Review - Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

“I’ll have the plumbing checked immediately Mr Ace.” “See that you do. If I’d been drinking out of the toilet, I might’ve been killed.”

Director: Tom Shadyac
Starring: Jim Carrey, Courtney Cox, Sean Young
Screenplay: Jack Bernstein

Doing the time warp I’ve decided to go back to the movie that introduced the world to Jim Carrey. I can remember loving this movie when it first came out but then again I was thirteen. Since then I may have watched it maybe one more time in the sixteen years up to this point. So let’s see how this movie holds up?

Watching the movie again one thing becomes obvious and that is this is Jim Carrey’s show, without him I couldn’t foresee another actor brining over the necessary charisma to turn this movie from awful to good. What could have been groan inducing punch lines are actually funny thanks to the delivery of Jim. It’s amazing how much he brings to this movie yet at the same time it really highlights the problems in the movie.

Now I’ll get one thing straight off the bat, and that is I know this isn’t supposed to be high art. We are not looking at an Oscar winner but a good entertaining movie can become a classic in its own right. Now other than Carrey no other actor really stands out, and some just seem to be embarrassed to be in the movie. Plot wise it’s all set around the kidnapping of an NFL mascot, of course if you don’t like NFL or don’t even know what it is then you’re out of the game. I would say this movie really isn’t friendly for non Americans. Other than these two complaints nothing else is really a negative, but then again nothing stands out other than Carrey. Without him the movie would derail.

Honestly I’m looking at this review and I’m feeling angry at myself as I feel I haven’t talked about much. I think at the end of the day this movie will be noted as the break out of an actor who’s gone on to do so much better. Sure you might get a laugh from it but this is not a comedy classic. I own it now, I’ll watch it again, but maybe you could find something else of Carrey’s to watch.