Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 11, 1995 TAG: 9511130018
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It's also really, really funny. And the humor is never mean-spirited or cruel, even when it's most disgusting.
Jim Carrey's crazed character follows in the footsteps of the Marx Brothers, the Stooges and Jerry Lewis. Carrey combines astonishing physical flexibility with an unpredictable anarchy that makes for wild comedy. When Ace strolls, with that weirdly exaggerated walk, into a diplomatic cocktail party, and then stops to survey such a target-rich environment, you know something's going to happen, but you're not sure what.
The film begins with an on-target parody of Sylvester Stallone's ``Cliffhanger.'' After a brief interlude in Tibet, the scene shifts to Africa where our hero, the world's foremost pet detective, is hired to search for a missing creature - the only member of the animal kingdom that he fears.
The plot has to do with two tribes and the British officials (Simon Callow and Ian McNeice) trying to prevent a war between them. Of course, that plot is the least important part of the film. It's simply a framework for Carrey's energetic comedy.
First-time writer/director Steve Oedekerk worked with Carrey on the TV series ``In Living Color'' and certainly does nothing to restrain his star. Perhaps the best scene has to do with a mechanical rhino, though in the film's most memorable moment, Carrey hawks up the biggest lugie in the history of Hollywood.
Given the African setting, Carrey and Oedekerk leave themselves open to charges of racial insensitivity. But the black characters are treated with the same irreverence as all the rest, including Ace himself.
This is Carrey's best film to date. It's more consistently funny than ``Pet Detective'' and much more controlled than ``Dumb and Dumber.'' If it lacks the splashy effects of ``The Mask,'' it's also less violent.
The sexual implications of some of the humor may make the film inappropriate for younger audiences, but they'll still want to see it. Parents who were concerned about their children's reaction to ``Pet Detective'' should take a look at this one before they decide if it's OK for the kids.
After that, Al-RIIIIGHTY, then!
\ Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls ***
A Warner Bros. release playing at the Salem Valley 8, Valley View 6. 92 min. Rated PG-13 for gross humor, some strong language, comic violence.
by CNB