ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE 1994
47%
Directed by Tom Shadyac
Written by Tom Shadyac, Jack Bernstein, Jim Carrey
Starring Jim Carrey, Courteney Cox, Sean Young, Udo Kier, Tone Loc
Synopsis
A struggling private detective with unorthodox methods who specializes in missing animal cases is hired to investigate the disappearance of the Miami Dolphins mascot.
Why We Love It
Though he had appeared in a handful of films throughout the 1980s, Jim Carrey’s over-the-top shenanigans were most familiar to American audiences through the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color, thanks to fan-favorite characters like Fire Marshall Bill and Vera De Milo. Ace Ventura opened just as that show began to wind down its final season, and Carrey seamlessly transitioned into a monster year on the big screen that included The Mask and Dumb and Dumber. All three films relied heavily on Carrey’s quick wit and knack for physical comedy, but Ace Ventura in particular had his fingerprints all over it, and it launched his career into the stratosphere.
When you consider what the film could have been, it becomes clear why it could only have succeeded with Jim Carrey in the lead. Before he was cast, the role was offered to Rick Moranis, and when he turned it down, the producers considered Alan Rickman, Judd Nelson, and Whoopi Goldberg—all terrific talents in their own right, but it’s difficult to imagine any of them bringing the same kind of energy that Carrey brought. Can you picture Snape yelling at Tone Loc via his ass cheeks, for example? Yeah, we thought not.
Carrey also helped revise the script and insisted on a few changes to his character, namely that he should be portrayed in a slightly more intelligent (albeit still unhinged) light and that he should be as ridiculous as possible. The result is a larger-than-life performance that jumps off the screen and demands to be mimicked and parodied endlessly, which is exactly what happened. There’s arguably no character Carrey has played that has endured the way Ace Ventura has. “Aaaaalrighty, then” is officially part of the pop culture lexicon, and his trademark Hawaiian shirt and red pants (or, alternatively, windswept hair and pink tutu) are Halloween staples to this day.
We get it. Jim Carrey isn’t for everyone. On top of that, Ace Ventura makes a few outdated jokes at the expense of the LGBTQ community, and we recognize that’s a non-negotiable thing for many viewers. But as a product of its time, when Carrey was ripe for mass consumption and eager to go balls-to-the-wall for his comedy, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is one of the purest one-man shows around and one of the boldest announcements of fresh talent we’ve ever seen.