Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

(r#45)

There are so many reasons for why I loved the nineties as a decade for movies, and Jim Carrey is one of those reasons. He created so much fantastic comedy during his raging box office career 1994-1999, it was inevitable that his works from 2000 and onward would be a bit of a disappointment. Now I'm not saying Bruce Almighty, The Grinch, Lemony Snicket or Me, Myself and Irene were bad (far from it, in fact), but none of them can hold a candle to his absolutely ingenious stuff from the nineties, Liar Liar, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Batman Forever, and Cable Guy (yes, the Cable guy! You can smite me all you want!) Now I've finally seen the movie that jump-started Carrey's career, Ace Ventura. Ironically I saw almost all of his later comedies before this, which could have been bad. In some cases a comedian doesn't find his ground until he's made a few movies to "warm up". Not so with Carrey! This is arguably his best performance, and it gives him some of the most iconic lines of his entire career. "Alriiiiighty then", would seem like the most obvious mention, but there's also "Looo-hoooo-ser", "Reeaaaa-lly", "If I'm not back in five minutes - just wait longer", "To capture ze dolphin you must zhink like ze dolphin!!", and I'm sure a lot more which I've forgot at the moment.

To put it bluntly, Ace Ventura is possibly the funniest movie you will ever see. And I mean it. Tom Shadyac, who also worked with Carrey on the box office smashes Bruce Almighty and Liar Liar, as well as Eddie Murphy's The Nutty Professor, knows what the audience wants to see (Hint: it's not extensive character development!), and makes sure that Jim is never off screen for too long, never wasting too much time on the plot (which is of course redundant in these sort of films). No, as much screen time as possible is devoted to Jim shouting, babbling, wailing, coughing, barking, quoting Star Trek and Frankenstein, talking out of his ass, breaking things, and creating as much havoc as possible to the dismay of the more normal characters around him. And damn does it pay off! Totally devoid of the cheesy Hollywood "drama" that plagued Liar Liar and Bruce Almighty, and without the pointless subplots in The Mask that no one cared about anyway, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is precisely what it should be: Pure, unadulterated Carrey madness from beginning to end!

A definite must-see!

After about 10 years of acting, Jim Carrey (Once Bitten, In Living Color) finally scored his first big hit with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

Ace Ventura is a detective who specializes in cases involving missing animals.

It's Superbowl time and the Miami Dolphins mascot has been abducted. There's only one man who's fit for the job. The unorthodox, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is the man for the job. His methods are bizarre and crude.

This is an amusing film if goofy humor doesn't put you off. Some of the humor is probably pretty offense to some people these days, but it's a movie and it's okay to laugh.

Ace Ventura made Jim Carrey into a big star. 1994 was a good year for him, with The Mask and Dumb and Dumber also coming out that year and both of them being big hits as well.

Besides Mr. Carrey, the cast includes Udo Kier, Tone Loc (Surf Ninjas), Sean Young (Blade Runner, Love Crimes), Courtney Cox (Scream, Friends), Randall "Tex" Cobb (Police Academy 4, Ernest Goes to Jail) and Noble Willingham (Walker Texas Ranger).

If you're looking for a really goofy fun movie you can't go wrong with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

A comedy that refrains from nothing.

The film is entertaining, and Jim Carrey plays Ace Ventura, a pet detective, a bizarre character that only Jim Carrey can play. This is a typical comedy from that time, which wants only to make the viewer laugh and not burden him with unnecessary things.

Here we have some really hilarious characters, who make this movie so much fun. The film doesn't hold back from anything, and Jim Carrey works great in such an environment.

This is how the comedy looks without the restrictions imposed by today's production. Comedy is there to entertain the viewer and give him an escape from reality.

Jim Carrey works great in this somewhat bizarre film, and the other characters are just as funny, and the situations they find themselves in are bizarre and hilarious. Some parts are particularly funny and Jim Carrey manages to make the viewer laugh with his facial expressions and gestures that fit this type of film perfectly.

Today this film probably could not have been made. Bizarre characters, hilarious situations and the atmosphere from the nineties make this comedy irresistible and give it a charm that today's comedies do not have.

A comedy that wants to entertain the viewer and succeeds at it.

Undeniably juvenile, but funny and entertaining comedy stars Carrey—in his breakthrough role—as a goofy, wildly eccentric pet detective hired to find the missing Miami Dolphins mascot. He's the right man for the job but his childish idiosyncrasies, uncanny bond with animals, and aberrant investigative techniques cause outsiders to question whether or not he can actually make good on his word. Aimed mostly at fans who really enjoy silly humor, others will quickly find it tiresome. There are some amusing cameos by real Dolphin football players (including an engaging Dan Marino) but this film belongs to Carrey and his constant outrageousness. Sure-fire entertainment for fans of this genre. **½

While Ace Ventura:Pet Detective is not my favourite of Jim Carrey's movie, it is a lot of fun. It may be a tad too short, and some of the silliness is overdone. But even with any problems, that still doesn't change the fact that I enjoyed this film immensely. The film looks good with the cinematography and scenery top notch. The script is incredibly funny and I like to quote it too. The story is quite silly, but it is a nice one too, and the film is also very snappily paced. Tom Shadyac's direction is also very energetic and imaginative. This was the film that made Jim Carrey an overnight sensation and a fine one it is too to receive that honour. He is excellent in this film, his style of humour mayn't be for everybody, but when he is at his best he is funny or nicely understated as he is in his dramas. All in all, fast, furious and fun. 8/10 Bethany Cox