Jeff Daniels is going back to slapstick: in The Reception he jilts the bride, and the wedding goes ahead without him
Jeff Daniels — of Dumb & Dumber fame — is steering back to comedy, set to lead an ensemble romp built around a chaotic Scottish wedding.
If you thought Jeff Daniels was done with slapstick after Dumb & Dumber, think again. He’s dusting off his comedy chops for a brand new project, and this time it involves a shambolic wedding in the Scottish Highlands. Considering the man’s spent decades bouncing between dramatic gravitas and daft pratfalls, it’s about time he did something daft again, isn’t it?
The original Dumb & Dumber raked in about $127 million worldwide back in the mid-90s.
A Scottish Wedding Gone Off the Rails
The new film is called The Reception, and Daniels is taking the lead in what’s being billed as an ensemble comedy. Directed by Trudie Styler—yes, Sting's other half, but she’s got plenty of producing and directing under her own belt—it kicks off filming next month right near Loch Ness, which ought to lend a bit of mood (or midges) to proceedings.
The premise is all chaos and embarrassment: Daniels plays Felix, a groom who has a last-minute wobble and ditches poor Victoria at the altar. You might think that’s the end of it, but instead of calling it a day (which, let’s face it, would be sensible), the wedding guests elect to push on with the jollities. It’s all about keeping up appearances—until it all comes crashing down, as these things tend to do.
The Talent and the Track Record
If you’ve only clocked Daniels as Harry Dunne, Jim Carrey’s gormless mate in Dumb & Dumber, you might not realise his career swings both ways. While that 1994 film sits high on his CV (with a solid 67% on Rotten Tomatoes and an even punchier 84% audience score), he’s spent just as much time in the drama lane—starting with Terms of Endearment in 1983, The Purple Rose of Cairo, and running the emotional gamut in The Squid and the Whale.
For telly fans, Daniels has got a shelf full of awards too. He’s nabbed two Primetime Emmys: one for playing opinionated newsman Will McAvoy in The Newsroom (HBO), and another for his part in Netflix’s dusty Western Godless. Add credits in The Looming Tower, The Comey Rule, American Rust, and A Man in Full, and you get the sense this is a bloke who just won’t stick to one box.
- Daniels leads the cast as Felix
- Trudie Styler directs, also producing alongside Celine Rattray for Maven Screen Media
- Piers Tempest is producing for Tempo Productions
- Filming starts next month near Loch Ness, Scotland
- Beta Cinema is handling sales at the Toronto International Film Festival market
There’s no word yet on exactly when you’ll be able to see The Reception in cinemas, but it’s clearly shaping up for a lively shoot—Scots weather permitting.