were wrong. Jim Carrey, chipped tooth and bowl cut, throws his whole body at every joke, and Jeff Daniels matches him like a serious actor who lost a bet and decided to win it anyway. The plan is a briefcase, a van dressed up as a sheepdog, and a road trip to Aspen on pure confidence. The problem is the back half. Once they hit Aspen, the gags get stretched thin, and the guys chasing the briefcase feel like they wandered in from a worse movie. It still made $247.3 million worldwide on a reported $17 million budget, so the crowds clearly got the joke. A 7.4 because it’s the dumbest movie of 1994 and somehow smarter about comedy than most of what came after. $43.26 says you make the most annoying sound in the world at someone you love before Sunday.

What works: Carrey and Daniels commit like their careers depend on it, and the van, the tuxedos and the most annoying sound in the world are all still funny decades later.

What doesn’t: The Aspen half drags, and the crooks chasing the briefcase are dead weight every time the movie cuts to them.

Who it’s for: Anyone who quotes movies with their siblings, and anyone who needs to laugh at something with zero redeeming value tonight.