About The Film – Ace Ventura

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is a 1994 movie featuring the talented Jim Carrey. It also stars Sean Young, Tone Loc, the lovely Courteney Cox and a cameo appearance by Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino. The movie was given a budget of 15 million dollars but it grossed over 107 million dollars worldwide. That’s not a bad profit!

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Ace Ventura: The Plot

The story begins with a down-and-out Ace Ventura (portrayed by Jim Carrey) struggling to make ends meets while working as an animal retriever in Miami, Florida. He is constantly being ridiculed by a police lieutenant of the Miami Police Department, Lois Einhorn (stay tuned for more about Einhorn as the plot thickens).

It is now 2 weeks before the upcoming Super Bowl, and the mascot of The Miami Dolphins, a bottle-nose dolphin named “Snowflake” is kidnapped. Ace Ventura is enlisted by Melissa Robinson (portrayed by Courteney Cox) to find and rescue Snowflake.

Clues

Upon searching Snowflake’s tank for clues, Ace Ventura stumbles on a curious amber stone, which is thought to be part of a 1984 Championship ring. Putting two and two together, Ace suspects billionaire Ronald Camp may be behind the kidnapping. Camp is known to collect rare and exotic animals.

After being proven wrong about Camp’s involvement, Ace begins to suspect that a member of The Miami Dolphin’s football team may have been involved in the crime. After combing through mountains of potential clues, Ace finds a photo of The Dolphins containing a player who is unknown to him, Ray Finkle, who was added the team’s roster mid-season. Hmm, very interesting!

Dan Marino

Soon after the suspect Ray Finkle is discovered, Dolphin’s quarterback Dan Marino is also kidnapped! At this point, Ace Ventura suspects that Finkle is responsible for both kidnappings.

Ventura and Melissa Robinson then visit a mental hospital, where they hope to discover clues about the mysterious Finkle. Of course, the plot becomes hilarious when Ace (Jim Carrey) poses as a metal patient!

In a crazy twist, Ace discovers that Finkle is in reality Miami Police lieutenant Lois Einhorn (mentioned in our intro). Finkle (a.k.a. Einhorn) is soon arrested and charged with the crime. Ace Ventura has now become the savior of The Miami Dolphins and the rescuer of “Snowflake”, the dolphin mascot

Fun movie facts about Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

• Funnyman Rick Moranis was initially offered the role of Ace Ventura. He turned it down!
• Judd Nelson, Alan Rickman and even Whoopie Goldberg were offered the lead role but all declined
• The “ass talking” scene was developed behind the scenes of the TV show “In Living Color”. Jim Carrey had become upset with Keenan Ivory Wayans over a script reading so Jim just turned around and started reading the dialog with his butt. Wayans didn’t see the humor it it. The two later buried the hatchet
• Producers noticed a young Jim Carrey on the sketch comedy show “In Living Color” and hired him to play Ace. This role catapulted Carrey into superstardom
• Recognizing his genius right away, producers and writers let Jim write some of the script and allowed him to ad-lib on many occasions. The result is comedy gold!
• When Jim had to kiss another man on screen, he wanted to make it the most over-the-top kiss that would be offensive to many…and it was! Mission accomplished
• Ace Ventura: Pet Detective grossed over 12 million dollars on it’s opening weekend. Of course, it was #1 at the time
• The success of the film prompted producers to begin a sequel, “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls” right away. Jim Carrey returned in the title role and once again was masterful
• Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was not critically acclaimed. Many movie critics found his character to be homophobic, mean-spirited and ridiculously raunchy
• Jim Carrey came up with the line “Alrighty Then”. He thought it was catchy. It was!
• The band Cannibal Corpse was asked to do a cameo performance in the movie because Jim Carrey was a huge fan.
• As of the date this article was written, plans are in the making for a 3rd sequel to Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Stay tuned for details

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Cast

• Jim Carrey – Ace Ventura
• Courteney Cox – Melissa Robinson
• Sean Young – Lt. Lois Einhorn / Ray Finkle
• Tone Loc – Emilio
• Dan Marino – Himself
• John Capodice – Sgt. Aguado
• Noble Willingham – Riddle
• Troy Evans – Roger Podacter
• Raynor Scheine – Woodstock
• Udo Kier – Ronald Camp
• Frank Adonis – Vinnie
• Tiny Ron – Roc
• David Margulies – Doctor
• Bill Zuckert – Mr. Finkle
• Judy Clayton – Martha Mertz
• Alice Drummond – Mrs. Finkle
• Rebecca Ferratti – Sexy Woman
• Mark Margolis – Mr. Shickadance
• Randall “Tex” Cobb – Gruff Man
• Cannibal Corpse – themselves

One of the most memorable scenes from the movie involves Ace dancing to “Alrighty Then” after solving a case. This phrase became a catchphrase for the character and for Jim Carrey himself.

Overall, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is a classic comedy that still holds up today. Its zany humor and over-the-top performances from Jim Carrey and the rest of the cast make it a must-see for fans of slapstick comedy.