Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls - 1/2*

Low brow misfired attempt at duplicating the humor of the original, only succeds in mocking itself. Jim Carrey plays the title character, a pet detective and lover of all animals. After a disastrous, Cliffhangeresque raccoon rescue attempt, Ace Ventura has retired to a Buddhist retreat. However, a new case soon beckons, and Ace heads to Africa. For the second movie in a row, Jim Carrey is in pursuit of a bat. This time, he seeks Shakaka, the prized albino bat worshipped by an African tribe. It has been stolen, and its disappearance will lead to tribal war. Unlike the original movie, this sequel doesn’t even try to hold up the facade of a plot or a mystery. Rather, it presents a meaningless shuffle of scenes and predicaments for Carrey to show off his schtick. Lest fans worry, Ace mutters all his catch phrases from the first flick, as well as multiple references to various bodily fluids and orifices (more so than the original…perhaps because this time they decided to leave out the jokes). As far as the supporting cast goes, most are unrecognizable and forgetable. Perhaps the movie would have been better if Jim had a foil as servicable as Courteney Cox, Sean Young, or heck, even Tone Loc. As it is, Jim Carrey stands (or squats) alone…and the humor is lost somewhere in the wilderness of Africa.

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