ACE VENTURA 2--WHEN NATURE CALLS
A film review by Andrew Hicks
Copyright 1996 Andrew Hicks / Fatboy Productions
(1995) *1/2 (out of four)
Apparently, when crap calls, Jim Carrey answers. Here he is, mugging it up in countless unfunny ways for the fifth time, his second go-around in the role of Pet Detective Ace Ventura. That means more talking ass-cracks, penis jokes and cries of "Al-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-lrighty then." It all adds up to a sequel that makes the original resemble SCHINDLER'S LIST in terms of dramatic merit, or lack of. Granted, there are a few laughs amid the constant barrage of pre-school humor, but anyone who appreciates good comedy will bang their head against the wall ten times for every minor chuckle. It's a painful experience for anyone with a brain.
Ace is distraught after accidentally dropping a racoon into a canyon (in a parody of the opening scene of Sylvester Stallone's CLIFFHANGER, Jim Carrey being the only person who can make Stallone look like a college professor in terms of intellect, or lack of) and decides to retire to the mountains of Tibet to gain a higher level of consciousness (or, in his case, a level of consciousness). But he is pulled out of retirement to the tune of $20,000 to retrieve a sacred white bat for an African tribe. Why Africa? So Carrey can disguise himself nude inside a fake rhino and later climb out the rear end as a tourist family watches ("Look, the rhino's about to give birth!"). If that seems like hee-haw humor to you, by all means, see the movie. If not, claim your place in human civilization with the rest of us.
Obviously, there are quite a few nonmembers of civilization who made this movie, like the first ACE VENTURA film (I use the word "film" only because it was filmed, not because there's any level of artistic merit.), a huge success. In fact, Carrey only has a career because of the decline of intelligence in our culture. You may say to me, "But Andrew, look at Jerry Lewis. He was born with a negative I.Q. and look how popular he was thirty years ago." Maybe, but I still say Jerry Lewis is a notch or two up on the comedic ladder because he never actually did an impression in a movie of a rabid bulldog biting off a man's testicles... Lewis at least had the dignity to save that performance for when company came over.
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