1994 was the year that Jim Carrey appeared almost out of nowhere and instantly established himself as the biggest comedy star that Hollywood had seen for a long time. Prior to that, the rubber-faced funnyman had popped up in a handful of movies in minor supporting roles, and was best known at the time for sketch show In Living Color.
Carrey had never even played the lead in a film before, and yet in the space of just ten months, he delivered three star-making performances in box office hits that earned a combined total of over $700 million globally, all of which went on to be regarded as three of the defining comedies of the decade, cementing his stratospheric rise to the top of the Hollywood A-list.
First out of the gate before The Mask and Dumb & Dumber was Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, which hit theaters in February 1994 and became one of the most heavily quoted releases of the year. Critics didn’t really seem to get what all the fuss was about, but it became required viewing for the high school and college demographics, and there were more than a few people mimicking Ace’s signature hairstyle over the summer.
The plot is absolute nonsense and nothing more than an excuse for Jim Carrey to showcase his unique brand of manic energy, but what a showcase it is. He blows through the pic like a tornado, dominating every single frame he’s in with an unhinged display of charisma and improvisation. Its sequel, meanwhile, wasn’t quite as well received, but Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls is still fondly remembered by most and its Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 72% shows that fans enjoyed it a lot more than reviewers did, with the pic holding a critics score of only 30%.
As such, we expect the classic Jim Carrey film to head straight for the Top 10 most-watched list when it arrives on Netflix later this week, on October 1st.