Critic Reviews
| 90 |
Washington Post
A riot from start to finish, Carrey's first feature comedy is as cheerfully bawdy as it is idiotically inventive.
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| 80 |
Washington Post
Treat this project as you would a safari: It has its slow parts but the wildlife makes it worthwhile.
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| 80 |
Los Angeles Times
Chris Willman
He's so over-energized from the start you keep thinking he'll wear out his welcome pronto; an hour and a half later, his lunacy is still hard to take your eyes off. [04Feb1994 Pg. F6]
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| 75 |
TV Guide
Staff(not credited)
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective marks the ascendance of a new star in film farce, as Jim Carrey elevates this stupid, suprisingly shoddy picture into the comedy stratosphere, mainly thanks to his Gumby-like ability to contort his face and body in the most amazing ways.
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| 63 |
USA Today
While the rubber-limbed Carrey may not yet be in the hyper-manic league of Jerry Lewis or Robin Williams, his psychotic energy goes a long way to make this plot-anemic comedy palatable. [04Feb1994 Pg. 07.D]
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| 50 |
The New York Times
The movie has the metabolism, logic and attention span of a peevish 6-year-old.
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| 40 |
Empire
Julian Ketchum
Neither terrible, boring nor soporific, just not very funny.
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| 40 |
Variety
Steven Gaydos
Seemingly clueless as to how best to utilize Carrey, or make humorous hay out of its pet-loving shamus' central character, Ventura fails to place either Carrey or Ace in the winner's circle of memorable screen crazies.
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| 38 |
ReelViews
From the start, it's obvious that this is a vehicle for his comedy, and it mostly works -- for about ten to fifteen minutes. After that, Carrey's act gradually grows less humorous and more tiresome, and the laughter in the audience seems forced.
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| 30 |
Austin Chronicle
Manic energy is the term that comes most readily to mind when describing Ace Ventura.
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| 25 |
Chicago Sun-Times
I found the movie a long, unfunny slog through an impenetrable plot. Kids might like it.
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| 20 |
Chicago Reader
The most obnoxious case of masculine swagger since Andrew Dice Clay, with just a tad of Paul Lynde thrown in for spice, Jim Carrey defies you not to bolt for the exit while playing the title hero in this 1994 comic mystery.
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| 10 |
The New Yorker
Michael Sragow
In this smutty kiddie farce he's a clownish action toy, and he grows wearying, fast.
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| 0 |
Entertainment Weekly
Carrey suggests an escaped mental patient impersonating a game-show host-and, what's worse, his hyperbolically obnoxious shtick is the whole damned show.
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