Who woulda thunk it? Releasing a sequel to Dumb and Dumber, twenty years later, has
turned out to be a smart move. Dumb and
Dumber To, reteaming original stars Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, pulled in
$38 million in its opening weekend, leading all films at the box office.
The 1994 Dumb and
Dumber launched the careers of the Farrelly brothers. It further confirmed
that Jim Carrey – also featured that year in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The
Mask -- was a genuine comedic star. Carrey and the Farrellys have gone on
to be household names, especially in households that appreciate outrageous
goofiness. Far less well known are the film’s producers. But one of them is a
former colleague of mine, and it’s a pleasure to salute him here.
Brad Krevoy graduated from Beverly Hills High School, then
went on to study at Stanford. After passing the bar, he entered the field of
entertainment law. Then, in a 1983 episode that could have been concocted by a
Hollywood screenwriter, Brad attended a Stanford football game. Also in the
stands that day was low-budget filmmaker Roger Corman, himself a
Stanford grad. Brad had just read an article about the coming of the VCR, and
how this new technology could revolutionize the film industry. He mused to
Roger that the big studios would doubtless be slow to take advantage of the
home viewing audience, preferring to wait until the market matured. Roger, he
felt, was well equipped to ride the coming wave by quickly supplying product to
fill up video store shelves. As Brad told me, “I said that to Roger on a
Saturday, and Monday I was working for him. ”
Brad’s role initially was to handle Concorde’s business
affairs, looking for new opportunities as well as new sources of movie funding.
His hunch about video quickly paid off: “As the video business grew, we were at one
point the largest supplier. We had deals with every major video distribution company
in the world, to the point where we had orders in excess sometimes of 30 to 40
films a year we had to produce, because we had all these orders. It was a really extraordinary period.” (I
personally remember those busy days quite well. Yes, it was extraordinary!) Though
Roger sent him out on occasion to slap competitors with lawsuits, Brad had no
delusions about his prowess as a litigator. But moviemaking quickly got into
his blood, and the lessons he learned from the master have stayed with him ever
since.
As he moved into his own producing career, as founder and
CEO of the Motion Picture Corporation of America, Brad always kept in mind
the Corman mantras. Such as: rather than follow a trend, it’s wise to try
satisfying the needs of specialty audiences. Says Brad, “Any film that I’ve
ever had that’s done big business, it was because I was trying to play the
niches.” He cites Dumb and Dumber as
such a broad, silly comedy that no established studio would dare to make it.
Roger taught him that “you really don’t have to be the biggest or the best on
the block. Do the best you can . . . if you’re going to do a smaller film,
be the best at the smaller film, and compete at your own level, that you’re
comfortable with.”
Brad Krevoy is now the producer of over one hundred films,
including the Emmy-nominated Iraq War teledrama, Taking Chance and the upcoming holiday romance, A Royal Christmas. All hail to yet
another Cormanite who didn’t take dumb for an answer.
All hail indeed - I so enjoy hearing stories of the successful graduates of Corman College - and Mr. Krevoy is obviously Smart and Smarter - as his long producing career and success shows. I wish I could have jumped on the bandwagon during that heyday of Corman production!
ReplyDeleteI thank you, Mr. C.,and I'm sure Brad would thank you as well.
ReplyDelete