Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) User Reviews

Comedy Without Limits

[dk777 · 8/10 · 22 March 2022]

A comedy that refrains from nothing.

The film is entertaining, and Jim Carrey plays Ace Ventura, a pet detective, a bizarre character that only Jim Carrey can play. This is a typical comedy from that time, which wants only to make the viewer laugh and not burden him with unnecessary things.

Here we have some really hilarious characters, who make this movie so much fun. The film doesn't hold back from anything, and Jim Carrey works great in such an environment.

This is how the comedy looks without the restrictions imposed by today's production. Comedy is there to entertain the viewer and give him an escape from reality.

Jim Carrey works great in this somewhat bizarre film, and the other characters are just as funny, and the situations they find themselves in are bizarre and hilarious. Some parts are particularly funny and Jim Carrey manages to make the viewer laugh with his facial expressions and gestures that fit this type of film perfectly.

Today this film probably could not have been made. Bizarre characters, hilarious situations and the atmosphere from the nineties make this comedy irresistible and give it a charm that today's comedies do not have.

A comedy that wants to entertain the viewer and succeeds at it.

Jim Carrey's best film

[AngelHonesty · 8/10 · 25 January 2022]

Jim Carrey has made a lot of great comedies, but this one really shines. The entire film start to finish made me laugh. There are so many dumb jokes and Ace Ventura is definitely a little outside of the box of normal, but it's done in way that's just down right funny and even relatable. The plot and story are completely unpredictable, as you never know what to expect from Ace, making the movie into a fun adventure. Corteny Cox adds a special touch to the movie bringing out a softer side of Ace. All around epic comedy.

A movie carried by you-know-who...

[baz_trinity · 8/10 · 19 February 2007]

Now, these movies can't be taken too seriously. The storyline is silly, the dialog is silly and the concept is silly, with one extraordinary exception: Jim Carrey, who, in contrast, uses his extremely intelligent wit and hugely humorous body actions to make this movie what it is, hilarious.

The fact is, this mans arguably a genius, he made a possibly average, run-of-the-mill, 'straight to TV' comedy into an all-time classic. You can switch your brain off and literally laugh yourself to tears watching the scenes in which he acts in. He CARRIES this movie, no doubt and his performance in this is extremely underrated. Being one of his first major roles and to actually manage to single-handedly make this movie what it is with his sheer brilliance at being a comedian-actor, well, it should not be overlooked.

But of course, it has it's flaws. The fact is, the scenes without Carrey (Albeit, they're not many of them) really just shows this movie doesn't have much else going for it besides the man himself. Many of the other actors/actresses (Including Courtney Cox) just aren't funny. But this movie, in my opinion, deserves an 8, because it's just really showcasing Jim Carreys excellence. Watch it and believe me, you'll get hooked!

star-making performance for Carrey

[Special-K88 · 12 February 2002]

Undeniably juvenile, but funny and entertaining comedy stars Carrey—in his breakthrough role—as a goofy, wildly eccentric pet detective hired to find the missing Miami Dolphins mascot. He's the right man for the job but his childish idiosyncrasies, uncanny bond with animals, and aberrant investigative techniques cause outsiders to question whether or not he can actually make good on his word. Aimed mostly at fans who really enjoy silly humor, others will quickly find it tiresome. There are some amusing cameos by real Dolphin football players (including an engaging Dan Marino) but this film belongs to Carrey and his constant outrageousness. Sure-fire entertainment for fans of this genre. **½

They don't make like this nowadays.

[Kdosda_Hegen · 7/10 · 14 May 2020]

This movie has a surprisingly great plot for a comedy. The jokes were ridiculous. If you love Jim Carrey, you probably love this.

A fine example of Carrey at his zany best!

[Snake-666 · 7/10 · 18 September 2003]

Following the kidnapping of ‘Miami Dolphins' mascot `Snowflake' Melissa (Courteney Cox) hires Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey) to track the dolphin down before Superbowl Sunday.

The Nineties were generally good for Jim Carrey and ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' is a shining example of sheer Carrey hilarity! Jim Carrey plays his character with his typical, undoubtedly unrivalled, madcap charisma that has now become so famous throughout the world, yet this movie probably remains the greatest example of just how outlandish a Carrey movie can be. The plot is so thin that it becomes obvious that the story was made to suit Carrey's style rather than vice versa and surprisingly succeeds well. Carrey's extremely arrogant and oddball ‘Ace Ventura' character is unexpectedly likeable and continuously places the viewer in a fit of hysterics with the increasingly wacky scenarios he finds himself in. Carrey's off the wall antics are what made this film and direct attention away well from the flaws that the movie has.

It is safe to say that Carrey was the star and provided all the highlights of this movie and while Sean Young (playing Lt. Lois Einhorn) and Courteney Cox in some ways aided the movie they simply came off as bit-part characters rather than stars as Carrey stole the entire show. Capable direction from Tom Shadyac is a further high spot in this movie and recognition should also be given to Jack Bernstein who co-wrote an astoundingly funny script with Jim Carrey.

‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' is certainly one of the finest comedies Jim Carrey has offered the world so far and despite missing the more heart-warming moments that later films such as ‘Liar Liar' (1997) offered, is a good movie in it's own right. However, as humour is viewer dependant it would be unfair of me to say I recommend this movie to everyone. Those people who dislike many of the Jim Carrey movies will probably not enjoy this one and I can understand why some would condemn this movie as being puerile nonsense. Many of the jokes do border on bad taste and much of the movie has an atmosphere of schoolyard humour to it. I am aware that some people will not find Carrey's zany antics and silly noises funny at all. That being said I personally do enjoy this movie and feel that fans of Jim Carrey and many other people will find this entertaining fun. To sum up – I feel this is an enjoyable movie for teenagers, young adults and probably for the more open-minded older audience despite being somewhat childish and risqué. Not for everyone though. My rating for ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' – 7/10.

Aaaaaaaaaaalriiiiiiiighty Then!!!!!!

[davich86 · 10/10 · 20 May 2005]

I'm guessing that everybody knows the story of this movie by now, but for those who might not have had the opportunity to see this great movie, it's quite a simple formula. The Miami Dolphins mascot is stolen and by word-of-mouth advertising Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey) is called into manic action. His job is to find the dolphin and return it before The Miami Dolphins' crucial game.

Jim Carrey is quite simply amazing, I never stopped laughing the whole way through the movie. This is surely Carrey's best work, even now. OK, Dumb and Dumber and The Mask are very funny movies too, but this takes the biscuit. Everything Ace does made me laugh, from whipping football player's with a towel to get a ring imprint to showing up at a mansion party and being his usual manic self.

100 laughs per hour, if you have a sense of humour, then this movie is for you!!!

Love Tone Loc

[irishmikeever · 7/10 · 9 June 2022]

Sure, the humor is immature from time to time. But that's part of Carrey's act, as the colorful gumshoe of the title, who takes on the case of retrieving the Miami Dolphins' prized mascot, Snowflake, after it's stolen from its tank one night. Of course, as the title would lead you to believe, Ace Ventura is no ordinary detective. "I don't do humans," he asserts to us. His specialty is pets. It's hard out there for pet detectives, since it's a field that nobody takes too seriously, except Ace, that is. So when he gets the call for duty, he's all over the case.

His investigation pairs him with Melissa Robinson ("Friends" Courteney Cox), and the two uncover some startling details about the Miami team's history, and one of its most controversial players, who missed the field goal kick at the 1984 Super Bowl that would have won the game and blames Dan Marino for the whole thing. That player hasn't been seen since. Meanwhile, Ace runs afoul of Miami police department lieutenant Lois Einhorn (Sean Young), who seriously needs to take a chill pill and is hiding something more than just a gun under her skirt.

"Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" is a comic tour de force. Of course Carrey has done plenty of better things since this flick, but for commercial purposes, so let's just leave that in the future. Ace Ventura is something that only he could have done, and made it work. Sure his methods are "unusual," but hey, he gets the job done.

"Take care, now. Bye bye, then."

[ElijahCSkuggs · 10/10 · 18 December 2007]

In 1994, a year that gave us Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption, Morgan Creek Productions and Warner Bros. Pictures came out with the funniest film of the decade, err, 1994, with the Jim Carrey super-vehicle, ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE.

Right off the bat, it is a Jim Carrey showcase: chasing missing albino pigeons, rescuing a pampered shiatsu, and making high speed getaways, this all works because it is Ace Ventura, a hilarious, live-action cartoon character who spouts one-liners like an M-16.

The premise of the film is that the Miami Dolphin's team mascot, Snowflake the dolphin, has been captured and needs to be found in time for the Super Bowl. Ace is hired and the sexy Courtney Cox is made his partner until the dolphin is recovered. With an assortment of funny situations like Ace falling into a great white shark tank (!), a montage of Ace searching for a missing jewel, Ace head banging in a CANNIBAL CORPSE concert, it's all gold, and as you have read, Ace is what drives this film into comedy genius!

It was a busy and successful year for Jim Carrey, as he came out with another pair of comedy blockbusters, the LOOSELY translated Dark Horse comic THE MASK, and his hilarious buddy comedy with Jeff Daniels, DUMB and DUMBER.

Thanks to Tom Shadyac for letting Carrey out of the bag and letting this damn funny Canadian strut his lanky stuff.

It has some offensive, adult-oriented material, but if caught on television, this is nearly perfect family entertainment: as long as you don't mind your kids talking from their a$$es for the next couple months.

A surprisingly dark and layered mystery runs underneath all the wacky comedy.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 11 April 2018]

For all of Carrey's wacky antics and the, at times, overbearingly silly tone of the piece, there's actually a really dark, surprisingly layered mystery running through 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)'. This isn't all that unusual for films starring the eccentric but sometimes unsettling star, though, as he tends to pick projects with somewhat of an underlayer to them. It is actually this rather accomplished piece of storytelling that cements the flick as one much better (despite some problematic moments later on) than the 'stupid, vulgar comedy' some critics have 'relegated' it to being. That said, the flick still is funny and the laughs are the primary focus, though here they aren't quite as intense or as cohesive with the concept as in some of Carrey's other work. We're asked to root for, and tolerate, an undeniably over-the-top and abrasive main character, and that can be difficult at times. It's certainly not impossible, however, and the flick is usually a good time throughout with plenty of laughs and a decent plot, to boot. 7/10

Astoundingly Dumb Film

[jerm1977 · 1/10 · 2 November 2000]

It boggles my mind that Jim Carrey is one of the highest paid actors out there. This movie, and the one he appeared in following it, are unbelievably awful. I am a huge fan of movies that have a lot of absurd humor (i.e. The Naked Gun, Airplane) but this movie has none of the qualities of the aforementioned films. These films utilize slapstick/absurdist humor, as opposed to Carrey's running gag of distorted faces and talking out of his a**. Even if you liked Jim Carrey's brand of humor, wouldn't it get old after thirty minutes or so... This one is a real dud in my opinion, I give it NO STARS!

Sure, this is cheeseball comedy, but Jim Carrey makes it memorable.

[Anonymous_Maxine · 9/10 · 17 July 2001]

Ace Ventura is the kind of comedy that stems directly from a TV show, and in this case, that show was probably In Living Color, where Carrey got most of his publicity before he became famous as a movie actor. A quick look through Carrey's filmography will prove that Ace Ventura is the film that really acted as a springboard for his career. He had a few small roles in films previous to Ace Ventura, the largest of which was probably his role as one of the aliens in the awful film Earth Girls Are Easy, but after Ace Ventura, his career skyrocketed. The Mask (hey, he's still new, give the guy a break), Dumb & Dumber, a sequel to Ace Ventura, Liar Liar, The Cable Guy (oops), The Truman Show (ah, better), Man On The Moon, Me, Myself & Irene, The Grinch, and there's no end in sight.

Sure, Ace Ventura does not compare to half of these movies, and is clearly more on the side of the bone-headed comedy that he was doing on In Living Color, but his talent is unmistakable. I first saw this movie when I was in high school, and I remember that I would ditch school and go to the theater to see it and I would laugh hysterically until my sides hurt every time I saw it. There's something about seeing a slob at a tremendously rich party who just doesn't care about the etiquette of the rich people. Did anyone not laugh when he was `testing' the food at Ron Kamp's I'm-the-richest-man-in-the-universe party and stuck his tongue out at that poor guy next to him? That whole scene at that party is classic!

And, of course, it only gets better with Ace's dealings with Lois Einhorn. The whole crying game idea may have gone a little too far, but it was always amusing. Jim Carrey saves Ace Ventura from sinking to the totally brainless level of more recent crapfests as the Scary Movies, and even makes this into one of the better comedies of 1994. This is not the type of movie that is likely to win any awards, but you will remember the hilarious dialogue and Jim Carrey's immediately recognizable rubber-faced antics in this film that served as a spring board to his career, which later brought us many more excellent movies. Way to go, Jim.

Fairly funny

[Xophianic · 6/10 · 6 February 2000]

I like Jim Carrey's later stuff. MAN ON THE MOON was good, LIAR LAIR was good, and apparently THE TRUMAN SHOW (never saw it) was good, but I didn't care so much for his early stuff. I think ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE was OK, but nothing great. It's certainly better than DUMB AND DUMBER, anyway.

Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey) is an eccentric detective who only takes cases about animals. When the Dolphins mascot is kidnapped a few days before the Superbowl, he comes in to investigate. Many of the police, including Lois Einhorn (Sean Young) don't approve of Ace Ventura, but he won't let them get to him. He also starts to fall in love with Dolphin employee Melissa Robinson (Courtney Cox).

The plot is actually better than I would have expected in such a movie, which isn't too much. There are quite a few funny parts, but there are some jokes and gags that don't work. The acting is OK, even though Jim Carrey overacts way too much at this stage in his career. Courtney Cox, I think, did the best acting job in the movie.

It's worth watching if on TV, but I wouldn't say it's worth buying or renting. Jim Carrey fans will, of course, love this movie and probably not MAN ON THE MOON. For me, it's the other way around.

Basically this is why I don't like Jim Carrey

[cheezdontgowitm3 · 1/10 · 30 August 2008]

It's mainly because of Ace Ventura. He's just too much here, too much to the point where it's just stupid and VERY annoying and just not funny. He was a lot better in The Mask and Bruce Almighty, but here, it's just too much. I don't understand why people find Jim Carrey doing dumb faces or saying dumb things hilarious, it's really not. It's just stupid. How was this a hit film? How did it do it? Did people really watch crap like this? Because honestly, that's like watching Chris Crocker kiss another man, I mean seriously, it's just NOT FUNNY! It's just so bad, and people are saying "no it's not Jim Carrey, he did amazing" no, honestly, it WAS him, because he was just too much here, and it's just not funny, it's stupid. Definitely a 1/10, an abysmal film, watching it was worse than cutting up my butt with razor blades and rolling in a pile of salt.

Jim Carrey is a hero

[0U · 21 February 2020]

This movie was funny! This is not high brow humor but if you are looking for something crazy and funny with immature humor, this is one of the best. This is Jim Carrey at his best...being wild and crazy.

Carrey saves an otherwise mediocre flick

[TheOtherFool · 6/10 · 20 January 2005]

Way before Carrey started his Academy Award quest with movies such as Man On The Moon, The Majestic or the recent Eternal Sunshine, goofiness was what the man was about. Now, in this first 'Ace Ventura' movie, Carrey needs to do little more.

Carrey is Ace Ventura, a pet detective (duh) who's called in to find a stolen dolphin who's a mascot for a major football team (as one might expect: The Dolphins). While the police do their job to find it as well, Carrey proves his investigating skills while a young Courteney Cox helps along as Melissa Robinson, who works at the Dolphins (as what I don't remember. Oh well, who cares?).

The story provides some funny moments (the 'coming out' at the end, and in particular the scene in which Carrey snoops around the huge mansion of the cocky billionaire), but it's mostly Carrey's facial expressions and moves that saves this movie. Whenever you feel like the movie's getting more stupid by the minutes, he comes in and bags yet another scene. I'm gonna tell you, that guy is pretty damn funny.

If you feel like you can need an incredibly goofy movie, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective might just be your thing. 6/10.

The movie that launched Jim Carrey into orbit.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 21 May 2008]

This is one crazy comedy that is totally being carried by Jim Carrey's performance.

Sort of the problem with comedies though is its simple written story. It's as if the best writers don't want to touch the comedy genre with an 10-feet pole and they are above the genre, which is sort of understandable since comedies simply never have been amongst the most appreciated or high class movies. But than again on the other hand comedies also shouldn't ever be too complicated, or else they wouldn't be really comedies. But at least you should always trow in some originality. Basically the only thing that makes this movie truly original is Jim Carrey.

You can say that this is really the movie that launched Carrey's comedy career. Shortly after this he got parts in movies such as "Dumb & Dumber", "The Mask" and "The Truman Show". It's as if director these days keep him more on a short leach but in this early movie from him there is no holding back and he goes totally over-the-top with his Ace Ventura character. This is perhaps also the very same reason why Ace Ventura has grown out into a well known comical character. It's really Carrey that makes this movie and its humor work out so well, since lets face it; the movie its script really doesn't provide the movie with that much comical material to work with. I really can't imaging how this movie would had been without Jim Carrey in it.

The movie further more also has a good supporting cast with fine actors such as Courteney Cox, Sean Young, Udo Kier, Troy Evans, John Capodice and more.

No it's not its directing or overall style that makes this really a special comedy to watch. It has a very typical style in directing, character treatment, it's music and other little things such as this. The '90's just wasn't the best decade for movies in terms of style and its way of film-making. You didn't really realized it at the time but looking back at it now, the '90's is perhaps the decade of movies with the least distinctive- and stylish style.

Luckily Jim Carrey's presence compensates for basically everything. He makes the movie a real worthwhile one, although the eventual movie still is just not as classic as its main character is.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Whats a movie like this doing with a rating of 63%.

[dobbin-4 · 9/10 · 4 July 2007]

Ace Ventura is one of my favourite Jim Carrey movies and I after watching this have been anxious to see Jim Carrey movies ever since. It is an hilarious movie and most of the jokes they have in the movie work really well. This movie has pretty much nothing wrong with and it just keeps the silliness going like with bits like the shark in the tank and the bit where he chews up the cigarette the lady asks if he wants an astray and he replies with "no I do not smoke it is a filthy habit" are just a tiny portion of things that are hilarious and if this movie was any more funny it would not be called a movie anymore but I do not know something bigger so I will not say what it would. Overall I will rate this movie 93% for being a damn funny movie.

The only redeeming element: Jim Carrey

[Criticalstaff · 7/10 · 25 December 2020]

I was a wee child when I saw this movie for the first time and I had never seen anything like it before. For my younger self this movie was the bomb. For adult me, it does not quite hold up as much.

On the surface, the movie is a fun spin on the Film Noir detective genre. Even if we are more inclined to remember the more wacky scenes, I have always liked the more investigative segments. Like the one where Ace gets punched in the face in order to see if the ring has all its gems or how he demonstrates the victim could not have been heard from the inside of the apartment. It is definitively in a cartoonish tone, but it sorta plays in the same way a Hercule Poirot or Columbo reveal would.

The movie is unabashedly dumb, but it has these tiny clever sparks, which makes it interesting for me. The movie is dumb, not in a bad way. It is in the same sense as Dumb and Dumber or any pre-2000 comedy. Because, it's geared towards (younger) children and it relies mainly on visual gags and of course Jim Carrey's goofy facial expressions. It borrows heavily from cartoons and there is an understated homage to pre-war Looney Tunes, very much like in The Mask. It doesn't really work, but it is rather unique. Yet, it is interesting to note that before the Apatow revolution, this what American comedies where. Where the plot and characters were secondary to the tone and the slapstick comedy.

All this, puts the entire movie on Jim Carrey's shoulders. I like him, so therefore I enjoyed his antics, but if facial expressions are not you cup of tea: skip this movie. His performance is weirdly fascinating, and you're watching asking yourself what will he think of next. The sequence at the mental institution, where he mimics catching a football and then the slow-mo rewind is glorious!

American comedies have that tendency to rely on quantity over quality. Throwing it all at the wall and see what sticks. One thing that absolutely does not "stick" anymore is the whole 3rd act's transphobia.

This is bad for reasons too many to enumerate. I'll give three:

• It comes out of nowhere, it was not established nor foreshardowed earlier. It really feels like an extra joke, a tacked on one.
• It has only minor consequences plot-wise, the lieutenant does nothing to stop the investigation, nor does the relationship with Ace have any impact.
• It is so mean-spirited that my empathy almost went to the antagonist: he was so shaken by a minor mistake that it made him question his sexual identity entirely.

It does not take away too much from this film because the visual gags are its forte anyway. But, it is interesting to see what was acceptable in a mainstream comedy in the 90s. Thank God they also had Jim Carrey.

The film that made Jim Carrey an overnight sensation...

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 26 January 2011]

While Ace Ventura:Pet Detective is not my favourite of Jim Carrey's movie, it is a lot of fun. It may be a tad too short, and some of the silliness is overdone. But even with any problems, that still doesn't change the fact that I enjoyed this film immensely. The film looks good with the cinematography and scenery top notch. The script is incredibly funny and I like to quote it too. The story is quite silly, but it is a nice one too, and the film is also very snappily paced. Tom Shadyac's direction is also very energetic and imaginative. This was the film that made Jim Carrey an overnight sensation and a fine one it is too to receive that honour. He is excellent in this film, his style of humour mayn't be for everybody, but when he is at his best he is funny or nicely understated as he is in his dramas. All in all, fast, furious and fun. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I have exorcised the demons!!

[ianslater-54866 · 10/10 · 30 December 2021]

Check your brain at the door and just enjoy it for what it is. Slapstick humour at its finest and some of the greatest one-liners. Would you like a cookie son?

Its OK, but would be better if actor did not act like a fool to be funny

[utahman1971 · 5/10 · 4 December 2013]

That is the problem with people watching movies like this. They like it, and call Jim Carrey the best. Any one can make a fool out of themselves. It isn't really that hard at all. Really, a movie that an actor makes a fool out of himself to make people laugh. Most any comedy now is just this. I really got out of this in my 20's. I do not see it really funny any more or Jim Carrey at all. Its just dumb, like the title Dumb and Dumber.

Being dumb is actually not funny. You will never really grow up by being dumb, and people learn to be dumb, by watching these kind of movies, thinking it is the coolest thing to try what they do to make people laugh. OK, that really makes no sense at all, but people will do it. Might as well, go get plastered from drinking, and make people laugh too. That is exactly the same thing people do as Jim Carrey does. He is probably drunk when he does his movies.

I am hesitant on seeing Kick Ass 2, because he is in it.

Perhaps Carrey's best movie

[Op_Prime · 14 April 2000]

While his later films are good, Ace Ventura is the best of all. Jim Carrey brings his now famous style of acting to the screen. Ace is the kind of guy who you never know what he's going to do next, and that is what makes him so funny. The plot is not the best one out there and the actors in this one are not the best, but this movie is not for intelligent plots and famous actors. It's a whacky comedy that made Jim Carrey a star. The movie is not bad, not at all. Why people think that is just odd and strange. Guess there is no appreciation for good movies these days.

Obvious

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 21 July 2009]

If the movie was only called Ace Ventura, than I guess it would be a spoiler, to talk about Jim Careys job/character in this movie. But since it's pretty obvious what he does, I won't be taking too much away. Not that that is really possible, because the story is pretty thin as it is.

But Jim Carey (who alongside "The Mask") got pretty popular with this movie, has an energy that is really breath taking. Even if you don't really like his attitude or his characters, you can't deny his dedication to "milk" (no pun intended) the most out of everything he does. And the same goes here, where he acts pretty ridiculous, but while others might have had a safe routine, he dares to do things, you wouldn't expect to see ... And while the movie has it's flaws, it's a pretty enjoyable watch

One of Jim carrey funnest movie

[jaroddfinch · 7/10 · 4 October 2021]

I allways like Ace Ventura it's a really funny movie and I'm a big fan of Jim carrey. He really funny and a good actor he made a lot of good movies. But Ace Ventura is one of his best movies ever and there a lot of other ones that are good too. So if you like Jim carrey you should watch this it's really funny.