In 1994, Jim Carrey had a fantastic year. Not only did he break through into the mainstream to become a household name, but he appeared in three smash-hit movies including The Mask and Dumb and Dumber.
The first of these movies however, was the adventure comedy, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Directed by Tom Shadyac, and starring Courteney Cox, Dan Marino, and Sean Young, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective saw Carrey play the titular character in a whacky comedy about the search for a kidnapped dolphin.
In the movie, Ace is hired by football team the Miami Dolphins, when their prized mascot, Snowflake goes missing two weeks before the Super Bowl. After searching Snowflake’s tank for clues, Ace starts looking in the direction of a billionaire who collects rare fish.
However, Ace soon changes tactics when he realises the kidnapping is in someway connected to a Miami Dolphins teammate. And when the Dolphins’ head of operations, Roger Podacter dies under mysterious circumstances, Ace knows he is on the correct trail.
But who would steal a dolphin and what would lead them to commit murder? This is something Ace needs to uncover before he can crack the case and return Snowflake to the Miami Dolphins.
When Ace Ventura: Pet Detective made its debut in 1994, I thought it was one of the funniest movies I had ever seen. I was 12-years-old at the time, which is the perfect age range for this film, and I hadn’t seen anything quite like it before.
Not only was Ace Ventura: Pet Detective filled with gag, after gag, after gag, but lead actor Jim Carrey was a complete revelation to my pre-teenage mind. His whacky mannerisms, his rubber-faced expressions, and his never-ending hyperactivity made for compelling viewing.
The first time I watched Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, I laughed so hard I thought I was never going to stop. Carrey’s line delivery was brilliant, and his commitment to landing a joke, no matter how daft it made him seem, was just exceptional.
After watching the movie, I rewound the VHS rental tape and watched it again. The laughs kept coming, and a third viewing took place the following morning.
I soon switched the rental tape for my own copy, and over the next couple of years Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was on regular rotation in my VCR. It was a go-to film when I needed a laugh, or if I simply wanted something to fill in some time when there was nothing good on television.
So, that’s how I felt about Ace Ventura: Pet Detective back in ‘94, but what about 30 years later? Does Ace Ventura: Pet Detective still stand up after all this time?
Well, for the most part, yes it does. The majority of the jokes still land, the fast-paced nature of the film keeps things ticking along nicely, and Carrey’s dialogue remains quotable.
There are times when some of his scenes feel more like extended skits than carefully edited sequences in a movie, but the cartoonish tone of the film helps to paper over this problem. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is intentionally an absurd movie built around the actor, so if a gag runs on a little too long or Carrey plays up to the camera a bit too much, it’s not a huge problem.
Carrey is the key selling point of the film, and the movie largely lives or dies on your appreciation for the actor. If you’re not a fan, then the movie doesn’t work, but if you like his brand of humour (which I do) then you’ll be on board.
Carrey was one of the three writers on the film, alongside director Tom Shadyac and Jack Bernstein, so he was instrumental in bringing the humour to the picture. There is a sense some of his scenes are the result of well-rehearsed sketches, but again, it’s not too much of an issue if you are willing to go with it.
What is seen as more of an issue, certainly in 2024, is the film’s attitude towards the queer community. A key plot point in the movie, revolves around a male character disguising themselves as a female, and this in turn becomes a source of humour, homophobia, and transphobia.
The character in question is depicted as being mentally ill and their sex change becomes the butt of an ongoing joke towards the end of the film. This whole plot line is something which has not aged well and today it does stick out like a sore thumb.
It plays into the idea that people who switch their sex are either evil or can’t be trusted. This is a bad trope, which the movie doubles down on when various male characters in the film get physically disgusted by the sex change reveal, and it’s certainly a low point.
This is bad writing, plain and simple. It was bad in ‘94, but it’s even more noticeable these days.
However, it is important to remember Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was released 30 years ago, and attitudes have changed. This isn’t to make excuses for the film, but it is to say the picture does need to be viewed in the context of the time period in which it was produced.
The sex change plot line was deemed more acceptable back then, whereas in 2024 it is not acceptable – and rightly so. However, it does exist in this film, there’s no changing that, and we have to address it accordingly.
What we can do is recognise this film makes a mistake here and highlight it. This doesn’t mean this mistake ruins the whole picture, but it is something which understandably can cause some audiences to look on unfavourably.
It’s fair to say Ace Ventura: Pet Detective has some issues, and it largely plays like a vehicle for Carrey, but it still remains an enjoyable romp. It was a big picture for the actor at the beginning of 1994, which made a lot of money (over $107 million from a budget of $15 million), and is still fun to revisit all these years on.
Of all Carrey’s films, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective established the Carrey brand, giving him the most freedom to do his schtick, and this can’t be overlooked. What we all recognise as ‘Carrey-isms’ from later films came from this movie and it was instrumental in making some people life-long fans.
While Ace Ventura: Pet Detective isn’t his best film, it is the best example of what made him popular. It’s unapologetically undiluted Carrey, and if that’s something you need in your life, especially during the crappier days, then this film still has the power to create lots of laughter.
Should you wish to revisit Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, the film is currently available on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital.
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