The 90s are making a comeback
Back in September, it was announced that Dumb and Dumber 2 was definitely becoming a reality. Jeff Daniels, co-star of the original Dumb and Dumber spilled the beans after he won an Emmy for his hit drama show Newsroom. He announced that he would be flying out to work on the much-anticipated sequel of the infamous 90’s film. The revamp of the film became an even clearer reality when Jim Carrey tweeted out a photo of them in full-blown Harry and Lloyd characters.
Fast-forward to the present and the trailer is here! Premiered on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the first trailer of the film lives up to Jeff Daniels’ promise about events in the Dumb and Dumber To making “the original toilet scene look lame.” The original twosome is in rare form in this sequel, with all kinds of gross things happening including a cat’s ass being paraded around and a failed fingering.
A prequel called Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd failed horribly in the box office when it premiered in 2003 and there is no wonder that film critics and just general movie fans are questioning whether or not this will be a flop. Obviously the biggest drive to see the film is going to be 90’s generation nostalgia. I don’t know why it is, but it seems like the late 80’s and 90’s generations have such cravings for 90s nostalgia that TeenNick even launched “The 90’s Are All That” a late-night block that aired Nickelodeon TV shows that aired in the 90’s, that was only meant to be temporary until vast success and high ratings resulted in TeenNick keeping the programming permanently.
Even more recently, a KickStarter campaign started by Reading Rainbow host, LeVar Burtron called for $1 million to re-launch the show in a web format. The campaign not only raised the $1 million for the 80’s/90’s literacy TV show in just a few hours, but it doubled it’s original amount needed in a day. The campaign currently is at $3.6 million and is on a road to raise $5 million.
Beetlejuice 2 and Jurassic Park have also been announced for possible additions to their original films, both airing in the late 80’s and early 90’s. So why is 90’s nostalgia so coveted? Is it because 20-somethings are drowning in debt, struggling to find a career and dealing with the perils of adult life? Do we all just want to curl up with a blankie and sip some apple juice while watching an episode of Wild Thornberrys and forget about the days where we had to pay electric and outlandish Comcast bills? While typing this at my desk, trying to adjust to “adult life”, I want to scream “YES!”
