Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, but the film itself hasn't aged well when it comes to certain social issues. While Carrey might be better known today for his outspoken political opinions and ion for painting, there was a time when he was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. That's not to say he still doesn't command attention today, but Carrey simply doesn't choose to act nearly as much as he used to.
In 1994 though, after becoming well-known thanks to a long stint on Dumb and Dumber, another huge success.
Now, over a quarter-century later, Ace Ventura still remains a favorite of many, and some of its gags definitely do hold up, provided one enjoys lowbrow humor. However, a few plot points really stick out like a sore thumb when viewed through a 2020 lens.
Why Ace Ventura Hasn't Aged Well
The most notable aspect of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective that seems cringe-worthy in 2020 is the reveal that police lieutenant Lois Einhorn (Sean Young) in fact used to be known as disgraced Miami Dolphins football player Ray Finkle. This reveal comes after Ace and Einhorn shared a kiss earlier in the film, and Ace's horrified and disgusted reaction to having done so now comes off as both homophobic and transphobic. This reaction is extended to other of the police force who have seemingly also had some kind of romantic encounter with Einhorn, once they find out. To be fair, the circumstances here are far from normal, as Einhorn was an identity Finkle had stolen from a missing hiker. Still, Einhorn had long since transitioned, and the anti-trans overtones are pretty gross in retrospect, as is the fact that Einhorn is yet another psychopathic trans villain to appear in a film.
There's even more homophobia exhibited elsewhere in the film, when after Ace scopes out the 1984 AFC Championship ring on a man's finger while next to him at a urinal, the football player then smiles at Ace and awkwardly prances after him. He's clearly supposed to be a gay man looking for a hookup, and Ace is again obviously horrified by the prospect, even though he was the one who appeared to be getting a close look at the other man's genitals. Do these homophobic and transphobic moments mean Ace Ventura: Pet Detective deserves to be shunned and never watched again? Of course not. Such jokes were quite common at the time, and it's not fair to expect a film from decades ago to have the same social values as the time one currently lives in. That said, it's perfectly understandable to now find these scenes uncomfortable and off-putting.
