You love me.
You really love me.
This was Jim Carrey's The Mask.
Why aren't you screwing with my mind?
Maybe I am just going crazy.
Maybe I am just going--
[SCREAMING]
And this is the pseudo-sequel completed without Carrey, Son
of the Mask.
Excuse me, gentlemen, pet detective.
This was the 1994 film Ace Ventura Pet Detective.
Who are you?
Ace Ventura Darryl Woods Junior Esquire.
I represent the defendant.
And this was the 2009 atrocity Ace Ventura Junior.
We could go on, but we'll refrain.
In this modern age of cinema, where
the idea of the movie star has largely
gone the way of the dodo, it's easy to forget the importance
of star power at the center of a film that can often
take a mediocre work on paper and elevate it to greatness.
Perhaps no career embodies that power more than Jim Carrey.
Carrey's movie career built franchises
through his anarchic comedic persona.
But when studios tried to revisit his iconic films
without him, his absence would sink the project,
proving him to be completely irreplaceable.
It is good to see what someone with real talent
can do when great opportunities are
given to them instead of me.
Jim Carrey's career began during the stand up comedy explosion
of the late 70's through the 80's.
He worked his way through stand up clubs,
honing his act which contained numerous impressions of pop
culture figures.
His work gained the attention of the legendary Rodney
Dangerfield, who often had Carrey perform as his opening
act.
Carrey's career would enter its next major phase
when he booked a regular cast member role on the hit sketch
comedy series In Living Color.
And this show would become the launching pad
for the most important year of Carrey's career.
In February of 1994, Jim Carrey appeared in his first starring
role Ace Ventura Pet Detective.
With Carrey's star power completely unproven,
the expectations for the film's box office earnings
were extremely low.
This made it all the more shocking
when the movie raked in a whopping $107.2 million
on only a $15 million budget.
You've done some fine detective work, Ace.
Could you speak into my good ear?
I thought I heard you call me Ace.
In July of that same year, The Mask debuted.
And buoyed by the popularity of Ace Ventura,
the film raked in $350 million worldwide.
For perspective, this made The Mask
the second most financially successful comic book movie
of all time, just behind Tim Burton's Batman.
Those back to back successes would
be enough to launch any actor to the Hollywood stardom
stratosphere.
Somebody stop me.
But the run didn't end there.
In December, Carrey closed the year out
with one final mega-hit, Dumb and Dumber,
grossing $247 million worldwide.
Just when I think you couldn't possibly be any dumber,
you totally redeem yourself.
With all these massive hits to his name,
it's obvious that Hollywood would demand equals
to these proven beloved classics.
However, Carrey has largely avoided them
for most of his career.
Currently he has only appeared in four sequels.
The reason for that lies in part with the production
of Ace Ventura 2.
The sequel was rushed into production at the same time
that Carrey was experiencing his meteoric rise to stardom.
With the pressures to meet high expectations, as well
as numerous behind the scenes disagreements,
and production issues, the experience
seemed to sour Carrey's entire perspective
on any future potential equals.
On the topic, Carrey is quoted as saying,
"I find equals are a function of commerce for the most part,
at least the two I've done.
They were characters I enjoyed doing,
but I did find myself almost parodying myself
at that point."
For Carrey, his success meant equals were never
really a necessity.
And he understandably felt that many of them
were an inevitable case of diminishing returns
from the success of the original films.
I'm not a crazy sequel guy.
There have been four attempts to revitalize a Jim Carrey comedy
without Carrey's involvement.
The first was 2003's is Dumb and Dumberer when
Harry Met Lloyd, a prequel to the original Dumb
and Dumber that shares the Origin of Harry and Lloyd's
friendship.
Stepping into Carrey's shoes as Lloyd Christmas
is Eric Christian Olsen, who has the unenviable task
of trying to match Carrey's comedic energy.
Besides having a plain unfunny script,
the entire movie feels like a bunch
of kids doing a series of impressions
of their favorite movie rather than a genuine performance.
It's a role that truly sets up any actor for failure
because anyone can make an impression.
But Carrey's ability to surprise and entertain
is truly impossible to replicate.
Did you at least enjoy yourself?
No, it was a complete waste of time.
Fortunately, one lesson was learned from this failure.
Don't expect anyone to play one of Carrey's iconic characters.
The future Carrey sequel attempts
did not bother to ask anyone to attempt to be Jim Carrey,
but they still expected them to carry
on films that he made iconic, inevitably
inviting comparisons.
In the films Ace Ventura Jr. And Son of the Mask,
both make the material much more family friendly
and in the process provide a watered down version of what
was once a potent comedic brew.
While there are certainly aspects of those original films
that should be left in the past, these two films
don't come anywhere near achieving
the comedic heights as the original by being for kids.
This is the crappiest piece of crap in Crap Town.
Even attempting to replace Jim Carrey
with another beloved comedy icon in the film
Evan Almighty proved to be an exercise in futility.
While Steve Carell is certainly a beloved comedic actor,
he doesn't have the same megawatt star power
that Carrey had at his peak.
Giving him a script that is more family friendly,
once again took away what little comedic edge there
was from the original film.
Beyond their creative failures, all of these failed follow ups
had paltry financial earnings, especially compared
to the box office juggernauts of Carrey's 1994 run.
That's just cruel.
Do you see him?
I don't see him.
All of this proves that the true IP power of these films
was never the ideas or the characters.
It was Carrey all along.
Even Jim Carrey himself ultimately could not fully
replicate his own success.
2014's Dumb and Dumber To was nowhere near the hit
the original film was.
The movie reunites both Carrey and co-star Jeff Daniels
as well as the original writers and directors, The Farrelly
Brothers.
But the comedic style that was once so shocking and unexpected
to audiences had become stale.
The film feels like a once great band struggling
to perform their greatest hits.
As Carrey himself predicted, these actors
were unable to recapture the magic that
made the original film great.
Audiences had changed and evolved.
But the comedy of Dumb and Dumber To stayed the same.
It wouldn't have been funny if I stopped too soon.
Comedy is all about timing here.
Nowadays Carrey, like most film actors,
balances a variety of projects from indie films
to prestige auteur television to mega franchise blockbusters
but does not diminish the fact that his name still
holds value.
And any attempt to revive the brands he built
won't be as successful without his name attached.
Even when he is part of a franchise,
like his role as Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog,
the appeal of him returning to an over the top comedic role
has doubtless been a factor in the success
of both Sonic films.
The reality is I surpassed everything
you're ever going to do.
Although the world of film has changed,
nothing can change the power of Carrey's film persona.
The films needed him more than he needed the films.
And that more than anything is the true sign of a movie star.
What do you think?
Is the death of the movie star greatly exaggerated?
Or is Carrey one of the last of a dying breed of actor?
Let us know what you think.
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