ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Is 25 Years Old Today

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Is 25 Years Old Today

The film propelled Jim Carrey to stardom - and Courteney Cox too

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

Fancy another reminder that your youth is rapidly slipping away? Of course you don't, but here it is - Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was released 25 years ago today.

That also means it's 25 years since Jim Carrey became a household name.

The film was his first leading role in a major production and you can't help but feel the movie wouldn't have been anything like as popular if anybody else had been cast as Ace Ventura. The breakthrough performance from Carrey is a prime example of the actor at his inimitable finest: quirky, daft, elastic-limbed and totally captivating.

In case your memories have started to fade away (like your youth), here's a little reminder of what went down in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

Fairly predictably, the film follows a pet detective called Ace Ventura, who specialises in retrieving animals using his own unique and bizarre techniques. The story revolves around his quest to find the Miami Dolphins' mascot, a dolphin named Snowflake, who is ultimately welcomed back by the club during half-time at the Superbowl - but not without plenty of slapstick escapades along the way.


via GIPHY

Now, Ventura aces among you will know that the above GIF is taken from the sequel, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, which was released the following year in 1995. However, it is a classic example of a Carrey masterclass and it would be rude not to include it.

Slapstick is often viewed as a basic or simplistic form of comedy, and it often is, but that doesn't mean it is easy to do. Countless shit attempts at slapstick have been released throughout the history of TV and film, demonstrating how easy it is to get wrong.

Carrey though is a virtuoso when it comes to dancing around in tutus, getting toilet plungers stuck to his face and even exhuming himself from the rear end of a rhino - and this skill shouldn't be underestimated.

via GIPHY

Following its release on 4 February 1994, the film went on to become a cult hit, grossing $107 million worldwide. Carrey starred in Dumb and Dumber and The Mask later that year, and all three films put together grossed a total of $550m, making Carrey the second-highest grossing box office actor of the year, behind Tom Hanks.

Suffice to say it was quite the year for the actor, comedian and all-round artist.

The film was also responsible for propelling Courteney Cox to a new level of stardom, as she played Melissa Robinson, the Miami Dolphins' publicist responsible for hiring Ventura to crack the case.

She had numerous roles prior to this, notably starring in the music video for Bruce Springsteen's 'Dancing In The Dark' 10 years prior, when she was only 20 years old. She also appeared prominently in the 1987 cult classic Masters of the Universe, which famously starred Dolph Lundgren as He-Man.

However, Ace Ventura introduced her to a much larger audience before she made her debut as Monica Geller in Friends later that same year - the rest is history.

via GIPHY

It was rumoured in 2017 that an Ace Ventura reboot may be on the horizon, though evidently this never came to be... not yet, at least. Currently Carrey seems a little more preoccupied with his political paintings than pet detecting.


Guess all we can say is, alrighty then.

Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Comedy, US Entertainment, jim carrey