First, I must reiterate that this list does not make up what are the undeniable best 5 Jim Carrey movies. Instead, it is what
I personally believe are his best and/or my favorite. What I think are his best might not be what you think are his best, etc. I’ve had the idea for this article in my head for a few weeks now, and I’m finally getting around to it… So now that we have that out of the way, it is time to move on.
Carrey is a man of insane wackiness and intense drama. Like some comedians before him, his more dramatic roles are often better than his more comedic roles. Love him or hate him, he has made some truly memorable movies. This list is going to document what I believe to be his best 5 (in reverse order). So without further ado, here’s the list:
5. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
He talks out of his butt, he’s in love with animals, and he solves crimes. He’s Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Carrey’s breakout role as the incredibly hyper and hysterically insane Ace Ventura introduced the world to the character that is Jim Carrey. It was a role that established that it’s not really just the character, but the man behind the character that embodies the pure wackiness. The butt talking was just a side-effect.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is about, well, Ace Ventura (Carrey), who is a Pet Detective (imagine that). He goes to solve the case of a missing dolphin mascot of the Miami Dolphins (and eventually a missing Dan Marino), and it turns into a truly bizarre, yet hilarious mystery that leads him to a twisted conclusion (and a not very well received sequel).
Memorable Line: Alllllllrighty then!
4. Liar Liar.
Liar Liar is about Fletcher Reede (Carrey), a lawyer whose son, Max (Justin Cooper), sees as a perpetual liar. But when Fletcher’s wife, Audrey (Maura Tierney), thinks about leaving with her boyfriend Jerry (Cary Elwes), Fletcher knows he has to make everything okay between him and his son before it’s too late. Unfortunately, a few things get in the way. First, the divorce case of the year; second, the fact that his son’s birthday wish is that he, Fletcher, can’t tell a lie for 24 hours, which comes true.
This movie really shows us how necessary some lies can be, and how harmful some lies can be. It also shows us that if lawyers are good enough, they don’t have to lie! But at its heart, it’s a movie about a man and his son, and how the man will do anything to be with him. Looking through its hilarity, it has a touching story, and moral, at its core, which makes Liar Liar a pretty good movie throughout.
Memorable Line: The pen is blue. The pen is blue! The God-damn pen is blue!
3. The Mask.
As number three on the list, this movie acts as a basic median and transitory position between the previous two movies and the latter two movies. While it is not, by far, a drama, Carrey shows us two sides of his acting skill in this movie. Like the former two movies, he shows us his wackiness as the character of The Mask; however, like the following two movies, he shows us a more dramatic side as the painfully pathetic and down-on-his luck Stanley Ipkiss.
The Mask details the life of banker Stanley Ipkiss, a man who has horrible luck and loves old cartoons. His life is sad and boring and uneventful. That is, until he finds an ancient mask that, when he puts it on, brings out his inner cartoon wackiness and allows him to be everything he’s not. He woos local lounge singer Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz in her very first role) and fights crime. Unfortunately, he commits a few crimes along the way and catches the eye of local police, as well as mobster Dorian Tyrell (Peter Greene).
Between the lovable Stanley and the laugh-inducing Mask persona, Jim Carrey really shows both a dramatic and comedic side in one movie (after all, the movie is based on a much darker comic book). And who can hate the conga dance and song number in the middle of the road, or the swing number in the night club (apparently not Sam Raimi, who nearly mimicked the latter in SM3)? Classic.
Memorable Line: It’s party time! P-A-R-T…Y? Because I gotta!
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
This movie is heralded as what is possibly Jim Carrey’s finest performance, and I can’t disagree. However, this isn’t my number one favorite. His performance was stunning, and the movie itself was original and creative, but it still doesn’t beat my number one spot.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a mind-trip of a movie about Joel Barish (Carrey), a man who had recently broken up with Clementine (a terrific performance by Kate Winslet). Devastated, he finds out that she had procedure done which removed every memory of him out of her brain. To fight back, Joel does the same. However, midway through the procedure, which is being performed by Stan (Mark Ruffalo) and Patrick (Elijah Wood), Joel realizes he no longer wants to forget Clementine due to happy memories and tries to fight back by hiding in older memories where they can’t find either of them.
Again, this movie is incredibly creative and original, and Jim Carrey’s performance is stunning. I don’t see how he didn’t get an Oscar nod for the role (the only acting nod went to Kate Winslet). It’s a trip to watch, and, to me, it’s one of those movies that you have to be in the right mood to watch, which is why it didn’t make number one.
Memorable Line (One of my favorite movie lines ever, actually): Why do I fall in love with every woman I see who shows me the least bit of attention?
1. The Truman Show.
This is my favorite Jim Carrey movie of all time, and one of my favorite movies period (not top 5, but it’s high on my list). The premise is amazing and creative, and really goes into that social commentary of how far entertainment will go. The Truman Show is about Truman Burbank (Carrey), a man who has unknowingly been the star of his own reality show his entire life. Everything has been set up for him by the creator, Christof (Ed Harris), from his best friend Marlon (Noah Emmerich), to his wife Meryl (Laura Linney). But then, one day, when Truman sees his father, who is supposed to be dead, everything turns around, mistakes start occurring, and Truman begins to become paranoid, wondering what the heck is going on.
This is a great movie of paranoia, social commentary, and overall great acting (in more ways than one). I never get tired of watching this movie, and it has one of my favorite endings to a movie ever. Seriously, this movie had what is probably the perfect ending. Carrey’s performance was a decent balance between dramatic and funny, and his character’s dip into paranoia and strengthening goal of reaching Fiji is played masterfully. While Eternal Sunshine might be his greatest performance, The Truman Show is his greatest film.
Memorable Line: In case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.
Runner-Up:Dumb and Dumber.
