Year Released: 1994
Age I Was When I First Saw It: 14
I was a massive Ace Ventura: Pet Detective fan as a 14 year old (even though a significant portion of the dirtier jokes went right over my head), so at the time this came out the main appeal for me was Jim Carrey, and I’m pretty sure I had no idea who that other dude with him was. Nowadays I’ve come to realize how much Jeff Daniels contributes here - the juxtaposition of his more deadpan style with Carrey’s mugging is a major part of why the two work so well together, and I actually find his physical comedy moments a bit funnier specifically because of his character’s otherwise more laid-back personality. The scene where he's attempting to hit on Beth at a gas station and accidentally sets himself on fire lighting her cigarette is a particularly good example - the incredible awkwardness leading up to the eventual slapstick helps build things up.
Another thing I like is that there’s kind of just enough hints of semi-serous, emotional moments to keep the main characters sympathetic - more the tiniest bit would stall the comic momentum and clash with the black humor and poop jokes, but a little needs to be there for you to actually be able to root for these obnoxious idiots. Overall, I still find this about as funny as I did at the time, which is probably more than I could say about Ace Ventura.
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