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When he reprised his role as Ace Ventura, Jim Carrey was on the road to stardom thanks largely to Dumb and Dumber (1994) and The Mask (1994). Liar Liar (1997) and The Truman Show (1998) were two successful future turns which concreted his place as a future superstar and even Batman Forever (1995) played its part, at least commercially. Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls simply justifies what we already know: Jim Carrey is a funny guy who can make a buck or two at the box-office. Steve Oedekerk controls the bigger budgeted sequel, instead of Tom Shadyac, and the result is a more attractive film compared to its predecessor. We are not talking about a movie which has gone on to rewrite the annals of cinematic time, but for rubber-faced lunacy this is probably one of the best stabs at the genre.
Unsurprisingly the jokes are fired like bullets, some stick, some catchphrases are repeated ("Re-he-he-heeeeeeee-heeeaaaaaaaaalllllllllllly!") often, and some fall into obscure silence. However, for a plot involving our hero venturing into Africa to find a sacred bat called Shikaka to calm two Namibian tribes, director and star do a satisfactory job. Scenes containing a Cliffhanger (1993) parody, a rhino, a projector, outstanding Land Rover parking, and a slinky are just some of the rib-tickling highlights among the occasional misfires. The film just lacks a bout of needed freshness and fails to maintain your attention for multiple viewings, but for a quick dose of that unique Carrey medication this sequel is worth a look.
The extras
Zilch.
The summary
Nobody is quite like Jim Carrey and this is a fine example of how the wacky goon can carry a whole film with his unique, seemingly always improvisational ways. "Take care now, buh-bye then."
