Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1993)
63%RT Audience Score: 57%
Awards & Nominations: 5 wins & 5 nominations
Jim Carrey’s twitchy antics and gross-out humor are on full, bombastic display in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, which is great news for fans of his particular brand of comedy but likely unsatisfying for anyone else
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is a wild ride that will have you laughing and cringing at the same time. Jim Carrey’s over-the-top performance as the titular character is both hilarious and exhausting, but you can’t help but be entertained by his antics. The movie may not be for everyone, but if you’re in the mood for some silly humor and animal shenanigans, give it a watch. Just be prepared for some truly terrible bathroom jokes.
Production Company(ies)
Liberty Films,
Distributor
Warner Bros., Argentina Video Home
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens – 3251 S Miami Avenue, Miami, Florida, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for off-color humor and some nudity
Year of Release
1994
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:4-Track Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 26m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 4, 1994 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2005
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Jim Carrey, Courteney Cox, Sean Young, Tone Loc, Dan Marino, Noble Willingham, directed by Tom Shadyac, written by Jake Bernstein, Tom Shadyac, Jim Carrey, comedy, PG-13, box office performance, $71.2M, reviewed by Chris Willman, Owen Gleiberman, Michael Sragow, Mark Caro, Steven Gaydos, Julian Ketchum, Alan Jones, Jim Carrey’s twitchy antics, gross-out humor, zany private investigator, missing animals, Miami Dolphins, kidnapped players, Melissa Robinson, Lt Lois Einhorn, Emilio, Riddle, ridiculous misadventures, physical comedy, sexual jokes, harmless family movie, cult classic
Worldwide gross: $107,217,396
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $216,914,235
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 651
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 23,654,769
US/Canada gross: $72,217,396
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $146,104,846
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 528
US/Canada opening weekend: $12,115,105
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $24,510,376
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 552
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $15,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $30,346,881
Production budget ranking: 1,151
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $16,341,795
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $170,225,559
ROI to date (est.): 365%
ROI ranking: 375
Courteney Cox – Melissa Robinson
Sean Young – Lt. Lois Einhorn
Tone Loc – Emilio
Dan Marino – Self
Noble Willingham – Riddle
Director(s)
Tom Shadyac
Writer(s)
Jake Bernstein, Tom Shadyac, Jim Carrey
Producer(s)
James G. Robinson
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
5 wins & 5 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (62) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (30) | Rotten (32)
Playing a celebrated finder of missing mammals, [Carrey’s] so over-energized from the start you keep thinking he’ll wear out his welcome pronto; 90 minutes later his lunacy is still hard to take your eyes off.
April 2, 2019
Chris Willman
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Carrey suggests an escaped mental patient impersonating a game-show host.
November 8, 2010 | Rating: F
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
[Carrey’s] comic language is made up of accent marks, not characters; instead of inhabiting a scene, he swallows it up and spits it out in manic doodles.
November 8, 2010
Michael Sragow
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
The only possible attraction is Carrey’s gonzo star turn.
November 8, 2010 | Rating: 2/4
Mark Caro
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Unlike famous bumbling sleuths such as Inspector Clouseau and Lt. Frank Drebin, there’s no consistency to the “Ace” character, and the whole movie shifts in tone from social satire to sophomoric pranks and traditional copshow plotting.
November 8, 2010
Steven Gaydos
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Neither terrible, boring nor soporific, just not very funny.
November 8, 2010 | Rating: 2/5
Julian Ketchum
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
For those who do not see a hint of humor…Provokes the unsettling sensation of being in the middle of a jovial and merry asylum.
[Full review in Spanish]
June 7, 2022
Rene Jordan
El Nuevo Herald (Miami)
It’s a one-man show that doesn’t need to be toned down so much as its skits need to be better embellished and decorated.
September 9, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
The surprisingly enjoyable family comedy that catapulted Jim Carrey to fame and fortune as the most popular funnyman of the 1990s.
May 1, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
Your reaction to this fast and furious farce will largely depend on whether you find Carrey’s distinctive style of extremely physical comedy — often compared to that of Jerry Lewis — stupidly hilarious or downright annoying.
April 2, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Alan Jones
Radio Times
Put a leash on Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and call it a dog. This mangy comedy showcase for funnyman Jim Carrey trots through virtually every lowbrow laugh-getter imaginable, short of hiking its leg over a fire hydrant.
April 2, 2019 | Rating: 1.5/4
Dennis King
Tulsa World
Replete with rude noises, pathetic table manners and bathroom jokes that would discredit a second grader, Ace Ventura is an endeavor that all concerned should omit from their résumés.
April 2, 2019
People Staff
People Magazine…
Plot
To be a Pet Detective, you have to understand both the criminals and animals. Ace Ventura goes even further… He behaves like a criminal animal. When a football team’s mascot (a dolphin) is stolen just before the Superbowl, Ace Ventura is put on the case. Now, who would want to steal a dolphin, and why?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The only possible attraction is Carrey’s gonzo star turn. – Julian Ketchum, Empire Magazine
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