Line #144 Film/AceVentura


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aceventura1.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300: [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative He's the best there is at what he does.]]]]
3
4	->''[[CatchPhrase AALLLLLLL-righty then!]]''
5
6	A comedy movie series starring Creator/JimCarrey. The first film was 1994's ''Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'', and it's the movie that catapulted Carrey into A-list fame when it became a surprise hit. It was followed by a sequel, 1995's ''Film/AceVenturaWhenNatureCalls'', and an AnimatedAdaptation (''WesternAnimation/AceVenturaPetDetective''). An [[AdventureGame adventure video game]] adaptation was released in 1997.
7
8	The entire gimmick of Ace Ventura is that he's a modern-day Franchise/SherlockHolmes… mixed with {{WesternAnimation/Beavis\|AndButthead}} and Literature/DoctorDolittle. Using these "skills", Ace becomes a Pet Detective, finding and saving animals. In the first movie he appears as nothing more than a local nut helping people find their lost cats and whatnot, but being the only Pet Detective in the area,[[note]]and possibly existence[[/note]] he gets roped into a high-profile investigation.
9
10	The first film epitomizes the nineties: antiheroic lead, fourth-wall breakages, pop culture references, and raunchy humor (toned down slightly for the second movie and animated series), as well the hero talking out of his ass, as in he ''literally'' talks out of his ass; however, it also featured a fairly intelligent plot and featured Creator/CourteneyCox as Melissa Robinson and Creator/SeanYoung as Lt. Lois Einhorn.
11
12	As of 2009 it now has its own SpinOffspring, the direct-to-[=DVD=] ''Ace Ventura Jr., Pet Detective'' (with Josh Flitter in the title role).
13
14	----
15	!!Examples that apply to all films, or exclusively to the first:
16	* TheAce: Ace Ventura is not only very good as a pet detective. He always has a snappy comeback to ridicule, he’s a skilled fighter, he’s great with the ladies and can last in bed for hours.
17	* ActuallyPrettyFunny: The doorman referred to by Ace as [[Series/TheLoveBoat Captain Stubing]] initially was unamused by Ace's antics. However, he can later be seen laughing while allowing Ace and Melissa to leave the party in reaction to seeing Ace covered in what he assumes is toilet water.
18	* TheAllegedCar: Ace's car fails to start, which lets the dirtbag man that Ace took the missing dog from catch up to smash in Ace's windshield and batter his car with a baseball bat. Ace, strapped for cash, can't pay to fix the busted windshield, which is so badly shattered he can't see out of it anymore and has to stick his head out while driving.
19	* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler:It's unknown what happened to the real Lois Einhorn. The article Ace found mentions that she went missing after going on a hike, and the article says that police couldn't find "the body" of Einhorn, but her fate is left ambiguous. The implication is that Ray Finkle had something to do with it, but deleted scenes and the original script say otherwise. In any case, whatever happened to the real Lois Einhorn is left up in the air.]]
20	* AgainWithFeeling: When Ace manages to solve the mystery:
21	-->[[spoiler:''Einhorn is Finkle! Finkle is Einhorn! Einhorn is a man!'' [{{Beat}}] ''OH MY GOD! EINHORN IS A MAN?!'']]
22	* AnimatedAdaptation: Interesting primarily because it once had a two-part {{Crossover}} with the animated version of ''WesternAnimation/TheMask'' ("The Aceman Cometh" and "Have Mask, Will Travel"). Triple the Carrey [[NotQuiteStarring impersonations]], double the [[LargeHam ham]]!
23	* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Dolphins are documented as engaging in homosexual behavior in the wild; this was known even in the early 1990s when this film was made. So Snowflake participating in the UnsettlingGenderReveal at the end is ''not necessarily'' TruthInTelevision. Or he could've just been mimicking everyone else.
24	* ArtisticLicenseSports: A 1984 AFC Championship ring for the Miami Dolphins is a {{Macguffin}}, yet the resulting Super Bowl between the Dolphins and San Francisco [=49ers=] is mentioned as [=XVII=]. Super Bowl [=XVII=] was the ''1983'' one, where the Dolphins lost to the Washington Redskins, not the 1985 one ([=XIX=]) with the San Francisco [=49ers=] that is shown. Also, Dan Marino wasn't on the Miami Dolphins during Super Bowl [=XVII=], and Miami never lost by a last-second missed field goal in either Super Bowl; that was based on the "Wide Right" kick missed by Scott Norwood of the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl [=XXV=]. (Granted, Norwood faced tons of disdain missing that kick, but thankfully, he didn't take things nearly as far as Ray Finkle does in this movie.) The writers of the film noted this, saying that [[LikeRealityUnlessNoted it was set in a slightly alternate universe to our own]] where Dolphins/[=49ers=] was Super Bowl [=XVII=].[[invoked]]
25	* AsHimself:
26	** The Miami Dolphins, including quarterback Dan Marino and head coach Don Shula, all appear as themselves.
27	** Death metal band Music/CannibalCorpse appears as themselves. Jim Carrey is a fan of the band, and he talked the director into putting them in the movie.
28	* BerserkButton:
29	** Do NOT intend to harm any animal around Ace. You ''will'' incur his wrath.
30	** Also, do NOT mess with his hair… Unless you're a better fighter than him.
31	* BestialityIsDepraved: Ace [[InvokedTrope invokes this]] for a throwaway gag.
32	-->'''Melissa:''' You really do love animals, don't you?\
33	'''Ace:''' If it gets cold enough. ''beat'' No, I have a kinship with them. I understand them.
34	* BilingualBonus: Possibly. [[spoiler:Lois Einhorn, with the UnsettlingGenderReveal, has a last name that means "unicorn" and literally means "one horn" in German. One guess what "horn" that is supposed to be.]]
35	* BloodlessCarnage: Ace is attacked by a shark in the first movie, complete with being dragged around in a circle like he was in the opening scene of ''Film/{{Jaws}}''. The worst he gets is some torn-up clothes.
36	* BrainBleach:
37	** Ace reacts to the realization that [[spoiler:a woman who he was sexually attracted to [[UnsettlingGenderReveal used to be a man]]]] by vomiting his entire stomach's contents into the toilet (using a plunger on his face), burning his clothes and then scrubbing himself down in the shower while sobbing. The scene was a spoof of [[spoiler:''Film/TheCryingGame''. And even came with the song (as sung by Boy George) in the background]].
38	** The next scene, he's in his car, chewing a whole package of Big Red gum.
39	*** "Your gun is digging into my hip. Eyuh!"
40	*** [[BrickJoke "It wasn't a gun! IT WASN'T A GUN!"]]
41	** When he reveals the fact to entire SWAT squad, [[HilarityEnsues the whole group, both male and female, starts spitting and puking]], with emphasis on Tone Loc's character scratching his tongue with his fingers. [[AnimalReactionShot So does the bottlenose dolphin]]. Then, when [[spoiler:he strips her down to her underwear but she still appears to lack the evidence, a tied-up Dan Marino calls his attention to reveal one more detail. Ace strolls back to her and turns her around, revealing that she still has her equipment… ''tucked in between her legs'', presumably with duct tape. Cue the [=SWATs=] doing the retching routine. And they even put in the same music as when he had his own revelation!]]
42	* BrickJoke: Ace goes after a rare pigeon early on in the film. At the film's conclusion, Ace almost gets that pigeon, but it's chased off by the mascot of the Philadelphia Eagles.
43	* BringMyBrownPants:
44	-->'''Ace:''' I'm looking for Ray Finkle. (''Ray's father points a shotgun at Ace'') And a clean pair of shorts.
45	* BulletCatch: With his teeth, while driving a car. ''Accidentally''. Immediately after taunting the shooter, "What's wrong, [[TemptingFate can't ya hit me!?]]" followed by him pulling out and looking at the bullet with a definite OhCrap expression.
46	* BunnyEarsLawyer: Ace is an extremely eccentric, on-top acting schizophrenic with acute manic episodes. However, he's also a knowledgeable and skilled animal handler, top-notch investigator, ace driver, excellent actor, and a capable fighter.
47	* BusCrash: Ace's absence from Ace Ventura Jr. was explained away by him dying in a plane crash years ago.
48	* TheCanKickedHim: "Do ''not'' go in there!" It's not in the actual bathroom, but Ace has to pretend it is to justify his looking the way he does, since he'd just been attacked by a shark.
49	--> "If I had been drinking from that toilet, I might have been killed!"
50	* CassandraTruth: The local cops don't listen to anything Ace says and dismiss and ridicule him as just a kooky animal lover. [[spoiler:{{Justified\|Trope}} with Lt. Einhorn, because she's really the BigBad Ray Finkle.]]
51	* CatchPhrase:
52	** "Allllllllrighty then!" To the point that "Allrighty then" is made into his meditation mantra in the second movie.
53	** [[DrivesLikeCrazy "Llllliiiike a glove!"]]
54	** "Unfortunately, in ''every'' contest, there must be… ''a loser.'' Lu-''hoo''… zu-''her''."
55	** "Ree-hee-hee-hee-HEEEEAAAAALLY…"
56	* CaughtOnTheJumbotron: Ace gets into a fight with Swoop, the Philadelphia Eagles' mascot, on a Jumbotron at the end of the first movie. The reason? He shooed away a runaway pigeon that had a cool reward of $25,000 on its head. Good news is, it was the opposing team's mascot; and the Dolphins were yukking it up, along with Melissa. This gets coupled with DescriptionCut since the announcer introduced him as a lover of all life's creatures just before he got caught.
57	* ChekhovsGun:
58	** Early in the first film, Ace sees that Snowflake the dolphin was trained to fetch a ball and kick it when the trainer says "Blue 52!". A deleted scene subverts it: Ace uses the routine to have Snowflake disarm Einhorn of her gun, but when he tries to have Snowflake give him the gun, he hands it back to Einhorn.
59	-->'''Ace''': Stupid fish!
60	** When Snowflake is kidnapped, a tiny gem is knocked off the kidnapper's ring and Ace finds it in the pool's filter, and he eventually discovers that it belongs to a Miami Dolphins championship ring, which eventually leads to him [[spoiler:investigating Ray Finkle (who got the ring even if the team lost the Super Bowl). Einhorn (or rather Finkle) brings the ring with her to the final confrontation and Ace adds insult to injury after taking her down by removing it from her hand to confirm the clue.]]
61	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Melissa does appear in ''Ace Ventura Jr.'' (played by a different actress), having married Ace at one point and had a son with him. Ace's disappearance is explained away as him having died in a plane crash.
62	* CloserThanTheyAppear: When Ace sees an angry, baseball bat-wielding maniac in his rear-view mirror. The maniac responds by hitting the mirror off.
63	-->'''Ace:''' Warning! ''Assholes'' are closer than they appear!
64	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}:
65	** Ray Finkle's mother. At least you see where her son got some of his dementia. Ray's father notes that it's because people have been coming to their house to mock them for so long, she's gone nuts.
66	** Ace himself, given how he breaks into random impressions, literally talks out of his ass and puts on an ObfuscatingInsanity act that's not too much of a stretch for him.
67	* ComplexityAddiction: Ray Finkle's scheme is to get back at the Miami Dolphins, and Dan Marino in particular, for (supposedly) making the laces on the ball face the wrong way when Finkle tried a game-winning field goal in UsefulNotes/SuperBowl [=XVII=], causing Finkle to miss the kick. You would think that Finkle would just shoot Marino, or something equally simple. Instead, Finkle spends a long time building a fake identity, infiltrating the Miami police department, and escalating in the ranks until he becomes the MoleInCharge of the investigation that will ensue from his crimes. That done, Finkle has to get the resources for the kidnapping of both the Dolphins' mascot Snowflake – a real-life bottlenose dolphin – and Marino himself during the next Super Bowl that the Dolphins make it to. And all of this is so the Dolphins will lose the Super Bowl, while Marino is ForcedToWatch them lose on TV before he dies. [[spoiler:And on top of all of that, Finkle gets a sex change to assume the identity of a missing hiker named Lois Einhorn. Yet there's no step in this plan to capture/kill Marino and Snowflake made easier by being Einhorn. One might argue that it allows Finkle to mislead the investigation and cover his tracks, but the cops were nowhere near solving that crime without Ace, whom Finkle couldn't have known about when adopting the Einhorn identity.]]
68	* ConvictionByContradiction: As trans [=YouTuber=] Lily Simpson brought up in her [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Qk3J6ZH1A8&t=309s analysis video]], Ace stripping Einhorn down at the end doesn't really prove that [[spoiler:she and Ray Finkle are one in the same. For all anyone knows, this could just be a trans woman]] acting as [[spoiler:Finkle's]] accomplice.
69	* CrankyLandlord: Mr. Shickadance from the movie, animated series and video game, is a cranky old man who hates animals. Despite his warnings for Ace not to bring any work home, Ace secretly keeps more than a dozen housepets in his room, having trained the animals to hide when the landlord appears.
70	--> '''Mr. Shickadance:''' ''Ventura''.
71	--> '''Ace Ventura:''' ''[whispering]'' Yes, Satan? ''[turns around]'' Oh, I'm sorry, sir. You sounded like someone else.
72	--> '''Mr. Shickadance:''' Never mind the wisecracks, Ventura. ''[coughs in Ace's face]'' You owe me rent.
73	* CrossCastRole: A single photo variation. [[spoiler:The photo of Ray Finkle, back when he was a man, is actually Creator/SeanYoung in a wig, fake mustache, and no makeup]].
74	* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Ace. Despite his constant goofy, idiotic behavior, he repeatedly demonstrates an astounding amount of knowledge regarding anything related to animals, is shown to work very diligently on his cases, and can put up a decent fight, even if he loses. In the second film alone, he at least briefly holds his own against a Wachootoo warrior, and even manages to beat up a crocodile while it's in a river.
75	* DeadPersonImpersonation: [[spoiler:Lois Einhorn in the first film. She was just a hiker, but Ray Finkle used the opportunity to assume her identity. Whatever happened to the ''real'' Lois Einhorn remains as TheUnreveal.]]
76	* DeathGlare: Lois Einhorn communicates entirely in snark, put-downs, and death glares.
77	* TheDeepSouth: Ray Finkle's hometown Collier County, Florida. He used to be AHeroToHisHometown before he missed the kick in the Super Bowl; now, [[NeverAcceptedInHisHometown the whole town hates his guts]].
78	* DeliberateValuesDissonance: According to WordOfGod, the infamous "[[spoiler:Einhorn is a man]]" gag is built around how, despite being a shameless egotist, excellent detective, and badass enough to ''catch bullets in his teeth while driving'', [[spoiler: kissing another man]] will completely destroy Ace.
79	* DeliveryGuyInfiltration: Used in the very first scene of ''Pet Detective'', specifically Ace dressing as an expy of a UPS man to infiltrate the apartment of the ex-boyfriend puppy-napper.
80	* DepravedBisexual: [[spoiler: Lieutenant Einhorn a.k.a. Finkle is apparently one of these]], if the reaction of the one female cop during the UnsettlingGenderReveal at the climax is any indication.
81	* DescriptionCut:
82	** This exchange:
83	--->'''Melissa:''' Is Ace in trouble?\
84	'''Emilio:''' Don't worry. If there's one thing I know, it's that there's nothing Ace can't handle.\
85	'''Ace Ventura:''' (cut to him sobbing while being held at gunpoint) [[FaceDeathWithDespair Please don't kill me!]]
86	** Also:
87	--->'''Roger:''' A ''what''?\
88	'''Martha:''' A ''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis pet. Detective.]]''\
89	'''Melissa:''' Well thanks, Martha, but we better leave this to professionals.\
90	'''Martha:''' Actually, he was quite good. Pet detection is a very involved, highly scientific process.\
91	(Cut to Ace attempting to tackle a prized dove on a rooftop, and then falling off and landing in a dumpster)
92	* DestructoNookie: When Ace gets to bed Melissa in the first film, he is REALLY WILD in bed, banging the headboard against the wall. The animals watching and reacting adds to the comedy. As does "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" being used as nookie music.
93	-->'''Melissa:''' ''[exhausted]'' Oh my God! ''Three times?''
94	-->'''Ace:''' I'm sorry, that's never happened before. I must be getting tired. ''[beat]'' Okay, I'm ready again!
95	-->'''Melissa:''' ''[delighted]'' Oh!
96	* DetectiveMole: A murder and two kidnappings (one dolphin and one Dolphin) were investigated by [[spoiler:police Lieutenant Lois Einhorn]].
97	* DisappearedDad: Ace himself in ''Ace Ventura Jr.'', having disappeared while flying a plane full of animals over TheBermudaTriangle.
98	* DisproportionateRetribution: Miss a field goal? For Ray Finkle, that means working almost a decade on a plot to get revenge on the team that fired you by stealing (and maybe killing) their mascot and kidnap and kill the player that didn't put the ball with the laces facing the right way. For Finkle's family, it's being driven crazy by a whole town that, even many years afterwards, still "proudly" shows the graffiti that denigrated Finkle (among other methods of harassment).
99	* DownToTheLastPlay: "The Kick Heard Round The World" from the first movie's back story. Too bad for Ray Finkle that he missed the field goal, and the Dolphins lost the Super Bowl by one point.
100	* EurekaMoment:
101	** In the first movie, there's two. The first is Ace seeing Ray Finkle on a photo of the Miami Dolphins' team, realizing he's a player that Ace hadn't looked into yet. The second is [[spoiler:Ace realizing that Lois Einhorn and Ray Finkle are the same person, thus solving the case... though this comes bundled with a more minor case of ExplainExplainOhCrap when Ace realizes that [[UnsettlingGenderReveal he'd been sexually attracted to Einhorn]].]]
102	** In Ace Ventura Jr. The titular character has just caught the criminal stealing rare animals, congratulating himself by saying “Like father, like son”. [[spoiler: Then he sees the criminal’s kid making a run for it and thinks back to the missing pets case that kickstarted the plot, realising how true that adage applies]].
103	* EvilDetectingDog: "SO! Animals… CAN sense Evil!" FridgeBrilliance in that the dog doesn't just sense evil, he may very well have witnessed the murder in question and is therefore quite naturally reacting to the sight of someone who harmed his master.
104	* ExactWords: Melissa invokes this when she pretends to check Ace into a mental hospital.
105	-->'''Shady Acres doctor:''' Has he had a long history of mental illness?\
106	'''Melissa:''' ''As long as I've known him''.
107	* ExpositoryHairstyleChange:
108	** After realizing he can become a pet detective, Ace Ventura's Jr. has his hair modeled after his father. He also wears an outfit similar to his dad.
109	** The song "Ace in the House" by Tone Loc plays during his slow walk.
110	* {{Expy}}: Ace's egotism, as well as his CatchPhrase "Alrighty then!" came from one of Jim Carrey's characters on ''Series/InLivingColor'', The Overly-Confident Gay Man.
111	* FaceDeathWithDespair: Downplayed in that Ace doesn't dies, but when Einhorn puts a gun to Ace's head at the climax, Ace gets on his knees and begs not to be killed. To make it even funnier, Ace's begging is done as a DescriptionCut after [[FriendOnTheForce Emilio]] tells tells Melissa that Ace can handle any problems.
112	* FanDisservice: [[spoiler:The outline of Lois Einhorn's penis tucked between her legs when Ace finally proves to everyone that she actually used to be the person that is the main suspect.]] Though until [[TheReveal the big reveal]], [[spoiler:Lois Einhorn]] (played by the quite attractive [[spoiler:Creator/SeanYoung]]) is arguably FanService.
113	* FanserviceExtra: The former Playmate Ace returns the dog to at the start of ''Pet Detective''. She's even listed in the credits as "Sexy Woman."
114	* FastRoping: After taking out two {{mooks}}, Ace ropes down to where Dan Marino is tied up.
115	-->'''Ace:''' Hi, Dan!\
116	'''Dan:''' Who are ''you''?\
117	'''Ace:''' Ace Ventura, Pet Detective. I've been sent in with a special play: quarterback sneak.
118	* FlippingTheBird: In the first film Ace has a football player give him the finger so he can get a good look at his championship ring.
119	* {{Foreshadowing}}: There are hints of [[spoiler:Lois Einhorn's true identity as Ray Finkle]]. For example:
120	** Her name means "one horn" in German, also used as the name of the unicorn.
121	** She has an unnaturally deep voice in comparison to the other female characters in the film.
122	** Another bonus is the apples and banana on her desk, which make a phallic shape as seen [[https://www.moviemistakes.com/images/mistakegrabs/18847.jpg here]].
123	** When Einhorn first appears, Ace says, "Holy testicle Tuesday!"
124	** At Podacter's apartment, his dog barks at Lois. [[spoiler:Because it witnessed her committing the murder.]]
125	** She also touches a bloodstain with her bare finger, and becomes momentarily paralyzed when Ace conducts a sound test on the balcony door.
126	** While Einhorn is making out with Ace, he comments that her gun is poking him.
127	** Einhorn's whole demeanor changes when Ace mentions [[spoiler: Ray Finkle]], implying her involvement. Plus, when Ace talks about [[spoiler: Ray Finkle]] Einhorn looks frustrated and plays with her hands.
128	** Emilio finding the love letter to Roger Podacter from Einhorn sent to him the same day he died.
129	* FreezeFrameBonus: In the first movie, when Ace's dog lies on the Photo of Ray Finkle, the newspaper beneath it has a story on it about an alien abduction. The accompanying image is of [[Series/DoctorWho The Cybermen]].
130	* FriendToAllLivingThings: Ace, though he's not a vegetarian, as he's seen eating a zebra in the second film (Ace identifies with animals very strongly, so he, as an omnivore, would not see any contradiction in loving animals while still eating meat).
131	* GenerationXerox: An episode of ''Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'' shows Ace Ventura's medieval ancestor as a pet detective, Guado's ancestor as a corrupt sheriff, and Woodstock's ancestor as the informer of Ace's ancestor (complete with a steampunk computer).
132	* GoodIsNotNice: Ace Ventura is a send-up of this sort of character, [[WordOfGod according to Jim Carrey]]. He literally talks out of his backside, is inherently immature and even sociopathic, but losing someone he was trying to save drives him into seclusion in a monastery. Said someone was a raccoon… A notable subversion if you realize where his loyalties lie. He's a PET detective and thus, the ones he is nicest to are ALL animals.
133	* HardWorkMontage: Ace going after the 1984 Dolphins team one by one to see which has a missing stone on their ring, accompanied by Music/{{Aerosmith}}'s "Line Up".
134	* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler:Einhorn killed Roger Podacter because he discovered her male genitalia on their date.]]
135	* HeroismWontPayTheBills: Ace doesn't always earn enough money to pay rent. Part of this is his reaction whenever a beautiful female customer offers to pay with sex instead of money.
136	* IfIDoNotReturn: Parodied. When Ace starts to climb down into Snowflake's empty tank, he tells Melissa and Roger that "if I'm not back in five minutes... just wait longer."
137	* ImprobableParkingSkills: ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPM7ugLeXhY Li~ike a glove!]]'' as he likes to say. Somehow, Ace is able to drive a car at full speed through either Miami traffic or an unpaved jungle, and manage to park perfectly every time.
138	* ImprovFu: Ace Ventura invokes this when in a tight situation. In the first movie, he has such a fight with Ray Finkle.
139	* IncrediblyLongNote: In the first movie, Ace has some fun with a soundproof glass door. He starts his pseudo-opera note, and opens and closes the door about six times, just to ''prove'' that the door was soundproof, and to annoy Einhorn.
140	* InsanityEstablishmentScene: The audience and other characters learn that Ray Finkle's lost it when we see his RoomFullOfCrazy with scrawls like "DIE DAN DIE."
141	* {{Jerkass}}: Most of the police force sees Ace as a joke, but Aguado especially makes a bunch of insults at his expense. It gets to the point that none of the police will help Ace out with solving a murder case, unless Ace literally threatens them into helping.
142	* JokeOfTheButt: Ace [[{{running gag}} literally talking out of his ass]].
143	* LargeHam: Every moment Ace is on screen, Jim Carrey doesn't just [[ChewingTheScenery chew scenery]], he swallows every scene whole and goes back for seconds.
144	** "Do NOT… go in there! ''WHOOO!''"
145	** Also, when he punches out the Monopoly Guy and wears him like a stole.
146	** "I CAME TO CONFESS! [[BlatantLies I was the second gunman on the grassy knoll!]]"
147	** "''That's'' what you stepped in, ''that's'' what was on your shoe, and THAT EXPLAINS THE ABRASION ON YOUR PALM! ''DAMN I'M GOOD!!''"
148	* LetsGetDangerous: In the first movie, just before knocking out two mooks with an anchor, Ace says "lovely party, pity I wasn't invited".
149	* LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand: The band at Ronald Camp's high-class party abruptly stops playing when Ace exits the bathroom soaking wet with his clothing torn up.
150	* MadnessMantra: Ray Finkle wants the world to know that Dan Marino should have held the ball '''LACES OUT!''' It's even all over the walls in a RoomFullOfCrazy.
151	* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler:Lois Einhorn ("one-horn" = unicorn). It's a spoiler to her true identity.]]
152	* MinorCrimeRevealsMajorPlot: Dolphin kidnapping -> murder, kidnapping, and attempted murder of NFL star Dan Marino.
153	-->'''Melissa:''' What are you thinking, Ace?\
154	'''Ace:''' I'm thinking that this whole thing is connected somehow.
155	* MistakenForFakeHair: Ace attempts to tear off Einhorn's wig when he's trying to prove [[spoiler:that she's actually Finkle in disguise]]. He's correct about her identity, but the hair is real.
156	* MistakenForGay: Happens when Ace is trying to sneak a peek at a former Miami Dolphin's championship ring while he uses the urinal. The football player, however, is far from offended and Ace makes a hasty retreat from his new "friend."
157	* MobileShrubbery: Ace holds a palmetto frond in front of himself in order to sneak past his landlord's window. Then he throws away the frond, onto the pile of fronds from all the previous times he snuck past.
158	* MuggedForDisguise: The two actors that were supposed to tackle Dan Marino [[spoiler:came staggering out of their dressing room, while the two hired goons kidnapped him during the middle of a commercial shoot.]]
159	* MundaneMadeAwesome: In the first movie, Ace sneaking into the dolphin tank, to the tune of ''Series/MissionImpossible''.
160	* NeverMyFault: Finkle blames Dan Marino for the missed field goal that cost the Dolphins the Super Bowl, saying that if Marino had held the ball "laces out" like he was supposed to, Finkle would never have missed that kick. Even his parents think so, and his mom believes everyone else knows it.
161	* NeverSuicide: ''And'' ConvictionByContradiction; halfway through the first movie, Dolphins administrator Roger Podacter supposedly commits suicide. The police are quick to assume it's suicide brought on by the stress of the upcoming Super Bowl, which the players are becoming increasingly paranoid about due to Snowflake's disappearance. Ace {{Sherlock Scan}}s the room, finds a spot of blood under the railing, then says murder. Einhorn is quick to dismiss him, but Ace is quick to determine a witness heard Podacter scream, supposedly as he threw himself from his hotel balcony. He then determines that the police had to open the balcony door when they entered the hotel room. Finally, [[spoiler:he goes to the balcony and starts screaming at the top of his lungs while sliding the door open and shut, ''perfectly silencing his scream.'']]
162	-->'''Ace''': [[spoiler:This is double-paned sound-proof glass. There is no way that neighbor could've heard Roger Podacter scream on the way down with that door shut. The scream she heard came from inside the apartment before he was thrown over the balcony and the murderer closed the door before he left.]]
163	* NiceJobFixingItVillain: How does Ace discover [[spoiler:Lt. Lois Einhorn’s]] connection to the case [[spoiler:before discovering she actually is Ray Finkle under her assumed identity]]? A news article about the disappearance of the real [[spoiler:Lois Einhorn]] as a missing hiker amongst Finkle’s stuff at the mental hospital which he obviously didn’t think to destroy before his escape.
164	* NoodleIncident: Whatever happened to the real [[spoiler:Lois Einhorn]]? The script and a deleted scene has Ace tell Emilio that the article he found was dated the day before Finkle escaped from the mental hospital, so clearly Finkle has nothing to do with her disappearence.
165	* NowThatsUsingYourTeeth: Ace catches a bullet in his teeth while driving his car and leaning out the window.
166	* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: A news broadcast of the Super Bowl game notes that due to Marino’s disappearance, a young replacement quarterback has to start the game. When the game resumes after halftime with Marino returning, the score is revealed to be 14-17 in the opposing team’s favour. That’s actually a very good score all things considered, and the Dolphins are still within a competitive range. Not bad for a young replacement being the starter quarterback for a Super Bowl game.
167	* OhCrap:
168	** With an epic scream when Ace discovers that the tank that he thinks has Snowflake actually has a great white shark. And when he gets attacked by said shark.
169	---> '''Ace:''' That's not Snowflake… that's not Snowflake… THAT'S NOT SNOWFLAKE!!!
170	** Ace is quietly horrified when he sees Ray Finkle's RoomFullOfCrazy, and again when he realizes that Dan Marino is in danger.
171	* OnlyInFlorida: The Miami Dolphins' star player, [[AsHimself Dan Marino,]] and the live dolphin team mascot get kidnapped by a vengeful [[OnceDoneNeverForgotten disgraced player]] [[spoiler: who assumed [[DeadPersonImpersonation the identity of a missing female hiker]] after escaping from a mental hospital, and became the [[UnsettlingGenderReveal (female) police captain]] in charge of [[DetectiveMole investigating both cases]]]], as part of a convoluted revenge plot. The whole thing is finally solved by an eccentric private investigator who only searches for missing animals.
172	* OnlyInMiami: The first movie's plot revolves around the Miami Dolphins. And involves a story based on their real-life archrivals, the Buffalo Bills, losing Super Bowl 25 on a missed field goal.
173	* OrAreYouJustHappyToSeeMe: An interesting use in the first movie - First Ace feels what he thinks is a gun while Lois Einhorn tries to seduce him, and points it out ("Your gun is digging into my hip."). But later, when he learns [[GenderBender who Einhorn really is]], Ace gets promptly squicked and begins to cry "It wasn't a gun! ''It wasn't a gun!''", with the Boy George song "The Crying Game" playing in the background. Made even more hilarious [[BilingualBonus if you speak any German,]] as [[spoiler:"Einhorn" means "Unicorn" or, literally, "one horn"]].
174	* OutfitRipSexCheck: At the end of ''Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'', Ace Ventura rips an outfit to reveal the bad guy.
175	* OverlyLongGag: Ace opens and closes a soundproof door whilst screaming to make a point. He does it six times, for no discernible reason.
176	* OverlyNarrowSuperlative: "He's the best there is. [[LampshadeHanging (Actually, he's the only one there is.)]]"
177	* PoliceAreUseless: The Miami police department don't get anywhere in finding Snowflake themselves, and miss an important clue in the investigaton of Roger Podacter's death. Though this may be justified, as [[spoiler: Einhorn was behind both events, and deliberately kept the department off-course.]]
178	* RailingKill: Ace deduces that Roger Podacter was the victim of one of these, instead of being DrivenToSuicide, by means of a SherlockScan of Podacter's apartment and subsequent SpottingTheThread — namely that a spot of blood was still present on the railing, and that his dying scream could not have come from the balcony with the soundproof sliding door closed as it was when people first entered the apartment thereafter. [[spoiler:It turns out that Podacter had discovered that Lois Einhorn had a penis in a moment of close or intimate contact (possible realizing she was Ray Finkle), and the disguised Finkle decided to [[KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade kill him to keep him quiet]], and then shut the balcony door on the way out.]]
179	* ReallyGetsAround:
180	** {{Implied\|Trope}} with Einhorn. [[spoiler:When Ace outs Einhorn as a trans woman, ''every'' cop in attendance begins spitting in disgust. That includes at least one female cop]].
181	** Ace himself has this reputation, first with the rich lady that he rescued the dog for in the opening. Then there was Melissa [[spoiler:and almost Einhorn. Lastly, it was implied that Ace took the virginity of the Wachati princess]].
182	* RevealShot: Ace drives through what appears to be the African savannah. We pull back to see Ace is the only one hopping in his seat. Then we see they're driving on a flat road and pass a Subway billboard.
183	* RevengeByProxy:
184	** Ray Finkle's plan, in a nutshell. While Finkle is going after the person he directly blames for his failings – Dan Marino – it's dubious as to whether or not Marino really held the ball "laces in" as Finkle so often claims he did. And even if Marino did mess up, Finkle is willing to kidnap innocent people, steal a live dolphin that couldn't have been responsible, screw the Miami Dolphins out of a Super Bowl win when the current players had nothing to do with Finkle's miss, and [[spoiler:assume a missing woman's identity in order to throw the cops off of his trail]].
185	** The members of Ray Finkle's hometown have never forgiven him for missing the kick in the Super Bowl, causing them to deface Ray's old childhood home and harass his parents. This has driven Ray's mother into being a CloudCuckoolander, and made Ray's father so paranoid that he comes to the door with a shotgun.
186	* RewatchBonus: When Ace is demonstrating how Podacter couldn't have committed suicide, there are some reaction shots from the officers on the scene. There's a lot of annoyance over how a pet detective that they hold in contempt found a massive hole in their preferred theory, but at one point, [[spoiler:Einhorn looks the most apprehensive and, after being so forceful and cantankerous earlier, appears stunned speechless]]. [[spoiler:Einhorn is really Ray Finkle and murdered Podacter, meaning this is a realization that closing the balcony door has put the decade-long revenge scheme in jeopardy.]] This similarly also recontextualizes [[spoiler:Einhorn's immediate and furious orders to Aguado to remove Ace from the crime scene. On the first watch, Einhorn's angry because Ace has just humiliated her and the MPD. On the rewatch, Einhorn's fury is actually because Ace has begun putting the pieces together and is now endangering ThePlan.]]
187	* RewindGag: As Ace pretends to be a football player gone mad, he jumps on a doctor's shoulder, and does an "instant replay" performing the path backwards, culminating in him speaking like he's rewinding.
188	* RoomFullOfCrazy: Ray Finkle's room in ''Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'', covered with scrawls of "Laces Out" and "Die Dan Die," left Ace (and the audience) in no doubt that Finkle lost his mind following the disastrous missed field goal that cost the Dolphins the Super Bowl and that he's got some rather ugly designs on Dan Marino, whom he blames for the whole thing. Ace would later say of the room, "Cozy, if you're [[Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]]." It gets even creepier when you remember that his parents' house is covered in graffiti that degrades and vilifies him. It's hatred within hatred.
189	* SexForServices: {{Deconstructed\|Trope}}. Ace is shown helping a former Playmate by returning her dog from a jilted lover at the start of the first film. She repays him with sex, but Ace still is left struggling for cash afterwards because he keeps doing so for various clients instead of demanding payment. After all, attractive woman or not, sex alone doesn't pay the rent.
190	* SharkPool: Subverted in ''Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'', when Ace stumbles into a literal SharkPool that turns out to actually vindicate the man he is investigating, who was shaping up before that to be a classic arch-villain. (Ace thought it contained the stolen Miami Dolphins mascot.)
191	* SherlockScan: "Except of course for that spot of blood on the railing over there!"
192	* ShootTheTelevision: Lois Einhorn from ''Pet Detective'' [[spoiler: reveals herself as Ray Finkle]] when commentary during the Super Bowl halftime show on the "Kick Heard Round The World" that ruined Finkle's career pushes her over the edge:
193	-->'''Lois Einhorn:''' THE LACES WERE IN! THEY WERE '''IN!''' ''[shoots the screen]''
194	* ShoutOut:
195	** Ace quotes ''{{Film/Poltergeist\|1982}}'' and ''Franchise/StarTrek''. He also says Ray Finkle's RoomFullOfCrazy is cozy, "if you're [[Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]]."
196	** Ace is hiding in a mailbox when he tries to grab a ring, just like an Eastern cult member from ''Film/{{Help}}''.
197	** There's Ace finding out [[spoiler:Einhorn used to be Finkle, with a scene reminiscent of ''Film/TheCryingGame'']].
198	* ShowerOfAngst: Ace, after realizing the woman he kissed [[spoiler:[[UnsettlingGenderReveal is a trans woman]].]] He also chews an enormous wad of gum, burns all his clothes, uses a toilet plunger on his face, and vomits his entire stomach contents.
199	* SingleIssueLandlord: Mr. Shickadance does not like animals in his building.
200	* SkeletonKeyCard: Done with a door sign.
201	* SoMuchForStealth: Ace sneaks into the mental hospital's storage room and accidentally steps on bubble wrap (but doesn't get caught).
202	* SomewhereAMammalogistIsCrying:
203	** Melissa and Roger's boss keep calling Snowflake a fish, though Melissa corrects him that dolphins are mammals. He cares less about proper terminology and more about the Super Bowl and the bad publicity that would come from news of a missing mascot.
204	-->'''Roger Podacter:''' It's those goddamn animal rights activists, always with their goddamn signs "Animals Were Born Free", "Stop Torturing Snowflake"! That damn fish lives better than they do!
205	** Einhorn refers to Snowflake as a porpoise, which Ace enthusiastically takes the opportunity to correct her on.
206	-->'''Ace''': You see, nobody's missing a porpoise. It's a dolphin that's been taken. The common Harbor Porpoise has an abrupt snout, pointed teeth, and a triangular thoracic fin, while the Bottlenose Dolphin, or Tursiops Truncatus, has an elongated beak, round, cone-shaped teeth, and a distinctive serrated dorsal appendage. But I'm sure you already knew that.
207	* SpinOffspring: ''Ace Ventura '''Jr.''': Pet Detective''.
208	* SpitTake: A collective one between the entire Miami police department, Dan Marino, and ''[[AnimalReactionShot Snowflake]]'', occurs at the sight of [[spoiler:Einhorn/Finkle's tucked-in penis.]]
209	* StalkerShrine: Ray Finkle's room is a stalker shrine to Dan Marino… or at least, to the famous Super Bowl play that made Finkle a goat.
210	* TheSummation: In the first one, Ace enjoys turning these into the most absurd spectacle imaginable. His first summation involves [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE0fzoEJa1Y a drawn-out scream]]. His second involves stripping a [[spoiler:fake]] woman (who is also a police lieutenant!) [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFL1UXuHJ-A to her underwear]]. In both movies and the animated series, he also does very long summations in a single breath.
211	* TalentDouble: Creator/SeanYoung herself isn't a very good kicker, so Pete Stoyanovich, placekicker for the Miami Dolphins at the time, filled in for the reverse shot of her kicking the football up and out of the hole in the warehouse. According to Tom Shadyac, Stoyanovich hit the hole on every take.
212	* ThemeTuneRap: Tone Loc contributed a rap for the credits.
213	* ThreateningShark: Ace goes to a tank expecting to find the stolen dolphin. He instead discovers a shark. HilarityEnsues. Specially when he returns to the main hall entering via the toilet, his clothes all torn and wet.
214	-->'''Ace''': Do NOT go in there!
215	* TragicVillain: Ray Finkle [[spoiler:a.k.a. Lois Einhorn]]. All he did was miss a field goal, and [[DisproportionateRetribution had his career ruined and became a pariah in his hometown because of it]].
216	* TrashLanding: Ace falls and lands on his back on a pile of garbage from a roof of a two story building when trying to catch the rare albino pigeon.
217	* {{Tuckerization}}:
218	** Melissa Robinson was named after original writer Jack Bernstein's daughter Melissa.
219	** Ace Ventura's landlord is named Mr. Shickadance. When Creator/JimCarrey was growing up in Toronto, he lived in an apartment building that was managed by Schikedanz Brothers.
220	** Sgt. Aguado was named after producer Ken Aguado.
221	** "Shady Acres Mental Hospital" is named for director Tom Shadyac.
222	* UnsettlingGenderReveal:
223	** Done as part of a parody of ''Film/TheCryingGame'', with [[spoiler:the villain actually being Lt. Lois Einhorn, who this whole time was really the missing football player Ray Finkle, having gone through complete transition (but remaining non-op), adopted the identity of a missing hiker, and became a Lieutenant, seemingly all in the sake of the perfect disguise]].[[note]]According to WordOfGod, the script for ''Ace…'' was nearing completion when ''Film/TheCryingGame'' was released. The inclusion of the song was the filmmakers' way of venting their frustration over someone else using the "He's a she" twist before they got a chance to.[[/note]]
224	** [[spoiler:This is what got Roger Podacter killed. He discovered Einhorn is Finkle after finding "Captain Winky" and let out a scream before he was pushed off the balcony.]]
225	* UnusualPetsForUnusualPeople: When Ace's landlord notices unusual noises and questions Ace on them, Ace claims he knows nothing. As soon as the landlord leaves, an entire zoo comes out of hiding.
226	* WaitHere:
227	-->'''Ace''': If I'm not back in 5 minutes, just wait longer.
228	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: What happened to the real Lois Einhorn, the missing hiker that Ray Finkle apparently stole the identity of?
229	* WhoShotJFK: In ''Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'', Ace loudly exclaims "I CAME TO CONFESS! I was the second gunman on the grassy knoll!" when his (unwanted) presence at the police station is questioned.
230	* YouGetMeCoffee: After Dan Marino is kidnapped, Einhorn walks into the office and orders things like an autopsy report, for no one to talk to the press… "And somebody get me some coffee!"
231	--> '''Ace''': "Tonight on ''Series/MiamiVice'', Crockett gets the boss some coffee."
232
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Context Film / AceVentura