I saw Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Not much to say about this one, except that it reflects the trend that stupid nonsensical behaviour can be considered "cool" and might even be productive (à la Beavis and Butthead and Wayne's World). If you goto movies like these and hate them, then you take life too seriously. These are meant to be laughed off at. The easier option, of course, is not see them at all, since it is a waste of time.
The movie's about this dude who's a pet detective (he finds pets that are missing). A dolphin has been stolen and he has to recover it. The plot itself isn't that bad. There's a homophobic attitude, but it reflects the sort of attitude seen in children I think. I mean when I was 8 or 9, the thought of being kissed by a boy was simply "yucky" (not that it is better now, but I accept that other people do these sorts of things). So do we tell kids it is "okay" to kiss people of the same sex or should we go on the way we do now? Most children I think are steered by society to think that people of the opposite sexes match and it is only when they are old enough to decide for themselves that people come to terms with their sexual preferences. Should we tell children, then, when they are around 10 that they should also "date" other interested people of the same sex?
I'd wait for the movie to come out on videocassette, but it's definitely funny if you're into those above mentioned movies. The movie parodies a couple of things, Star Trek being one of them, which is quite well done.
Jim Carrey has done it again, making this the fifth time in a row. In his latest venture, he, like in previous films, takes lowbrow slapstick humour to new highs. If you thought you'd seen it all after Dumb and Dumber, this movie will change your thinking.
Right from the beginning, Carrey manages to gross you out, and continues to do so right until the very end. He relentlessly maintains an over-the-top characterisation of pet detective Ace Ventura throughout the movie, which proves more than adequate to cover up any awkward moments in the plot.
The plot is about Carrey being recruited to find the Sacred Great White Bat (with Great White Guano) that has been stolen from a African tribe. The bat serves as the dowry for the wedding between two bipolar tribes, one peaceful and one ferocious. Needless to say, if the bat is not returned in time for the wedding, it would result in a lot of bloodshed. Who better than Ace Ventura to save the day?
I think Carrey's ability to overly dramatise facial expressions, combined with the ability to deliver punch lines in a surprising manner, accounts for a lot of his popularity. A lot of the humour is from the fact that it hits you in an unexpected manner (and this explains why the trailers stop being attractive after the first time you've seen them). For example, in this particular movie, the ways the "Alrighty then" punch line is delivered. Also going for him is the fact that a lot of the jokes in the movie are fairly original because the plot is so outlandish.
The only problem I had with this movie is that Carrey is essentially a one-man show. It's like a football team depending on a single player for winning games. In this case, he does manage to pull off a winning performance, but it's a shame that he didn't interact more with the other characters.
The movie, as in the prequel, plays upon a lot of stereotypes. Animal rights activits might like the message in the movie, but I think that the animals in this movie weren't given the respect that Ventura has for them in the making of this film. This is an all-out movie with no stops, and the best way to enjoy it is to go in expecting to be taken for a roller-coaster ride without any limits.