THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 15, 1995 TAG: 9511150065
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E7 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
WILDER THAN Robin Williams! Sillier than Jerry Lewis! More manic than Steve Martin!
Look, up on the screen - it's him - again.
It's his fourth movie in little more than a year for Mrs. Carrey's boy, Jim.
Jim Carrey is something like the life of the party who doesn't quite know when to go home.
Has he gone too far - yet?
In spite of what would seem excessive to most of the human race, apparently not. When nature calls, it is evident that ticket buyers rush with their money in their hands. ``Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls'' took in close to $40 million in its opening weekend - sparked by yet more rubbery face contortions from the star.
If Jim Carrey ever gets potty trained, it would ruin his career.
In the meantime, there is no denying that he's likable. If nothing else, he has the best teeth in movies - better even than Lassie's.
Yes, I'll admit it. I laughed out loud - a few times. The 12-year-olds sitting around me had to quieten me down. They, apparently, were taking it seriously. They love to see stupid adults. I'm not even feeling guilty about the bit of fleeting mirth. After all, I'm the one who gave the original ``Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'' a favorable review.
It's just a matter of time, though, until we get tired of Jim Carrey, and this film is a dire hint that the time is coming soon. The first ``Ace'' film was a good deal better because (1) it had more ``in'' references to other films and pop-culture icons and (2) it had an innocence that is now missing.
``When Nature Calls'' is a one-man show. Carrey is in almost every scene, and he never lets up. Although the routine is amusing, it doesn't quite hold up when you repeat it over and over. As further proof that this was a vanity production, the director-writer (someone actually ``wrote'' it?) is newcomer and Steve Oedekerk, a friend of Carrey's whom the star could obviously control.
The plot has Ace being called from his Florida haven to Africa to try to locate a sacred white bat. If it's not found, there will be a war between the Wachati and Wachootoo tribes. He does a kick routine with the natives, yelling ``Give it all ya' got.'' He crashes a jeep - several times. (Everything is repeated at least twice).
In an early scene, a spoof of ``Cliffhanger'' has his raccoon pal drop to an untimely death. In a subplot that is too quickly dismissed, he speaks out for animal rights - against a woman draped in feathers and furs and a man who hits a horse. Social consciousness, though, is not its strong suit.
There are potty jokes. Mucous jokes. Masturbation jokes.
The rating is PG-13, not PC. In fact, the irreverence for PC is altogether likable, if tasteless. The best moments from the film have been shown for months in the two-minute trailer, which is better than the film. Just about everything in this movie can effectively be condensed to two minutes.
In one scene, Ace is trapped inside a mechanical rhino. Stuffy tourists stop to watch, thinking the beast is about to give birth. They're shocked when a naked Ace claws his way out the rear end of the creature.
His John Wayne walk is now perfected, but Ace, in this one, has a good deal more of the mean spirit of his ``Mask'' character than the simple innocence of Ace.
Has he gone too far? You be the judge, but be advised that if you're over 12 years old, 90 minutes will seem a bit too long. ILLUSTRATION: WARNER BROS.
Jim Carrey, as pet detective Ace Ventura, and Maynard Eziashi, as
Ouda, star in ``Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.''
MOVIE REVIEW
``Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls''
Cast: Jim Carrey, Simon Callow, Ian McNiece, Bob Gunton, Maynard
Eziashi, Sophie Okonedo
Director/writer: Steve Oedekerk
Music: Robert Folk
MPAA rating: PG-13 (off-color jokes)
Mal's rating: **
Locations: Chesapeake Square, Greenbrier in Chesapeake; Circle
4, Main Gate in Norfolk; Columbus, Kemps River, Lynnhaven Mall,
Surf-N-Sand in Virginia Beach
by CNB