Make the Case: 5 Essential Jim Carrey Films

Want to feel old? It has been over 20 years since the first Ace Ventura hit theaters. I remember seeing it in either Duncan or Victoria, British Columbia in 1994. I also remember that before that, Jim Carrey had been one of the main players on In Living Color (which I watched religiously). If you weren’t around, it’s a little hard to describe just how insanely popular that guy became after Ace Ventura. It really was one of those overnight things.

It didn’t take long for the critics to take aim. He was dismissed almost outright by anyone who claimed to be a purveyor of taste. The kindest shots described him as a flash in the pan. The worst shots involve the sneaking suspicion that the man who starred in When Nature Calls would never get an Oscar nomination for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Man on the Moon. Even The Simpsons did a joke about how unlikely it would be that people would still watch Jim Carrey movies into the next decade.

The joke’s on them. Carrey survived all of that. These days, over twenty years later, he is one of the most recognizable faces in his profession. He has had a career that has strived, and occasionally struggled, for diversity in his range of performances. When you look over the sum total of his work up to this point, you can believe that he succeeded.

Yet the past few years have not been too terribly kind. It seems like it has been ages since Carrey gave a performance along the lines of what he showcased in Eternal Sunshine. It feels like it has been even longer since he was a key figure in a box office smash. These thoughts are unfortunate, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind, as well. Unlike someone such as Adam Sandler, it doesn’t seem like Carrey has settled for complacency. He is very clearly out of his fucking mind on certain issues, but he is not lazy as an actor. Even in the pretty unexceptional Dumb and Dumber To, very few are trying as hard as Carrey to make the whole stupid exercise work.

The other thing to keep in mind is that Carrey is still a profound resource for comedic brilliance, with the potential to put an edge behind that. He’s older, but he’s far from washed up. Sooner, not later, he will make some sort of headline comeback. The films that make up this latest Make The Case will suggest that likelihood.

1. The Mask (1994)

The Mask
Image source: starseeker.com

In one year, Jim Carrey appeared in the first Ace Ventura, Dumb and Dumber, and The Mask. All of those movies have remained fairly popular. Even more surprising (depending on how you feel about the man), all of those movies have held up fairly well. The Mask tones down the darker elements of its comic book source material, but it still recreates the free-for-all insanity of the cult series. Carrey had been existing on the fringes of film and television for years at that point. In his first few starring roles, and this is certainly true of The Mask, he pulls out all the stops. He is either profoundly obnoxious (the role earned him a Razzie), or a wonderfully unpredictable comic tornado. I’m going with the former. The Mask works entirely on the strength of Carrey’s manic energy. The fact that it works so well is an impressive achievement for any actor. It’s one Carrey still doesn’t get enough credit for, although lord knows he was well-compensated financially. Cameron Diaz is pretty memorable, too. She makes a feature film debut that people who were around 10-13 at the time of the film’s release still remember quite vividly.

 

2. Dumb and Dumber (1994)

Dumb and Dumber
Image source: YouTube

Skyway author Bill DeYoung counts Dumb and Dumber amongst his favorite movies. Given his personality, that surprises me. But then I keep meeting people from all walks of life who consider Dumb and Dumber to be one of the best movies Jim Carrey has ever made. People you wouldn’t expect to be fans. I can’t argue with that opinion. There is something almost universal about the appeal of Dumb and Dumber. A lot of the film’s comic brilliance comes from relentless pacing, exceptional casting for straight men/women to play off Harry and Lloyd, and the chemistry between Carrey and Jeff Daniels. That last one might be the most important. Dumb and Dumber is an entirely different manic universe from The Mask. It’s still cartoonish, but there’s a very real possibility that you’ve met Harry and Lloyd at some point in your life.

The impressive thing about this film is the fact that it runs with a fairly simple premise (two stunning morons, getting into one absurd situation after another) and it never really runs out of gas. Writing and directing from the Farrelly brothers helps with that. However, I think it’s largely the way Carrey and Daniels play off each other so flawlessly. It remains one of the best comic pairings in recent memory.

 

3. The Truman Show (1998)

The Truman Show
Image source: Timeout

Carrey’s first serious grab at proving he could also do dramatic roles surprised a lot of people. It didn’t surprise people enough to get him an Oscar nomination (to date, he hasn’t received one, not even for his extraordinary, intricate performance as Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon), but that’s beside the point. Carrey’s performance is sometimes a little lost in the fact that The Truman Show runs at a very slow pace. Considering the director is Peter Weir (Picnic at Hanging Rock, Witness, Dead Poets Society), that makes sense. Weir prefers a slow burn, or a pace so leisurely, it’s easy for more demanding viewers to get restless.

If you’re watching The Truman Show for the first time, relax. Go with it. Enjoy the slow realization of Carey’s character that everything is designed to make him a winning television personality. Enjoy Carrey taking full advantage of the opportunity to prove two things. Not only are his comic gifts remarkable and varied, but he could display impressive dramatic chops, as well.

 

4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Eternal Sunshine
Image source: baldmove.com

If you have a Tumblr, you’ve probably seen screencaps of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on your dash. The mere concept of a company that can erase all memories and associations of your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse is a concept that will perhaps forever resonate with people.

The combined imaginations of Michael Gondry (who directed) and Charlie Kaufman (who wrote the screenplay) is a beautiful thing to behold. Purely in terms of plot, characters, surreal touches, and outright surprises, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of the best films of the past quarter-century. At the same time, it’s important to keep in mind that all of these themes and ideas would not have worked as well as they did with a lesser cast. Eternal Sunshine stacks the deck with a fantastic group, including Kirsten Dunst, Tom Wilkinson, David Cross, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, and Thomas Jay Ryan. However, the headliners are the ones who have to connect us to the material. On that front, both Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are perfect. In particular, Carrey is able to add an element of pathos to his comedy that we had never seen prior this film. It would be a shame if we never saw it again. He gives us one of the most multifaceted, unforgettable performances of his career. This is rich, strange material. Even with that in mind, Carrey makes his character his own.

 

5. I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)

I Love You Phillip Morris
Image source: popsugar.com

Carrey closed out the 2000s with an impressive, sympathetic portrayal of con artist Steven Jay Russell in I Love You Phillip Morris. While the movie itself is a few shades above average, but nothing that you would call extraordinary, the movie is impeccable in its casting. Carrey has to answer the challenge of playing a man we shouldn’t particularly like, but empathize with on some level nonetheless. Every step of the way, the performance also has to be entertaining. Carrey juggles these demands, proving if nothing else that after fifteen years of success, he was not settling into a check-cashing two-step.

I Love You Phillip Morris gets a lot from Carrey’s performance. His on-screen rapport with Ewan McGregor (who is also quite good) fills in any gaps you may notice in the rest of the film. Jim Carrey can still potentially care a movie on his own. At the same time, he continues to prove that you can team him up with almost anyone, and the end result will at least be memorable. Talents such as his are guaranteed to surprise audiences and critics once again. It’s really only a matter of time.

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