[IMDB link] [Netflix link] Yet another movie we’d both voluntarily ignored — for 14 years. But after my ex-co-worker with the most-similar-taste-ever Scott S swore by it, I decided to give it a chance and queued it. A couple years later it finally arrived at our house. IMDB rating is 6.5 so we had higher hopes than we had during some of the recent movies we’ve watched.
PEOPLE: Jim Carrey is one of those people who I think pretty much makes any movie he stars in (though there are exceptions). And Sean Young?! Again?! I didn’t know who she was, and we end up seeing 2 movies with her within a couple weeks. [highlight for spoilers]→ And she plays a woman that is really a man in both movies! And Courteney Cox as well! And… Tone Loc?!?!? WTF?!?!? Remember “Wild Thing”?
QUIRKS: Jim Carrey did his usual extreme-craziness, often with hilarious results. But he still seemed to fall flat in a few places. Sometimes his funniness just came off as annoying — which is not how we usually perceive him. Maybe it was more novel in 1994.
BAD STUFF: Football. It starred a bunch of football people that I couldn’t give two shits about. At least the plot itself did not revolve around the game football — or I would have been severely disappointed. It did revolve around football athletes, however. Yuck. And, as mentioned before, Carrey came off as simply annoying at times. It’s also annoying that the Network TV version has a lot of scenes that the DVD version does not have! WTF?! Thanks, Hollywood. Looks like only the downloaders get the real movie.
CONCLUSION: Despite Carrey providing an imperfect performance (and co-writing the screenplay), it was still laugh-out-loud funny in many points… Especially when he has to convince the psychiatrist that he is crazy (something Carrey is quite qualified to do in real life). It was cool how he was a better detective than the actual police, although [highlight for spoilers]→ it may be that the police were deliberately being bad detectives due to the Sean Young cover-up angle. It seems that a LOT of people have seen this movie, and that was our main reason for watching this despite having no interest. It’s certainly not un-funny; It’s definitely a straight-comedy, which automatically makes it better than pretty much all romantic comedies. Straight comedies are the pinnacle of what we watch, but most are funnier than this. We’ll still check out the sequel some day (in the name of completism), but this one didn’t quite meet my expectations. It might have exceeded Carolyn’s expectations, however, since she kind of didn’t want to watch this movie at all.
MOVIE QUOTE: “Good question, Aguado [who asked Ace to solve the homicide of the roach he just stepped on]. First, I’d establish a motive. In this case the killer saw the size of the bug’s DICK and became insanely jealous. Then I’d lose 30 pounds… PORKIN’ his wife.” [at which point Aguado lunges at him]
COINCIDENCES: This movie and Dr. Jekyll And Ms. Hyde both had Sean Young playing a woman [highlight for spoilers]→ that is really a man! And this movie and The Adventures Of Ford Fairlane both starred Tone Loc! WTF! Tone Loc!
FRIENDS’ RATINGS: Christian D loved it. Benj really liked it. Even Glen liked it (?!?!?). Tatiana liked it. Dad didn’t like it. Ian hated it. A broad spectrum compared to most movies.
Mood: hungry
Music: Dethklok – Castratikon
Claire's blog 
July 25, 2008 at 8:50 AM
Yeah man – That first Ace Ventura was fucking funny. I remember seeing it in the theater (Springfield Mall) and laughing my ass off. I re-watched it within the past 5 years or so and it still holds up. It’s cheesy, early-90’s, SNL-spinoff style but still hilarious. When i was in fifth / sixth grade I was HUGE into ‘In Living Color’ (much to my mother’s chagrin) and i still like the guy. Though I remember ‘Earth Girls Are Easy’ being horrible (haven’t rewatched it since i was a kid)
July 25, 2008 at 8:53 AM
I haven’t seen it in a really long time, but I remember not really liking it. I loved most of Carrey’s other movies (Liar Liar, The Mask, The Truman Show, etc), but for some reason this one’s humor just eluded me. I found it to be, as you said, somewhat annoying in a few places, REALLY gross humor in some parts (which usually does nothing for me)…I dunno. I feel like his ability to make people laugh really gets better with his later movies.
July 25, 2008 at 9:41 AM
It did exceed my expectation because like Clint mentioned, I didn’t really want to watch it. But it was pretty funny.
July 25, 2008 at 9:57 AM
“HOLY… TESTICLE… TUESDAY!”
July 25, 2008 at 11:21 AM
To be fair, just because it has more scenes doesn’t necessarily make it the “real” movie. That’s one of the functions of editing, to remove things that might have been deemed necessary in the script that don’t add anything to the narrative once the thing is stitched together. It could actually be “Hollywood” that made the longer cut for broadcast, over the director’s objections. Or it could be the reverse. But without a statement from Tom Shadyac endorsing one over the other, it’s hard to make any declarations regarding which is closer to the “real” movie.
It’s interesting you enjoyed it, though, as reminiscent as it is of older movies that I know you wouldn’t like. Shadyac was a writer on the Bob Hope show in his youth, and Ace Ventura is a really old-fashioned movie in a lot of ways. It sort of plays like an old Bob Hope movie crossed with Jerry Lewis with maybe a dash of Abbott & Costello’s screwier adventures. As for me, I’m only marginally a fan of that stuff, and I felt like Ace Ventura came off as a we’re-trying-way-too-hard version.
July 25, 2008 at 11:25 AM
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the Cannibal Corpse concert he shows up at in the movie.
July 25, 2008 at 1:35 PM
Hey Clint – How about you take a break from watching these shitty comedies and check out THE WIRE (which I’m currently watching)! IT’S SO FUCKING GOOD!!!
July 25, 2008 at 1:37 PM
Glen – You shouldn’t recommend anything to me you want me to actually watch, since you have about the worst taste of anyone in my generation that I know and pretty much hate all comedies as well as any music I like. Give it up.
July 25, 2008 at 2:18 PM
I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I’ll just say my favorite scene had something to do with hemorrhoids. :)
@clint:
I have a show recommendation for you: Breaking Bad. Fucked up shit! I find it comedic, yet it’s very dark and macabre at the same time. It really makes you laugh at shit that, umm, most people would find disturbing. And the main character is Hal from “Malcolm in the Middle” But he’s not Hal. He makes meth. And kills people. Best…show…ever.
Disclaimer: I’ve only seen the first two episodes(will watch more tonight), but I rank it above 24 and Nip/Tuck in fucked upness.
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