Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003)

Since it’s debut in 1994, Dumb & Dumber has achieved staggering success on many levels. The film was responsible for launching the careers of writer/directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly as well as solidifying Jim Carrey as a comedic superstar. The modestly budgeted film became one of New Line Cinema’s biggest theatrical hits, as well as a blockbuster hit on home video, firmly establishing itself as a comedy classic endeared and loved by legions of fans around the world.

Despite the overwhelming box office and video success of Dumb & Dumber, the ingredients necessary to revisit the loveable but vapid world of Harry and Lloyd didn’t come together until screenwriter Robert Brener conceived a prequel that would take the characters back to their formative high school years. "Everyone remembers certain kids in high school who didn’t fit in because they were just a little different from the norm," notes Brener. "Harry and Lloyd don't fit in for every reason. They do everything wrong and the beauty of that is they are completely oblivious to it all."

Troy Miller, whose previous credits include the feature film Jack Frost as well as comedy film segments for such television shows as the Academy Awards and the MTV Movie Awards, signed on for the film and the prequel was born. "The success of Dumb & Dumber is not what made me want to direct this film," explains Miller. "What drew me in was the dynamic relationship of the characters that the Farrellys created. With the prequel, you also get to learn about Harry and Lloyd’s first meeting and how the characters became who they are in Dumb & Dumber."

Notes producer Oren Koules, "Harry and Lloyd are characters who are adored and loved by people of all ages. There are many movies that do well at the box office, but very few have the cult following the original film enjoys, which can make it very intimidating as your putting a movie together."

One of the key challenges was finding the right young actors to play Harry and Lloyd, whose idiosyncrasies were forever burned into moviegoers’ memories with the first film. After auditioning thousands of potential actors in an extensive nationwide search that included stops in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Canada, the filmmakers cast newcomer Derek Richardson as the endearing but hopelessly inept social misfit Harry Dunne and Eric Christian Olsen as the equally loveable but vacuous Lloyd Christmas.

"The casting process was fun, challenging and difficult because we not only had to find people that looked like Harry and Lloyd when they were in high school, but they also had to have the comedic chops to pull off the jokes," explains director Miller. "When Derek Richardson walked into the room for his audition, he simply was Harry. He had that natural innocence which made him the perfect younger version of the character, whereas Eric Olsen came in and was an amazing comedic performer, but physically bore little resemblance to the character."

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