johnlink ranks ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE (1994)
As a Patriots fan, Ace Ventura holds a bit of nice trivia. Anytime a Dolphin fan gets a little aggressive in their venom towards the Pats, I can always remind them that the last time Miami made it to a Super Bowl was in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
The plot is insanely simple. The Miami Dolphins mascot is kidnapped, and Jim Carrey is a Pet Detective called in to solve the case.
I watched ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE (1994) on 1.8.09. I’ve seen it probably two dozen times, though this was the first time in eight or ten years.
NOTE: THIS RANKING UTILIZES THIS SITE’S ORIGINAL SYSTEMIC ARTICLE WRITING METHOD. THE METHOD BY WHICH THE RANKINGS WERE ARRIVED AT, HOWEVER, REMAINS THE SAME.
FILM
Nothing here thematically or directorially to point to. In fact, Jim Carrey is so far off the deep end, that you wonder if it would have been effective to reel him in a bit. There are exactly two moments when he shows any sort of real human emotion at all. You can blame the actor, but you’ve also got to blame the director. SCORE: 3
MOVIE
Still a fun flick. Doesn’t hold up as well as, say, Liar Liar. But there are still several classic comedic scenes. Ace figuring out the murder in the apartment, visiting Finkle’s family, and the scene in the insane asylum are just a few of them. SCORE: 7
ACTING
I know it sounded like I was putting down Jim Carrey in the Film part of this thing, and I can see why some didn’t like him at the time, but I actually think he’s damn funny in this. I’m glad he found multiple notes to play, as his career went on, because he really only has one in this movie. I must say though, that to see his performance as Ace Ventura is to see a cartoon character interacting with humans (and that is a complement). Otherwise, the acting is pretty flat here. Courtney Cox is not particularly noteworthy, and Sean Young (who can be quite good) is brutal. Fortunately for her, she’s not the worst. Good thing Dan Marino only has a cameo. It gets an average score here, only because Carrey brings it up two notches. SCORE: 5
WRITING
I have trouble with this ranking. The story is basic and really serves as a framework for Jim Carrey’s comedy. It certainly has many memorable lines, but it’s more in the delivery than in the writing. The blatantly bad homophobia in the third act certainly dates the film as well. I’m not fully convinced it even deserves the score I’m giving it here. SCORE: 5
TALLY
FILM: 3; MOVIE: 7; ACTING: 5; WRITING: 5
3+7+5+5 = 20
TOTAL MOVIE SCORE: 5
I was surprised to see how low I ranked this. I still consider it a classic comedy, but it certainly is not well made by any means.
johnlinkmovies 
Too bad Jim Carrey spneds his free time killing people through ignorance.
You may disagree with his philosophy (which obviously you do), but to say he’s ‘killing people through ignorance’ might be a taaaaaaaaaaad harsh.
It isn’t a philosophy, it’s false confidence. Celebrities giving medical advice with no medical basis is wrong. He and Jenny McCarthy have an actual body count.
I don’t have a clue what philosophy/false confidence Jim Carrey might be participating in, but I think if you’re going to make an inflammatory statement like “he spends his free time killing people through ignorance” it might behoove you to provide a link or two showing actual evidence to support a claim like that… At worst please enlighten the rest of us who don’t know what you’re talking about. Good doctor, please relieve me of my ignorance!