Debunking the ‘Dumb and Dumber’ Big Gulp scene myth
Dumb and Dumber is one of the most celebrated comedy movies of the 1990s. Directed by Peter Farrelly and written with his brother Bobby Farrelly and Bennet Yellin, the movie famously stars Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as two foolish friends called Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne. The plot follows the pair as they set out on a journey to Aspen, Colorado, in order to return a briefcase full of money to its owner, not knowing it was left as a ransom.
One scene from the movie that seems to have been immortalised in the pantheon of great comedy moments of the 20th century is when Lloyd spots two guys hanging outside a shop with two Big Gulp drinks and, out of nowhere, says, “Hey, guys! Oh, Big Gulps, huh? All right. Well, see you later!”
However, there’s a cultural myth surrounding the scene in question. Some fans of the movie had been under the impression that Carrey had gotten out of the car and spoken to the two extras because he wanted to make them speak back to him so that, in turn, the studio would have to pay them a voice fee.
While Carrey did indeed improvise the line on the fly, he did not necessarily do it because he had the two extras’ back pockets in mind at the expense of New Line. In fact, the two extras had just been hanging around the Colorado store when filming was taking place.
During a Reddit AMA session, Pete Farrelly responded to a fan by explaining: “One line that was definitely ad-libbed is the Big Gulp line. In fact, the two guys he was talking to weren’t even extras, they were just hanging out, watching us shoot, and I decided to pull them in.”
The two Big Gulp guys just so happened to be there, so Farrelly decided they’d make for a nice bit of background scenery. As to why they had Big Gulps, it’s no more extraordinary, and Farrelly added, “They happened to have Big Gulps, and Jim just ran with it. True story.”
The two actors did not receive a speaking fee from New Line, and according to Farrelly’s comments, it sounds like they didn’t get an appearance fee either. While the debunking of the myth might disappoint some fans, at least it goes to show just how inventive Jim Carrey can be when it comes to providing the best moment of a given film.
Check out the classic comedy moment from Dumb and Dumber below.
