Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Rent & Buy
He's Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. The Ace is on the case to find the Miami Dolphins' missing mascot and quarterback Dan Marino. He goes eyeball to eyeball with a man-eating shark, stakes out the Miami Dolphins and woos and wows the ladies. Whether he's undercover, under fire or underwater, he always gets his man… or beast!
What critics thought
DivisiveContemporary critics largely dismissed Ace Ventura as exhausting and mean-spirited, calling out its homophobic humor and thin plot — yet audiences embraced it, and the split between critical contempt and popular affection remains the defining fact of the film's legacy. The central debate isn't really about craft but about tolerance for Jim Carrey's full-throttle physical comedy: critics who found it tiresome after twenty minutes were sitting next to audiences who couldn't get enough.
“I found the movie a long, unfunny slog through an impenetrable plot.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“The comic actor Jim Carrey gives one of the most hyperactive performances ever brought to the screen... Only a child could love Mr. Carrey's character, but that may be the point. The movie has the metabolism, logic, and attention span of a peevish 6-year-old.”
Stephen Holden·The New York Times
“A riot from start to finish, Carrey's first feature comedy is as cheerfully bawdy as it is idiotically inventive.”
Rita Kempley·The Washington Post
“There are some unfortunate elements that were unnecessary—a big strain of homophobic jokes for one, profane and sexual situations that rule out the kiddie audience for another. But essentially, Ace is an unsophisticated opportunity to laugh at the mischief Carrey's body parts can get up to.”
Desson Howe·The Washington Post
“Carrey's act gradually grows less humorous and more tiresome, and the laughter in the audience seems forced.”
James Berardinelli·movie-reviews.colossus.net
Genres
Comedy, Mystery, Crime
Cast & Crew
Tom ShadyacDirector
Jim CarreyAce Ventura
Courteney CoxMelissa
Sean YoungEinhorn
Tone LocEmilio
Dan MarinoDan Marino
Noble WillinghamRiddle
Troy EvansPodacter
Raynor ScheineWoodstock
Udo KierCamp
Frank AdonisVinnie
Tiny RonRoc
David MarguliesDoctor
Ira NewbornComposerJim CarreyWriter
Julio MacatCinematographyAce Ventura: Pet Detective
He's Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. The Ace is on the case to find the Miami Dolphins' missing mascot and quarterback Dan Marino. He goes eyeball to eyeball with a man-eating shark, stakes out the Miami Dolphins and woos and wows the ladies. Whether he's undercover, under fire or underwater, he always gets his man… or beast!
What critics thought
DivisiveContemporary critics largely dismissed Ace Ventura as exhausting and mean-spirited, calling out its homophobic humor and thin plot — yet audiences embraced it, and the split between critical contempt and popular affection remains the defining fact of the film's legacy. The central debate isn't really about craft but about tolerance for Jim Carrey's full-throttle physical comedy: critics who found it tiresome after twenty minutes were sitting next to audiences who couldn't get enough.
“I found the movie a long, unfunny slog through an impenetrable plot.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“The comic actor Jim Carrey gives one of the most hyperactive performances ever brought to the screen... Only a child could love Mr. Carrey's character, but that may be the point. The movie has the metabolism, logic, and attention span of a peevish 6-year-old.”
Stephen Holden·The New York Times
“A riot from start to finish, Carrey's first feature comedy is as cheerfully bawdy as it is idiotically inventive.”
Rita Kempley·The Washington Post
“There are some unfortunate elements that were unnecessary—a big strain of homophobic jokes for one, profane and sexual situations that rule out the kiddie audience for another. But essentially, Ace is an unsophisticated opportunity to laugh at the mischief Carrey's body parts can get up to.”
Desson Howe·The Washington Post
“Carrey's act gradually grows less humorous and more tiresome, and the laughter in the audience seems forced.”
James Berardinelli·movie-reviews.colossus.net
Genres
Comedy, Mystery, Crime
Cast & Crew
Tom ShadyacDirectorJim CarreyAce VenturaCourteney CoxMelissaSean YoungEinhornTone LocEmilioDan MarinoDan MarinoNoble WillinghamRiddleTroy EvansPodacterRaynor ScheineWoodstockUdo KierCampFrank AdonisVinnieTiny RonRocDavid MarguliesDoctorIra NewbornComposerJim CarreyWriterJulio MacatCinematographyRent & Buy