I had the pleasure of watching Ace Ventura: Pet Detective for the first time in the theaters at the age of 14. From the opening scene where you see Ace as the comical HDS man to grand finale where Ace is wrestling the Philadelphia Eagles mascot, I was hooked. Each line imprinted on my mind, even shaping my choice in words for many years to come. “All righty then!”
This movie was made for laughter, if you went expecting strong plot or depth of character you were being setup for disappointment. But if went in with a light heart and wanted only a good laugh, as I did, you would get just that. Up until that point I never considered myself a “fan” of Jim Carrey. He was around, In Living Color was a good show; but the skits were not consistently funny and would often leave me without a definitive position on the show.
Summary of movie:
Jim Carrey plays Ace Venture, a down on his luck pet detective who is always looking for that next case to help him pay his rent. His big break comes when the Miami dolphins hire him to find their dolphin mascot that had been stolen. The plot isn’t too bad for a comedy of this nature, if you aren’t expecting much. As the story progresses Ace uncovers a diabolical plot that starts with a former Miami player Ray Finkle. After missing a critical field goal in a prior season Finkle is kicked off the team and turned into a joke by league. Finkle returns home where he is the laughing stock of his town and is eventually checked into a psychiatric hospital.
After breaking out of the mental institution and assuming the identity of a local police officer, Finkle is simply “waiting for the perfect time to strike back, super bowl”. During the current season the Dolphins find themselves back in the championship game only for Finkle to steal their mascot and kidnap their star quarterback Dan Marino.
In the end Ace saves the day and all is right in the world. I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars for overall entertainment and recommend that you watch it with a light heart.