Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)

Preceded by: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	PERFORMER	RATING
Ace Ventura	Jim Carrey
Fulton Greenwall	Ian McNeice
Vincent Cadby	Simon Callow	½
Ouda	Maynard Eziashi
Barton Quinn	Bob Gunton	-
Wachati Princess	Sophie Okonedo	-

Review

James G. Robinson and Morgan Creek were quick to capitalize on the enormous success of Ace Venture: Pet Detective and Jim Carrey's newfound worldwide fame, and the result was this uneven but occasionally hilarious sequel. There's not much inventive about the formula, however; the dramaturgy is almost an exact copy of the original, something which suggests either laziness or solely monetary motivations. But after a somewhat strained opening in which a few too many of Ventura's mannerisms and catchphrases from Pet Detective are simply piled on and amplified (for instance "Like a glove" and the preceding action), making the character seem less spontaneous this time around, Jim Carrey eventually gets into the groove and delivers some uproarious physical comedy and fresh ideas. There's a brilliant segment from a dinner party at the consul Cadby's residence in which a snooty fur lover is humiliated, and Ventura is still at his best when mocking upper-class arrogance or lower-class ignorance. When Nature Calls lacks the absurdly inventive twists and turns of the original – instead you'll have to put up with a fair share of mucus and toilet humour – but the reward is of course another rendezvous with perhaps the greatest screen comedian since the days of Chaplin and Keaton.