A-List: Five Best Jim Carrey Movies
By J. Don Birnam
July 23, 2014
BoxOfficeProphets.com
But he did. In the same year as Pet Detective, Jim Carrey starred in The Mask, alongside Cameron Diaz as she exploded onto the scene, and the rest was history. Although he has faded of late, Carrey became box office gold for a good 10 years, at least for his comedies. And when he ventured into more serious roles he received critical acclaim and audience respect, though, notably and controversially, not from the Academy, which arguably begrudged him his ridiculous starting roles as they have done many stars from Richard Gere to Eddie Murphy.
Over the years, Carrey has starred in some of my favorite movies of all time, and at some point he was probably my favorite working actor in Hollywood. Indeed, I looked through my DVD collection and found no fewer than eight Carrey titles. Other than the Harry Potter kids, no one even came close. So I decided to take a look back at his filmography to see if I could narrow the list down to my top five favorites. And the rules for this one will be simple: if Jim Carrey is in the movie, then it counts. The challenge here really is in classifying how good a movie is: should one focus on Carrey’s performance alone, or on the movie as a whole? Meryl Streep movies are famous for being mediocre even when her performances are superb. Carrey’s filmography is not quite as dissonant, but the challenge remains nonetheless between appreciating the whole or the individual part.
As always, one can make light of some the not-so-great entries into the Hollywood vernacular of the type of movie one is analyzing. As good as some of Jim Carrey’s movies are, the ones that are bad stink, and are unwatchable. Thus, Dumb and Dumber, The Cable Guy, and Fun with Dick and Jane are painful experiences I don’t wish on anybody. His appearance as the Riddler in Batman Forever is also regrettable, although you can’t really blame him for the disarray in which the Batman franchise was at that point.
And, again as always, I should give a shout-out to some honorable mentions. We’ve discussed Ace Ventura and The Mask, both superb crass comedies that are audience pleasers if that’s your genre. Pet Detective even has somewhat of a plot, and the effects in Mask are amusing. Man on the Moon, where he plays Andy Kaufman, is also worthy of a mention. Carrey gives one of his best three performances by far here, although the movie is a bit too eccentric for my taste to reach the top five. But the movie I struggled to keep out the most and that deserves mention is Liar, Liar. On any other day, this may have landed as my favorite Jim Carrey movie. It represents the one where he began the transition from all comedy into a bit more serious fare, features a delightful Jennifer Tilly, and a good courtroom drama twist before Legally Blond came along with a similar idea.
Alas, I went elsewhere for my favorite five. I was surprised to find that there is an even mix here between comedy and serious flicks, a testament to Carrey’s versatility and range.
5. I Love You Phillip Morris
Perhaps the least known of the movies I mention in this column, I Love You Phillip Morris tells the true story of con artist and impostor Steven Jay Russell, and the lengths he went to in order to be with a former fellow inmate, Phillip Morris, with whom he had fallen in love. The plot sounds serious, but in typical Carrey fashion it is as much slapstick and nuanced comedy as it is drama.
Indeed, Phillip Morris is a romantic comedy, and Carrey delivers the comedic lines of the film with the impeccable timing that has always characterized him. The film shows his range not only for playing a gay character, but also for playing loon with a reason to be crazy: love (as opposed to just a loon for the sake of it as in other of his movies).
Life-based dramedies are never easy to deliver on, but Carrey’s performance makes it seem easy in this case. The other elements of the movie, admittedly, fall a bit more flat, which makes this movie overall just good instead of great - but Carrey’s performance is memorable nonetheless.
4. Bruce Almighty.
Of the straight-up comedies in Carrey’s filmography, I think Bruce Almighty is arguably one of the best. Carrey plays Bruce who, as you likely know, curses God after a series of unlucky turns, and mocks him for the way he’s doing his job. A despondent God, played by (who else) Morgan Freeman, appears and makes him God temporarily, to show him a lesson. Hilarity, of course, ensues.
As one would expect, Carrey’s comedic timing is also impeccable here. But the comedy in the movie is significantly less crass (except for a few potty scenes involving Jennifer Aniston) than some of Carrey’s earlier films, and also pointedly more nuanced. The movie has a point to get across, both about power and wisdom, and about how one leads one’s life in the face of adversity - more precisely, how difficulties can be trivial if seen from a different life. The lessons to be learned may sound somewhat trite and out of place in a Jim Carrey movie, but they are delivered with sufficient subtly and quietness as to be welcome sweet reminders of our relationships with others, and not an out-of-place message that falls flat in the face of the comedic center of the story.
Bruce is perhaps one of Carrey’s more mature comedy roles, and stands the test of time as a movie one can easily rewatch and enjoy for its simple but deep heart.
3. The Majestic
I suspect this choice will raise the most eyebrows, as The Majestic - Carrey’s first true serious role - was a flop and received mostly mixed or negative critical reviews. To me, however, whatever infirmities one might point out to in the plot of the movie (they are more clichés than plot problems), none have to do with Carrey’s performance (which is, after all, what we are talking about here).
Indeed, this movie is significant to me as a Carrey fan because, as mentioned, it represents his first serious role, and I think he delivers. The story centers on a Hollywood writer who is shunned after he is suspected of having ties to communism. After losing his memory in a car accident, he begins a new life in a small community that mistakes him for a beloved lost World War II hero. The setup for heartbreak and disillusionment is clear, and the expected redemption does not fail to deliver. The whole set up sounds, admittedly, over the top.
But, despite these simple while overused plot devices, The Majestic has a lot to offer. For one, it is a Frank Darabont vehicle, and it basks in the usual visual aesthetics you have come to expect from his movies. And if one allows oneself to be immersed in the nostalgic feelings of the piece, a subtle narrative about postwar America and the loss and rebirth of hope emerge. In the middle of it, Carrey delivers a multifaceted performance as his character moves in and out of different stages of memory loss and composure, that feels as real as the story becomes.
One of his most underrated movies, I strongly recommend revisiting The Majestic as the turning point in Jim Carrey’s career. And perhaps I’m just a sucker for this kind of period piece, interpersonal relationship life epic drama with all its faux and expected tear-jerk crescendos.
2. The Truman Show
It was very difficult not to place what is likely my favorite Jim Carrey movie of all time in the number one spot. This Peter Weir drama/comedy about reality TV and its excesses, before reality TV took off into what it is today, tells the story of a boy purchased by a TV network to become a non-stop reality TV sensation inside a life-sized movie studio in California.
It may have helped that when I first saw the movie I had no idea what it was about, so I was astonished as the true reality of Truman’s life is slowly and subtly revealed, and then permanently hooked onto the film. It might have also helped that I was a self-centered teenager when I saw the movie, and truly believed that the Truman Show was about my life. But I’ve seen The Truman Show countless times since then and it holds up well even when you know what the story is about and when one no longer sees oneself reflected in the persona of the character.
Carrey is underpinned by strong atmospheric elements - Weir’s direction, Laura Linney’s and Ed Harris’s superb performances, a precise and novel soundtrack, and a singularly original and amusing story. But at the heart of it all, once more, lies Carrey’s delivery. He plays the innocent victim/goof of the plot exquisitely. He plays a grown man whose circumstances (i.e., being sheltered in the show) have made him boyish, even impish. But these circumstances have also led him to have emotional traumas, hidden and repressed memories, but, above all, unstoppable aspirations and curiosities.
Carrey is masterful and exquisite in conveying with his signature facial expressions the several layers of this character’s persona - a sweet, simpleton at first glance, but a much more observing and emotionally mature individual than one would expect. Like Carrey as an actor himself, Truman evolves before our very eyes into a stunning, heart-pounding denouement that says as much about the individual human life/condition as it does about our relationship with reality entertainment, drama, comedy, and life. Nor had Carrey ever looked more frightened while hopeful, afraid while expectant, than as Truman. Well, not until the next role on the list…
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is unarguably the best movie Jim Carrey has ever been in. Again, it was a struggle. The Truman Show has a lot of great elements but Carrey overshadows them. By contrast, Carrey shines unarguably in Eternal Sunshine, but the great elements of the movie are all up to his par and then some. The award winning Charlie Kaufman screenplay, the magnificent performances by Kate Winslet but also Tom Wilkinson, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst (believe it or not) and Elijah Wood all stand out. The music, the cinematography, and the effects, all combine to make this a beautiful, heart-wrenching, and deeply moving film. Perhaps the only true film about love every written.
But let’s not discount Carrey’s flawless portrayal of a tormented lover seeking answers, seeking redemption, and seeking hope now that his love has forgotten him. As much as he can deliver the comedic pain from a kick in the nuts, Carrey’s delivery of emotional and love-related pain was tantalizing and touching. This is, to me, the best performance of his career.
Of all the films I have analyzed, this one is peculiar for me. I have seen it only a single time - when it was released in movie theaters in 2004. The story was powerful yet somewhat scarring, and the emotions it evoked too complicated and at times sentimentally unpleasant to be experienced lightly. It is a movie that stays with you.
Unsurprisingly, other than the Best Screenplay win, this movie was mostly shunned by the Academy. The complexities in the plot, the lack of true redemption, and the sobering nature of the story all present fatal characteristics for the (sorry) simpleton members.
And, of course, this was another instance where Carrey was simply not taken seriously as an actor by his peers - no one can forgive him, it seems, his potty scenes in Ace Ventura, or its sequel (I guess being birthed by a rhinoceros is pretty unforgivable).
But I can. If all of the previous roles I have listed here do not convince you that Carrey is a versatile actor worthy of attention, then perhaps Eternal Sunshine will do the trick. If it did not, then you will be missing out on an endlessly entertaining and surprisingly complex body of work in film.