Dumb and Dumber                                             1994                                         2 ½ sweet pickles

An intercepted ransom. The thwarting of the kidnappers. Clearly the work of skilled experts. Or maybe not.

Lloyd Christmas is a man desperate for love and true fulfillment in his life. He and his friend Harry are down on their luck, jobless, and on the verge of homelessness. That is until Lloyd meets the woman of his dreams, Mary, on his way transporting her to airport. The encounter leaves him entirely smitten, and when she leaves her briefcase at the airport it seems he’s been given an opportunity of a lifetime. The problem is that the briefcase was actually ransom to get back Mary’s kidnapped husband, and Lloyd and Harry are pulled into the middle unknowingly of a crazy situation. Another problem is that they’re also too dumb to realize it.

Their adventure takes them to country diner snafus, hot pepper and ulcer take downs of villains, the killing of endangered species, betrayal and reconciliation of friend, and a crazy showdown with the kidnapper. Lloyd doesn’t get the girl in the end, which he’s bitter about, but he reunites her with her beloved husband, so that’s something. We’re left seeing them walk off into the horizon with a hopefully brighter ahead. At least we hope is, but not very likely

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad                                1988                      3 sweet pickles

Crime doesn’t pay. We all know this. No matter what we may conceivably believe, choices have consequences and most of the time good prevails over evil. What we may not expect is a slapstick and outlandish telling of this truth. That’s what our movie centers on.

Our story opens on the life of Detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielson), who is effective if not extremely unconventional in his approach to fighting crime. When a friend on the force is nearly killed, Frank uncovers a plot to kill Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to America. Following the trail and clues, he meets suave businessman Vincent Ludwig (Ricardo Montalban), the prime suspect and his stunningly attractive assistant Jane Spencer (Priscilla Presley). The journey to justice is insane. Assassins are turned on by an emitted frequency, an apartment filled with rare treasures is burned, and opera singers and umpires are impersonated, all for the sake of proving Vincent’s guilt. The queen is almost assassinated, but as with any good crime drama Frank is successful at vanquishing the enemy. He gets the girl and the glory in the end.

This movie is far from taking itself seriously with cheesy, crazy, and laugh out moment after moments. It combines many themes from the 80’s, whether it be serious voiceovers or outlandish humor.

Groundhog Day                                        1993                                                                      4 Sweet Pickles

What if the day you’re currently in, no matter how it goes down, became your eternity? Endlessly trapped in the same cycle of events, destined to meet the same people and have the same conversations, only to wake up again to face it all again. What a terrible thought, right? That, my friends, is the focus of our movie today.

Weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is a not so sunny reporter who manages to make everyone around him miserable. He’s high maintenance and kind of terrible. To make matters worse, Groundhog Day has arrived and Phil gets the enormous thrill of covering this beloved and eccentric event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Just kidding, he hates it. Traveling with cameraman Larry and his beautiful new producer Rita Hanson (Andie MacDowell), he survives the festivities and Phil the groundhog’s announcement of six more weeks of winter and he is ready to get home. A sudden blizzard blows in, stranding them in the town. Displeased, Phil goes to bed early in hopes of a better day tomorrow. Instead, he wakes up to the same day again on repeat and realizes that he’s stuck in a time loop. What’s a man to do?

The rest of the film explores the concept on both the crazy and serious side of things. Phil experiences it all. He gets in a car chase with the police while driving down the railroad track. He eats to the point of gluttony. He studies the habits of women in order to seduce them. He falls in love with Rita, who is so far out of his league, and tries to win her over. When he is unsuccessful, things take a darker turn and he attempts to end his life. Upon reflection, he decides to take what he’s learned from this entire situation and better himself. He learns to play the piano, create ice sculptures, speak French, and even attempts to save a dying homeless man. His transformation through this loop becomes noticeable, and Rita is amazed by his kind, sweet, and selfless nature. Phil wins Rita’s heart, and in true and fitting fashion his love of her and her love of him sets him free. Emerging a free man from the time loop, he and Rita plan their future together, settling in Punxsutawny, a place that has come to mean so much to them.