Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

Directed by: Tom Shadyac | 86 minutes | action, comedy, crime | Actors: Jim Carrey, Courteney Cox, Sean Young, Tone Loc, Dan Marino, Noble Willingham, Troy Evans, Raynor Scheine, Udo Kier, Frank Adonis, Tiny Ron, David Margulies, John Capodice, Judy Clayton, Bill Zuckert, Alice Drummond, Rebecca Ferratti, Mark Margolis

Jim Carrey’s first lead role in a crazy comedy that won’t be enjoyed by everyone, but will provide fans with enough laughs for a great night of entertainment. ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’ is all about the elastic-faced Canadian who plays the title role. The jokes that Carrey manages to play with his body are often aimed at primary bodily functions (for example, there is a scene where Ace pretends to speak out of his ass – seeing is believing in this case) and although the humor is not of a At a lofty level, Carrey’s manic energy and hyper-enthusiastic approach make the film fun—but exhausting to watch. A bit comparable to a theater performance by Bert Visscher.

That this is Carrey’s party (he also co-wrote the story) is clear from the start. He is the bearer of the film and constantly takes the opportunity to steal the show, a clearer case of “star-verhikel” is almost impossible to mention. All the more surprising that Carrey, then best known for the TV series ‘In Living Color’, is given so much space that everything (such as details such as plot development and other actors) is compromised by his jokes. Perhaps it was due to the inexperience of director Shadyac, who was also making his debut. At least tightening Carrey’s reins a little more would have made it a little less tiring to watch. By the way, the film will be appreciated more if you watch it more often, because it is very clever what Carrey is constantly eating. If you pay attention, you can see that even his opponents sometimes can’t contain their laughter – and that in the final editing.

Sean Young and Courtney Cox get little to do. They are mainly there to act as a verbal punching bag or sex object for Ace, in such a way that they sometimes almost become figures. Supporting roles and cameos feature various stars and coaches from the “National Football League”, including players from the real-life “Miami Dolphins”. The Dutch viewer will probably miss a few things because of this. One of the players is Dan Marino, who has a somewhat larger part in the film, because he is kidnapped. Marino is better at his sport than at acting. He sometimes seems to have trouble not looking into the camera and he booms out his lines of text a little timidly. On the other hand, the scenes with Marino have an unintended comedic effect.

A total lack of logical plot development, resulting in a twist borrowed from ‘The Crying Game’, has made the film a “mind-zero” product, with many funny moments, which can cause a far-reaching state of corny.

‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’ wasn’t quite Carrey’s big break, which came later that year with ‘The Mask’ (which was equally true for Cameron Diaz). The film was totally inscribed by most critics at the time. But the audience loved it so much that the lesser sequel ‘Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls’ was soon released. But the original remains a masterclass in physical comedy.