IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109040/ and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112281/
Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzxDlS6QY1s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A99O84ct-WM
BEFORE THE VIEWING
I was chatting with a friend about this blog recently, and he asked me what was coming up next on my watchlist. I expected him to groan and roll his eyes when I told him it was an Ace Ventura feature, but instead, his eyes lit up and he immediately performed the best Jim Carrey impression I've ever seen. I was floored.
Although I loved these movies as a kid, I'm skeptical about how well they'll hold up. Perhaps because I loved them while young, the Ace Ventura films have a bit of a time capsule effect; they performed very very well in the moment that they were made, but seem firmly planted in the mid-90s and have been seldom thought of or talked about since.
And that's a bit of a shame, really. I was 7 years old when the first one came out, and it was my first introduction to Jim Carrey (having been too young to truly appreciate him in "In Living Color" or anything else he had made up to that point - did you know his filmography dates back to 1980?). His physical comedy, his full-on absurdity, the way he can chew on a line as simple as "Really?" - I can't remember seeing another performer, all these years later, that left quite the same impression on me.
Quite honestly, I thought he was brilliant.
Are these movies brilliant, though? Probably not. I'm excited to brush the dust off them and see how the intervening years have treated them, but braced for the possibility of jokes landing flat or performances seeming hammy. Still, it should be an interesting few hours reconnecting with our favorite - and only - pet detective.
AFTER THE VIEWING
Man, I'm glad to be done viewing these movies.
There's nothing wrong with them, really. Both films have decent plots, decent performances, a few funny moments. But they're just so bland - especially when I compare them to some of Carrey's later work. The comedy isn't nuanced, the characters lack depth, and there's just no reason to re-watch them; they're like popcorn for your brain.
Although I love Carrey's style, I feel like he didn't totally get to shine in these films as much as he has in things like "The Truman Show" or "Liar Liar" or "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." Perhaps that's due in part to a lack of stellar co-stars; Courteney Cox and Carrey displayed a distinct lack of chemistry in the first film, and hardly anyone in the sequel even bears a mention (except Ian McNeice, who made for an interesting sidekick).
However, this viewing reminded me that the Ace Ventura films fall into that very rare category of the sequel being better than the original. The original certainly had some high points, but it didn't really say very much beyond "Hey, here's this unconventional - but effective - detective."
The sequel actually provided some depth to Ace's character: not only did he seek spiritual solace after failing to rescue a pet in the opening sequence, but he had multiple opportunities to express his sentiments about those who treat animals thoughtlessly. The scene in which he knocks out a small man and tosses him about his neck, satirizing the fox-fur shrug a woman is wearing, lets him express his distaste of animal cruelty while remaining firmly in the absurd, comedic world in which Ace resides.
In addition, the sequel's conclusion allows Ace and his animal friends to retaliate against the main animal aggressor in a delightfully "neener neener" sort of way - there's a symmetry and a full-circle quality in the sequel that the first movie lacked.
Some unexpectedly delightful moments in these films included Ace pretending to be a German dolphin trainer, him singing "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" while blundering through the jungle in a Jeep, and, in both films, Ace nibbling on sunflower seeds while we get the boring exposition out of the way.
I can't say I'll plan to watch these films ever again, to be honest. But if I do, they'll be a good way to pass a few hours, remember Jim Carrey's rise to stardom, and wince at some questionable 90's fashion choices.
Overall rating: 3 out of 5
4 down. 294 to go.
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