Don’t worry, this isn’t a first time watch post. I’ve seen it many many times. This and its sequel were constant rentals from Blockbuster. I was watching it last night, and I had a somewhat different experience that I thought would make a fun blog post.
I was gonna back up and talk about my experience watching this as a kid, but it turns out, I already did that. So I’ll just back up to two days ago (as of writing). I was watching a clip of Jim Carrey on Colbert, and he was revisiting some iconic lines of dialog. That and his other antics on the show got me feeling nostalgic for 90’s Jim. Again, this man’s movies were a big part of my childhood, and I can still quote entire scenes. I’d always preferred When Nature Calls, but I had put it on not too long ago, so I opted for Pet Detective as I went to sleep last night. And as previously stated, something was different this time.
Yes there was the dose of nostalgia that comes from watching this film in my 30’s that I didn’t have in my single digits. Carrey had also mentioned that he was in his 30’s during this era, so now I was viewing Ace as a peer and not this weird adult. But I was feeling this strange pull towards his character. Wait a second, am I crushing on Ace Ventura? What?! That strange guy that always made me laugh but seemed too over the top to be a real person? I’m attracted to him now? How did that happen? Surely, I’m just sleep deprived and delirious, no? I thought about it for a bit, and actually yeah he kinda fits my profile. Not just kinda, but more like fully embodies it.
I’ve figured out in recent years that what I want in a partner, what I’m most attracted to comes down to three basic traits: kindness, humor, and intelligence. Prolly in that order of important, but really at the most basic level someone needs to check all three boxes. Then of course there’s additional details like shared interests and maybe some superficial preferences. But if you’re not kind, funny, and smart, then sorry game over. Let’s see how Ace measures up.
Kindness. I think where I first started feeling my heart stirring was in seeing him interact with the dogs in the film. So much love, not unlike how I interact with every dog ever. Or with any animal (I say as one of my cats has been balanced on my leg rubbing up against the back of my arm as I’m trying to type). There’s a genuine empathy and kindness in his actions. He’s nice to humans too, but you don’t see it as much because they’re not often nice to him either. So he shakes it off and gives his attention to those who appreciate it. Still, if you watch closely, you see that Ace really does have a bigger heart than anyone gives him credit for.
Humor. I don’t think I need to justify this one at all. We love this movie because Ace is funny, and all these years later he and this film still make me laugh.
Intelligence. The scene that made me realize I was turned on by Ace’s smarts was when they’re investigating what they think is a suicide and he shows they’re actually investigating a murder. The attention to detail and the way he pieced together what he saw better than a room full of cops is, in a word, hot. Very hot. And that’s not the only time he flexes his brainpower in the film. I fell asleep before I got much further, but I’ve got something to look forward to watching tonight.
So yeah. I have a crush on Ace Ventura. Not even gonna try to hide it. Does anyone happen to have his number? Asking for a friend (and that friend is me)