Review of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) by Kiernan M — 28 Feb 2014

Not only a childhood treasure, and my fondness for both this and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls only grow deeper. It's easy to hate these flicks for just how endlessly juvenile and childish they are, that's part of their charm. It's rare a flick ever dares to get this joyously silly, and Jim Carrey doesn't hold back. He pushes and pushes his famous physical comedy so far that only die hard fans (like myself) and younger audiences can really find any sort of humorous stimulation.

I think that's sort of sad in the world of today's filmgoers. There are those who enjoy the action flicks of Bay and Emmerich, or the intelligentsia that enjoy the contemporary masters like P.T. Anderson, Joel and Ethan Coen, or Terrence Malick. I place all three aforementioned directors on the top of my list of favorites, but I can't help but give props to both Tom Shadyac and Steve Oedekerk, two men who will never be celebrated among the Hollywood filmmaking elite, for celebrating the most innocent and goofy base humor that anyone could ever ask for.

These flicks, again, are childhood treasures, and I will love them for as long as I live.