Anthony's Film Review - Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

Jim Carrey brings a zany personality to the big screen and really makes you laugh...

This is the first film I've seen with Jim Carrey. In fact, it's probably true for other people as well, because Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is perhaps the comedy that put Jim Carrey on the map. Before this, he has had smaller roles in films and also starred on the TV sketch comedy show In Living Color. This is how it is for many Hollywood stars. They have to keep on acting until they get their major break. For Jim Carrey, his big break came with his role as a detective specializing in cases involving animals.

This review is one of those reviews where I focus less on the plot and more on a certain element that is practically the highlight of the film. Ace takes on a case of a missing dolphin that is the mascot of the Miami Dolphins football team. There. That's your plot. The highlight of the film is slapstick physical comedy. This was a movie I thought would be funny just based on the trailer alone. Anyone who sees the trailer and hopes the movie will be funny won't be disappointed.

Jim Carrey is hysterical as he screams with the shape of his mouth changing or explaining his own hypothesis at the scene of a crime in a hyperactive manner. Also consider the scene in which Ace dresses up as a ballerina in order to get into a mental asylum and then a storage room where he is very careful not to get caught. One of my favorite scenes involves a bathroom and a shark encounter in which he says, "Do NOT go in there! Whoo!" You have to watch the scene to see why it's funny. To top it off, he also makes you laugh with what he does with his rear end.

It's not just what he does. It's how he does it. Jim Carrey makes the film work because his performance holds together. He bravely dives into his zany role without hesitation. He simply goes full speed ahead until we're laughing our heads off. Could anyone else play the role as well? Maybe, but after seeing Carrey pull it off, I wouldn't want to see anyone else as Ace.

Some may think the humor of this character is juvenile. I think it's hilarious. Carrey brings a unique style of humor to cinematic comedy, and while I haven't seen a movie like this from him in a while, I still think he's quite funny. Of all the films that show Jim Carrey's style of comedy, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is a good introduction to it.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my review of Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.