This movie is to be avoided if you like the other Ace Ventura Movies, heck avoid it if you liked the cartoon. This movie is almost painful to watch. The kid is a terrible choice for the role being as how he did not look anything like Jim Carrey. The humor also is not on par with the other 2 movies and this movie misleads consumers to capabilities of iPods. This movie should be titled as "Ace Ventura wouldn't come anywhere near this script with a 100 foot pole cause it just stinks that much". I couldn't even make it through the whole thing since Knight Rider was on opposite of it when I was watching it and I chose that show to watch instead.
30 Reviews
Why ask why?
Newsense2 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Why was this even attempted? Why did someone think this was a good idea? Why did Art Lafleur waste his time by being in this fluffy kiddie dross? Why is it that the same director that gave us the fantastic The Sandlot couldn't give us a better movie than this? Why is it that the screenwriters for this unfunny cornball dreck think that humor that wouldn't appeal to kids that have heard those same jokes 100 times before would appeal to them now? Why is the main star of the movie(Josh Flitter) only goal is to ape Jim Carrey's character of the original Ace Ventura movies? Why are all of Josh Flitter's screen-mugging antics in vain? Why did they think that him being the son of Ace Ventura was supposed to make us care about his character? Why couldn't the writers of this movie come up with better plot than one that involves the title star trying to free his mom from jail from a case involving a missing panda? Why does all the slapstick and lame gags(farting animals and stupid pratfalls) fall flatter than Suge Knight after one punch? Why is it that the only people that would find this stale movie funny and good are the same deranged people that though that Superbabies, Ed, Master Of Disguise and Baby Geniuses were good movies? Why cant a movie of this type appeal to all ages(like better family movies in the past have done)instead of just kids? Why cant money be spent on better movie ideas than laugh-free bile like this? Why ask why?
You get the drift. Canned acting by all and corny brain-rotting jokes and gags written by morons that assume that all kids must be morons. Here's a joke: What do you get when you cross a rhesus monkey with Reese's Pieces? A Rhesus Pieces monkey! That stupid and cheesy joke best describes the humor in this movie. So if you found that joke funny you'll love this film. If not then stay far away. Do not let these greedy Follywood executives have the last laugh or the jokes on you... literally. HEE HEE HEE, HAW HAW HAW, HARDY HAR HAR!!!
You get the drift. Canned acting by all and corny brain-rotting jokes and gags written by morons that assume that all kids must be morons. Here's a joke: What do you get when you cross a rhesus monkey with Reese's Pieces? A Rhesus Pieces monkey! That stupid and cheesy joke best describes the humor in this movie. So if you found that joke funny you'll love this film. If not then stay far away. Do not let these greedy Follywood executives have the last laugh or the jokes on you... literally. HEE HEE HEE, HAW HAW HAW, HARDY HAR HAR!!!
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Jr. (2009)
SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain22 January 2012
Somewhere in Hollywood lives an evil genius and his grand plan is to make sequels to every Jim Carrey movie...WITHOUT Jim Carrey. If that wasn't bad enough this film replaces Jim with some fat, irritating child AND suggests Ace died. The best thing would have been to make this a prequel with Ace as a child. Not give him a stupid ugly kid."Respectful" is not a word in this film's vocabulary. It also has some old guy, playing Ace's dad, whom repeats all of Carrey's signature lines in a fashion akin to your own grandfather, embarrassing you at your birthday party. This is really horrible, verging on disgusting. I'm not the biggest Ace Ventura fan, but this is just ghastly. I hope all involved have a suicide pact.
I say these words as a HUGE 'Ace Ventura' fan...
GMFinneyProductions15 October 2009
What the f*ck! Seriously, i am probably the biggest Ace Ventura fan and when i heard the news about a 3rd movie some years ago i was very excited. And from following the updates of this film from beginning to end, my expectations slowly started to decrease...and when the trailer hit the internet i was speechless... literally.
And that was just the beginning, the film came out on DVD and as curious as i am, i went and got it... and that was most likely the biggest mistake of my life.
From beginning to end, i felt like i was being tortured yet i couldn't look away... i couldn't believe my eyes... i couldn't believe what the f*ck they just did to Ace Ventura!
And that was just the beginning, the film came out on DVD and as curious as i am, i went and got it... and that was most likely the biggest mistake of my life.
From beginning to end, i felt like i was being tortured yet i couldn't look away... i couldn't believe my eyes... i couldn't believe what the f*ck they just did to Ace Ventura!
Worse than Grease 2
michaeljb19 January 2013
OK, so I am a big Ace Ventura fan. Even so, I was unaware that this film even existed until a couple of weeks ago. I read most of the reviews here at IMDb and thought to myself "Surely this film can't be THAT bad?". I managed to see this "movie" a couple of days ago. I'd like to apologise to all the reviewers here for my obvious folly! This has just about ruined the Ace Ventura franchise for me forever. Until I saw this, I was convinced that Grease 2 was probably the worst sequel that ever had the audacity to call itself a movie, but I was wrong again.
This film doesn't scrape the bottom of the barrel. It lifts it up and digs right underneath it. To say this film was an abomination would be like saying Hitler's Final Solution was a small error of judgement.
If you're the type of person that likes nipple clamps, thumb-screws and being beaten by a leather clad sadist, then this film might be for you, but then again, maybe there is a pain threshold that's too much even for you? Stay away. You have been warned.
This film doesn't scrape the bottom of the barrel. It lifts it up and digs right underneath it. To say this film was an abomination would be like saying Hitler's Final Solution was a small error of judgement.
If you're the type of person that likes nipple clamps, thumb-screws and being beaten by a leather clad sadist, then this film might be for you, but then again, maybe there is a pain threshold that's too much even for you? Stay away. You have been warned.
please stay away
jackrod89320 December 2012
starting off i was a huge fan of the first 2.
me and my friends watch bad movies for fun. we've seen it all birdemic,the room,manos the hands of fate,spy kids 3 and 4 etc. never have i been so annoyed so disgusted so.....lets put it this way i wanted to stop seeing movies after this good bad i was done with movies after this. from reed Alexander's annoying small role as the "villain" to josh flitter's horrendous role as the "hero" honestly every single thing about this movie is dreadful and unwatchable. bad joke after bad joke(this is Sparta!)a tired bland story etc. annoying is the best word to describe this movie so do yourself a favor and don't watch it it's to late for me but you can still live your life without seeing this. this movie ruined the first 2 for me and for those saying this is a kids movie i ask you why did they make a kids movie out of a movie that wasn't a kids movie? and also kids movies don't have to be stupid and insult their intelligence this film was like a college course in how to be stupid and treat kids like they are stupid. i hope i never see another movie like this again and i hope none of you do either.
me and my friends watch bad movies for fun. we've seen it all birdemic,the room,manos the hands of fate,spy kids 3 and 4 etc. never have i been so annoyed so disgusted so.....lets put it this way i wanted to stop seeing movies after this good bad i was done with movies after this. from reed Alexander's annoying small role as the "villain" to josh flitter's horrendous role as the "hero" honestly every single thing about this movie is dreadful and unwatchable. bad joke after bad joke(this is Sparta!)a tired bland story etc. annoying is the best word to describe this movie so do yourself a favor and don't watch it it's to late for me but you can still live your life without seeing this. this movie ruined the first 2 for me and for those saying this is a kids movie i ask you why did they make a kids movie out of a movie that wasn't a kids movie? and also kids movies don't have to be stupid and insult their intelligence this film was like a college course in how to be stupid and treat kids like they are stupid. i hope i never see another movie like this again and i hope none of you do either.
Boring and uncreative.
AchillesRWP29 June 2010
I don't normally write reviews for movies but after seeing this movie, I took the time to create an account and voice my disgust / deter other people from wasting their time watching this film.
Watching the first Ace Ventura films, it's easy to say they were at least decent films and hence entitled to the mid-ratings they received. Watching the third installment makes it easy to say it was worth of not only less then what it has (2/10) but the negatives if only it were possible.
The storyline is a watery carbon copy of the other two films (i.e missing animal needs to be found) with nothing new added to it besides a goofy child actor who's performance was abysmal and mindless, childish jokes. The writers seem to have directed the movie only at toddlers. It uses potty humor very heavily and no-one (not even toddlers) would find it appealing. A big mistake by the producers and executives who even approved this waste of money. It's a big disappointment to the Ace Ventura franchise.
Watching the first Ace Ventura films, it's easy to say they were at least decent films and hence entitled to the mid-ratings they received. Watching the third installment makes it easy to say it was worth of not only less then what it has (2/10) but the negatives if only it were possible.
The storyline is a watery carbon copy of the other two films (i.e missing animal needs to be found) with nothing new added to it besides a goofy child actor who's performance was abysmal and mindless, childish jokes. The writers seem to have directed the movie only at toddlers. It uses potty humor very heavily and no-one (not even toddlers) would find it appealing. A big mistake by the producers and executives who even approved this waste of money. It's a big disappointment to the Ace Ventura franchise.
This is not Ace, it's a Looser!
eJay177 March 2009
This is how good brand could turn into rubbish...
This movie is bad. The director used the well-known brand and adapted it to a kiddy audience. The main actor is trying to imitate Jim Carrey but it is just boring and flat (definetely untalented).
In addition, this film does not introduce anything new. Everything has been enriched by the typical patterns (family problems ble ble ble). It is highly ridiculous, almost at all. Unfortunately, I do not recommend it to anyone.If you saw the previous parts, then stay with them. Ace's son adventures are completely colorless, unfunny. This is one of the most unnecessary sequels ever.
I'll give it 1/10, because I watched earlier "Zack and Miri make a porno" which is awesome.
This movie is bad. The director used the well-known brand and adapted it to a kiddy audience. The main actor is trying to imitate Jim Carrey but it is just boring and flat (definetely untalented).
In addition, this film does not introduce anything new. Everything has been enriched by the typical patterns (family problems ble ble ble). It is highly ridiculous, almost at all. Unfortunately, I do not recommend it to anyone.If you saw the previous parts, then stay with them. Ace's son adventures are completely colorless, unfunny. This is one of the most unnecessary sequels ever.
I'll give it 1/10, because I watched earlier "Zack and Miri make a porno" which is awesome.
A little ventura.....no
chelano14 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Oh yes nothing like taking a classic and making a huge dump on it. Now I will never rate anything a zero. You just can't because in some strange magical way, they got money and a camera to put it together. Maybe they have a fund raiser or sold their soul, I don't know. But nothing about this movie was good. You get to see Ace Ventura's son and his father. Played by two horrible actors. There is even a story about why Jim Carrey was not in this one. Get ready for a spoiler. He dies; in a plane crash; helping birds; over the Bermuda Triangle. Oh man! I bet the writers really thought hard on that one. Josh Flitter would probably be a good actor in another movie, but not this one. He tried to act like the original Ace Ventura, but it just didn't work. This movie was more of a made for TV special than an amazing film. Sorry this movie just did not do it for me. Please PLEASE stop ruining classics. It isn't nice.
is there a rating lower the 1(awful)
freakout_1518 July 2009
they have ruined the Ace Ventura movies with the horrible crap. the actors and actresses in the movie probably lost half their fans by making of this movie, i mean why would they do this to Jim Carrey. look this is the first movie the has made me mad cause i love the original Ventura movies and i am glad they are still popular. no thanks to David M. Evans Morgan Creek Productions created this crap so don't blame the creators of the REAL ACE VENTURA MOVIES. the warner brothers are good people for not suing them for this crap just let them lose there money all on there own. but really Evans Morgan creek productions shut down after the creation of this Jim Carrey demon hating movie. but one can only hope... by the way did i mention the movie sucked!
Adds Nothing New!
DomNickson84326 April 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I knew this film would suck not having Jim Carrey but this is the worst film I have ever seen and it shouldn't even exist! What kind of evil person would want to start making sequels without Jim Carrey even being attached to it in anyway. This film has nothing new to add to the character of Ace Ventura except attach a son to him. Why in the world would any audience care about his son in the first place? I think I would much rather see Dumb and Dumber 2 again, which is a horrible movie that had Jim Carrey in it. This film also just mocks the character of Ace Ventura. Oh my just please never make another sequel about Ace Ventura.
First
matthewkiller-1172831 July 2021
Call me crazy....but this was a fun movie....
Hersey3326 February 2009
Now I went into this thinking the exact same thing as all of you. That this movie is going to suck, that its going to be the worst movie out there. But to be completely honest with you, it was cute and funny. It was a cheesy movie, but if you take it for that, just being a cheesy movie, than you'll like it. Its not a master piece and not nearly as good as the originals. But it is certainly a lot better than other sequels. The main character is actually pretty funny and makes good use of the old Ace Ventura lines, while throwing in a bit of his own style in there. So if your looking for a good laugh from a movie than I would honestly recommend it.
Avoid it if you liked Jim Carrey as Ace Ventura
cdpaladinc02 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Saw this movie on TV yesterday, a couple days before it'll be released on DVD. From what I understand it was a straight to DVD release.
Basically it's another one of the many and probably more to come Jim Carrey-less Jim Carrey movie sequels.
This movie wouldn't of been bad if it was it's own title. Like 'Larry Wilkins, Animal Investigator!', but titling this Ace Ventura Jr is gonna bug any Ace Ventura fan. And like most of these movies coming out anymore, Jim Carrey isn't even in this movie. Ace Ventura isn't even in it played by a 3rd rate actor. Instead they fix that by having Ace killed off in a plane accident years before the movie takes place.
Now in this movie, you have Josh Flitter playing Ace Ventura Jr. He's a kid who likes helping animals, like Ace Ventura did. His mother gets onto him constantly through-out the movie for doing this, which she doesn't like and just wants him to be normal. Eventually a panda from the zoo as which his mom works, gets stolen, and his mom get's imprisoned, while Ace Jr tries to solve the mystery and the local authorities not believing anything he says because he's a kid.
Like I said earlier, this would of been an excellent movie for everyone if this wasn't part of the Ace Ventura franchise. Unfortunitly, it is. Through-out the movie, we get Ace Jr spewing forth the original Ace's common caught phrases like 'All Righty then!' all the times this is done, it seems extremely forced. The movie would of been better without any of this. Kid aren't gonna catch the references. Not to mention that anytime someone gets chased or caught by a security guard, they yell out 'DON'T TASE ME BRO!' Kid's won't understand the reference, but the adults who are angry that this movie is part of the Ace Ventura franchise will.
The acting is pretty good, but some of the props and such are terrible. Anyone can tell that the pandas in the movie are fake, especially when someone picks one up and easily carry them away. They look like something right out of a horror film, and could give kids nightmares. Then, in one scene, Laura goes into this lab to copy all the data off a scientist's hard drive, and the animals in the cages are all fake. Matter of fact, you can easily see that these animals are all stuffed and are right out of a hunter's trophy room.
Also the movie is extremely anti-climatic(major spoilers in this section). The movie probably contains only 30 minutes of the main plot. Any other time it's going on about a false lead or bullies at school. At the end you find out that the rich kid's father was behind the famous animal disappearances and the son was behind the student's. Doesn't even end in a semi-decent chase scene. Could of expected a horse chase or bike chase at the end for kids. All that happens is Ace Jr finds these shoes that prove the father is behind everything, Ace Jr calls the cops, cops don't believe him again, then he goes to the stables and frees all the animals, father's arrested, and Ace Jr chases the kid inside to find all the kid's animals and has to pull a koi fish out of an alligator's stomache.
Maybe someday Jim Carrey will make a real Ace Ventura 3, but until then, this isn't a substitute for adults. This is an good movie for kids, but for adults, avoid it cause it'll just make you angry. Maybe in the future they'll stop tacking movies like this onto well established titles (Son of the Mask for example...). This would of been an excellent movie for families if it would of been it's own thing and left the Ace Ventura catch phrases and entire concept out, but no.
4/10 -1 Anti-climatic ending -5 part of the Ace Ventura saga +4 good movie for kids.
Basically it's another one of the many and probably more to come Jim Carrey-less Jim Carrey movie sequels.
This movie wouldn't of been bad if it was it's own title. Like 'Larry Wilkins, Animal Investigator!', but titling this Ace Ventura Jr is gonna bug any Ace Ventura fan. And like most of these movies coming out anymore, Jim Carrey isn't even in this movie. Ace Ventura isn't even in it played by a 3rd rate actor. Instead they fix that by having Ace killed off in a plane accident years before the movie takes place.
Now in this movie, you have Josh Flitter playing Ace Ventura Jr. He's a kid who likes helping animals, like Ace Ventura did. His mother gets onto him constantly through-out the movie for doing this, which she doesn't like and just wants him to be normal. Eventually a panda from the zoo as which his mom works, gets stolen, and his mom get's imprisoned, while Ace Jr tries to solve the mystery and the local authorities not believing anything he says because he's a kid.
Like I said earlier, this would of been an excellent movie for everyone if this wasn't part of the Ace Ventura franchise. Unfortunitly, it is. Through-out the movie, we get Ace Jr spewing forth the original Ace's common caught phrases like 'All Righty then!' all the times this is done, it seems extremely forced. The movie would of been better without any of this. Kid aren't gonna catch the references. Not to mention that anytime someone gets chased or caught by a security guard, they yell out 'DON'T TASE ME BRO!' Kid's won't understand the reference, but the adults who are angry that this movie is part of the Ace Ventura franchise will.
The acting is pretty good, but some of the props and such are terrible. Anyone can tell that the pandas in the movie are fake, especially when someone picks one up and easily carry them away. They look like something right out of a horror film, and could give kids nightmares. Then, in one scene, Laura goes into this lab to copy all the data off a scientist's hard drive, and the animals in the cages are all fake. Matter of fact, you can easily see that these animals are all stuffed and are right out of a hunter's trophy room.
Also the movie is extremely anti-climatic(major spoilers in this section). The movie probably contains only 30 minutes of the main plot. Any other time it's going on about a false lead or bullies at school. At the end you find out that the rich kid's father was behind the famous animal disappearances and the son was behind the student's. Doesn't even end in a semi-decent chase scene. Could of expected a horse chase or bike chase at the end for kids. All that happens is Ace Jr finds these shoes that prove the father is behind everything, Ace Jr calls the cops, cops don't believe him again, then he goes to the stables and frees all the animals, father's arrested, and Ace Jr chases the kid inside to find all the kid's animals and has to pull a koi fish out of an alligator's stomache.
Maybe someday Jim Carrey will make a real Ace Ventura 3, but until then, this isn't a substitute for adults. This is an good movie for kids, but for adults, avoid it cause it'll just make you angry. Maybe in the future they'll stop tacking movies like this onto well established titles (Son of the Mask for example...). This would of been an excellent movie for families if it would of been it's own thing and left the Ace Ventura catch phrases and entire concept out, but no.
4/10 -1 Anti-climatic ending -5 part of the Ace Ventura saga +4 good movie for kids.
A title that could've been a good movie
fiazcomusic19 August 2022
The Ace Ventura Movies would've been great as a trilogy but nobody asked for this imitation of a Classic Comedy franchise.
The jokes don't work and the acting doesn't work either.
Unfortunately a big waste of time and money.
The jokes don't work and the acting doesn't work either.
Unfortunately a big waste of time and money.
Disgraceful
essendon-8492029 December 2018
Think you know how bad this is? Think again
Wizard-816 January 2010
All-righty then, first things first, I want to assure everyone who reads this user comment to know that I did NOT pay to see this movie. Not that I could have, anyway - not only did this sequel bypass theaters, NONE of the video stores in my city got the DVD! I saw it on free TV... not long after it was released on DVD, which should give you your first clue as to how truly bad this movie is.
Part of me feels I shouldn't blast child actors, seeing how inexperienced they often are, but THIS child performer just filled me with disgust. He's not very photogenic - he's kind of dumpy, for one thing. And he's very inconsistent with his performance - sometimes he's channelling Jim Carrey, sometimes he's not. He's not very convincing either way, whether he's spouting lines like, "This is certainly an ironic situation!" or trying to act more down to earth.
But there's a lot of blame to be placed on the writing and direction. There's fart humor and kicks to the crotch, but it's at its worst when trying to imitate Jim Carrey - which is most of the movie. The direction is frequently shoddy, probably due to the low budget. See if you can figure out the panda kidnap sequence, and check out one scene where it's raining in some shots, but NOT raining in other shots.
The lowest of the Ace Ventura movies - and I hated the first two movies.
Part of me feels I shouldn't blast child actors, seeing how inexperienced they often are, but THIS child performer just filled me with disgust. He's not very photogenic - he's kind of dumpy, for one thing. And he's very inconsistent with his performance - sometimes he's channelling Jim Carrey, sometimes he's not. He's not very convincing either way, whether he's spouting lines like, "This is certainly an ironic situation!" or trying to act more down to earth.
But there's a lot of blame to be placed on the writing and direction. There's fart humor and kicks to the crotch, but it's at its worst when trying to imitate Jim Carrey - which is most of the movie. The direction is frequently shoddy, probably due to the low budget. See if you can figure out the panda kidnap sequence, and check out one scene where it's raining in some shots, but NOT raining in other shots.
The lowest of the Ace Ventura movies - and I hated the first two movies.
Alllriiighty Then? Not Exactly...
smoothcriminal0119 February 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Before i get into judging the movie i think i should expand a little on the story.
So Ace Jr. lives with his mom (Melissa from 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) in Orlando, Florida. Melissa works in Gatorland Zoo where Ace Jr. helps out sometimes, often trying to find runaway critters, Ace begins acting more and more like his father, who, according to Melissa, went missing (SPOILERS AHEAD) on a case flying geese back to Miami but flew into the Bermuda triangle and was never to be seen again.
After Melissa is wrongly arrested for stealing a baby panda, Ace Jr's grandfather takes care of him while Melissa is on her way to jail. Grandpa tells Ace who he really is...a PET DETECTIVE! And this actually takes half the film for his to work it out... Of course it all ends happily ever after when Ace finds the real animal-napper.
Now, i am a huge Ace Ventura fan and when watching the movie i had to keep in mind that this is a kids flick. And being that, this movie squeezed everything it could possibly get out of the concept of a kid pet detective (which isn't a lot).
But the awful panda puppets and Ace Ventura impressions let it down a lot... why not just make an Ace Ventura 3 with Ace Ventura? Josh Flitter did do a decent job and his take on Ace wasn't exactly a copy of Jim Carrey (it was no where near in fact) but thats what he was going for i hear.
Overall, i can see why it didn't make it to theaters because it was poorly made, for $7,000,000 i could have made a better film but still it was a kids film and hardcore Ace fans will most likely not like this (if you didn't like Son of The Mask or Dumb and Dumberer the you wont), but i think this tops Son of The Mask by the slightest bit.
Personally, i think kids will love it but adults not so much especially Ace Ventura fans like me.
So Ace Jr. lives with his mom (Melissa from 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) in Orlando, Florida. Melissa works in Gatorland Zoo where Ace Jr. helps out sometimes, often trying to find runaway critters, Ace begins acting more and more like his father, who, according to Melissa, went missing (SPOILERS AHEAD) on a case flying geese back to Miami but flew into the Bermuda triangle and was never to be seen again.
After Melissa is wrongly arrested for stealing a baby panda, Ace Jr's grandfather takes care of him while Melissa is on her way to jail. Grandpa tells Ace who he really is...a PET DETECTIVE! And this actually takes half the film for his to work it out... Of course it all ends happily ever after when Ace finds the real animal-napper.
Now, i am a huge Ace Ventura fan and when watching the movie i had to keep in mind that this is a kids flick. And being that, this movie squeezed everything it could possibly get out of the concept of a kid pet detective (which isn't a lot).
But the awful panda puppets and Ace Ventura impressions let it down a lot... why not just make an Ace Ventura 3 with Ace Ventura? Josh Flitter did do a decent job and his take on Ace wasn't exactly a copy of Jim Carrey (it was no where near in fact) but thats what he was going for i hear.
Overall, i can see why it didn't make it to theaters because it was poorly made, for $7,000,000 i could have made a better film but still it was a kids film and hardcore Ace fans will most likely not like this (if you didn't like Son of The Mask or Dumb and Dumberer the you wont), but i think this tops Son of The Mask by the slightest bit.
Personally, i think kids will love it but adults not so much especially Ace Ventura fans like me.
It's not as bad as they say, but it's also far from being a good movie.
filipemanuelneto15 August 2023
There are characters that seem to stick to the skin of the actor who plays them, and that's what happened with Ace Ventura. He stuck with Jim Carrey. Conceiving a film with this character without the actor who brought him to life in two consecutive films would always be a bad idea, but that's precisely what they decided to do. And how did they do it? How did the studios get around the problem? Making a movie about Ace's son rather than the father, who is conveniently killed.
The film was the target of a veritable hate campaign. People who didn't like the Carrey movies obviously had nothing to like here, and people who liked those movies might have been disappointed by his absence. I'm not going to go into campaigns or vilify the film just because. I'm going to be honest and say what I think, no matter who it hurts (that's what I always do). And I think that the film is not as bad as they say it is, and it is frankly better than "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls", which was for me the worst film in this trilogy. It's not a good movie, but it's not a piece of garbage either.
The secret to trying to understand this film is to peacefully accept Carrey's absence and understand that this is not a dishonest job: it doesn't seem to me that the production has tried to take advantage of the success of previous films to make money off of it. The character Ace Jr. Is very similar to his father, but we also cannot assume that he will behave and act in the same way (even if this is rehearsed and the similarities are noticed). And the humor is much more familiar and friendly than before, with no embarrassing moments or situations for parents who decide to see this with their children, and that's always something I value in comedies of this type.
The film's problem turns out to be the script, very weak and incapable of detaching itself from what we've already seen in Carrey's films. Animals mysteriously disappear, stolen by malevolent minds, and Ventura will have to go find them and return them to their home. It would have been much better to have a film with something new, trying to think outside the box. Filmed in 2009, when there was already so much talk about endangered species, environmental problems and human damage to fauna, why weren't these hot topics used for a different script, more airy, different from what we've already seen?
Justin Flitter did a satisfying job in the lead role. The boy has charisma, he has sympathy, he manages to model the character, but he is obviously too young. His partner Emma Lockhart, who has stopped doing work as an actress, is limited to being a friendly face and a possible romantic partner. Ann Cusack can't do much, but she has the necessary presence, and Ralph Waite only appears because the script needed him in some very concrete moments.
The film was the target of a veritable hate campaign. People who didn't like the Carrey movies obviously had nothing to like here, and people who liked those movies might have been disappointed by his absence. I'm not going to go into campaigns or vilify the film just because. I'm going to be honest and say what I think, no matter who it hurts (that's what I always do). And I think that the film is not as bad as they say it is, and it is frankly better than "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls", which was for me the worst film in this trilogy. It's not a good movie, but it's not a piece of garbage either.
The secret to trying to understand this film is to peacefully accept Carrey's absence and understand that this is not a dishonest job: it doesn't seem to me that the production has tried to take advantage of the success of previous films to make money off of it. The character Ace Jr. Is very similar to his father, but we also cannot assume that he will behave and act in the same way (even if this is rehearsed and the similarities are noticed). And the humor is much more familiar and friendly than before, with no embarrassing moments or situations for parents who decide to see this with their children, and that's always something I value in comedies of this type.
The film's problem turns out to be the script, very weak and incapable of detaching itself from what we've already seen in Carrey's films. Animals mysteriously disappear, stolen by malevolent minds, and Ventura will have to go find them and return them to their home. It would have been much better to have a film with something new, trying to think outside the box. Filmed in 2009, when there was already so much talk about endangered species, environmental problems and human damage to fauna, why weren't these hot topics used for a different script, more airy, different from what we've already seen?
Justin Flitter did a satisfying job in the lead role. The boy has charisma, he has sympathy, he manages to model the character, but he is obviously too young. His partner Emma Lockhart, who has stopped doing work as an actress, is limited to being a friendly face and a possible romantic partner. Ann Cusack can't do much, but she has the necessary presence, and Ralph Waite only appears because the script needed him in some very concrete moments.
A good bad movie?
djelvis226 December 2010
I'm an MST3K fan, so my perspective might be a bit skewed. But you remember Eddie Murphy's stand-up routine about what his stand-up was like when he was a kid? Trying to be raunchy before he could say cuss words or talk about sex?
That's what "Ace Jr" felt like to me, like an unsophisticated Max Fischer stage play about his favorite Jim Carrey creation. It's a very derivative film that can't decide if it's for kids or not. The writing has the quality of a typical Disney channel sitcom, and brings back all the lines and bits from the original in the most awkward and cringe-inducing ways. I'm not sure if anyone that ends up liking "Ace Jr" would even like the original films; certainly, original fans would grit their teeth through a screening of this.
Nobody watches any "Ace Ventura" for the plot; these movies live and die by the lead. The kid playing "Ace Jr" reminded me more of Jack Black than Jim Carrey, better when he wasn't trying to do Ace Ventura imitations. There's a better movie in him somewhere...
In the "Ace" franchise, it's about as good as an average episode of that Saturday morning cartoon, but weak sauce compared to the Jim Carrey films. If you thought the Ernest films were funny, you'll probably enjoy this. Actually, if you thought Turkish Superman was funny, you might enjoy this, too...
That's what "Ace Jr" felt like to me, like an unsophisticated Max Fischer stage play about his favorite Jim Carrey creation. It's a very derivative film that can't decide if it's for kids or not. The writing has the quality of a typical Disney channel sitcom, and brings back all the lines and bits from the original in the most awkward and cringe-inducing ways. I'm not sure if anyone that ends up liking "Ace Jr" would even like the original films; certainly, original fans would grit their teeth through a screening of this.
Nobody watches any "Ace Ventura" for the plot; these movies live and die by the lead. The kid playing "Ace Jr" reminded me more of Jack Black than Jim Carrey, better when he wasn't trying to do Ace Ventura imitations. There's a better movie in him somewhere...
In the "Ace" franchise, it's about as good as an average episode of that Saturday morning cartoon, but weak sauce compared to the Jim Carrey films. If you thought the Ernest films were funny, you'll probably enjoy this. Actually, if you thought Turkish Superman was funny, you might enjoy this, too...
the originals were hardly "Citizen Kane" either...
kris_taylor814 January 2010
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this movie. OK? I watched it out of a morbid curiosity having noticed it in IMDb's bottom 100 list. I expected something as bad as "Son of the Mask" or even.... (Dear God, please no...) something as offensive in every way as "Cat in the Hat" (not a Carey movie, i know, but still an example of a badly misfiring KIDS FILM!), and what i got was a perfectly passable 90 minutes. The direction shows the occasional touch of style, there are actually some pretty neat gags (aswell as some poor ones, admittedly) and all involved give fine performances, with Josh Flitter giving a commendable performance as Ace JR. Im not saying the kids' Daniel Day-Lewis, but he throws himself into it, totally unselfconsciously (as the role demands) and, in my honest opinion, pulls it off.
I can only assume that all the sniffy reviews have come from people that treat the originals as if they're the first two Godfather films or something. I find it odd that people can be so precious over.... ANY film, really, but particularly Ace Ventura.
I gather this went pretty much straight to DVD and was being shown on the cartoon network within a few months of release. Thats pretty much where it belongs - its for KIDS! in the same way that the Ghostbusters cartoons were for kids.
I gave this movie '5' out of ten. I came in expecting an absolute atrocity, expecting (wanting) to witness a real car crash of a film and in that respect i was disappointed. "Dumb and Dumberer" or "Son Of Mask" this is not. And it certainly doesn't deserve a lower rating than Mike Myers "Cat in the Hat".
This is really no worse than "When Nature Calls". And it's primarily for Kids, id say 8-11. Bare this in mind.
I can only assume that all the sniffy reviews have come from people that treat the originals as if they're the first two Godfather films or something. I find it odd that people can be so precious over.... ANY film, really, but particularly Ace Ventura.
I gather this went pretty much straight to DVD and was being shown on the cartoon network within a few months of release. Thats pretty much where it belongs - its for KIDS! in the same way that the Ghostbusters cartoons were for kids.
I gave this movie '5' out of ten. I came in expecting an absolute atrocity, expecting (wanting) to witness a real car crash of a film and in that respect i was disappointed. "Dumb and Dumberer" or "Son Of Mask" this is not. And it certainly doesn't deserve a lower rating than Mike Myers "Cat in the Hat".
This is really no worse than "When Nature Calls". And it's primarily for Kids, id say 8-11. Bare this in mind.
If you loved the Ace movies, you will like the Junior version, too!
inkblot1118 March 2014
Tween Ace (Justin Flitter) loves animals as much as his now absent dad (Jim Carrey does not appear in the movie!). His mother (Ann Cusack) even took a job at the zoo, so her son could be near animals quite often. Unfortunately, though, she does NOT want Jr. Ace to become a pet detective, for she has seen how danger lurks even in such a mild-seeming endeavor. But, he can't resist! He keeps doing a bit of the stuff on the sly. One day, things start coming in fast and furious, First, many classmates are missing their pets, from koi fish to cats to you name it. Huh, what's afoot? Jr. Ace vows to find out. Then, the zoo's precious panda, Ting Tang, gets bear-napped and, unbelievably, officials blame Mrs. Ventura and throw her in jail! Wow-eeeee! There is no one to care for Ace but his long missing grandfather (Ralph Waite). He shows up with a trio of pets, one of which appears to be a comatose dog, and tells Ace about the family's long tradition of creature love. Why, didn't the clan have Charles Darwin Ventura and Jacques Cousteau Venture showing the way? Therefore, he encourages Jr. Ace to continue looking for the missing animals. But, gosh, there are few leads. Our Ace may need the help of a lovely female classmate and another science oriented student named A Plus. Could there be a trail of money to follow? You bet! This is really a cute new addition to a funny series, without objectionable material. No, Flitter really doesn't look or act much like Carrey, although he tries. But, he is funny in his own way and so are the rest of the cast. Sets, costumes, hairdos (there is the Ace pompadour, you know), script and direction are all working to make one great little watch. Ace your family's weekend by grabbing the junior version!
Seriously?
tiskec8 May 2019
This movie was soooo bad I thought I was going to have to stab myself in the eyeballs afterward? Who brainstormed this gem? First of all, what's Ace Ventura without Jim Carey? Apparently Ace died in this film and left behind a mildly obese child who dresses like him. It really started pissing me off when this old man started to use Jim Carey's lines in this almost annoying fashion. I can't begin to even begin to describe how bad this movie is. I rarely rate a movie 1\10, but this is just one of those movies.
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