Family movie nights have always had a slightly uneven energy. Someone chooses the film, someone else might question it, and by the time it starts, expectations are already all over the place. But that's also part of what makes those memories last forever. For Kurt and Wyatt Russell, a classic Jim Carrey movie still holds that sort of memory.
WATCH: Kurt Russell Shares An ADORABLE Ace Ventura Memory With Son Wyatt!
Speaking to JustWatch, while promoting the second season of the Apple TV series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Kurt Russell explained how he bonded with his son over 1995's Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. "I think we connected at a very early time in your life because we went to see Ace Ventura based on Wyatt's desire to see it," Russell said, during the sorry, not sorry portion of the interview.
"'Cause he had seen it. I think you had…" he continued, before his son corrected him, adding, "It was number two. Ace Ventura 2." Then his dad continued the story. "Goldie and I sat down next to Wyatt, and he had a very heavy lisp at that point. He said, 'Get ready for the funniest movie you've ever seen in your life.' And I was roaring from the get-go. I thought he was right."
Wyatt would have been nine or 10 years old at the time. So the fact that they both remember the moment so vividly says a lot about how special it was. No wonder Kurt Russell began the segment by saying, "I don't have to say sorry. My family defends… They get it." Because a family that watches movies together is the best kind, since it locks the whole experience in place.
Why 'Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls' Was So Divisive
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls has always been one of those comedies that people either immediately click with or quickly bounce off. It doesn't really exist in any sort of middle ground. Part of that comes down to how much it throws itself into Jim Carrey's very performance style, which in the '90s was very loud, extremely physical, and deliberately over-the-top.
Since Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls was the sequel to 1994's Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, the film pushed all of that even further. That totally works if you're already on board with that type of comedy, where a film becomes less about the plot and more about watching an actor at the peak of his popularity do his thing. Scenes like the rhino sequence are probably the clearest example of that.
For some people, it's exactly what makes the movie memorable. For others, it's where it starts to feel like too much. That's probably why the film only holds a 23% critic score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. There's also a slight shift in structure compared to Pet Detective. The first film had a clearer narrative thread. When Nature Calls moves more like a series of loosely connected sketches.
The Jim Carrey Effect (And Why Some Of His Films Haven't Aged Well)
Jim Carrey's comedies from the '90s tend to work in a very specific way. They're built around momentum, but not necessarily narrative momentum. It's more about how far a scene can be pushed. Films like The Mask (1994) or Liar Liar (1997) have the right balance. In both movies, Carey's character has a clear arc, and the exaggerated humor is anchored to something emotional or situational.
But in the Ace Ventura movies, the humor feels a bit more tied to the moment they were made in. That's usually where conversations around aging come in. Some of the jokes are based on shock value, so they tend to work better when you view them as a snapshot of a particular style of comedy. One that wasn't too concerned with subtlety and didn't really try to smooth out any of its rough edges.
Why To Watch 'Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls' (And What To Watch After)
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls is a really fun, chaotic comedy. (Because who doesn't want to watch a movie about a pet detective?) But if you go into it expecting a super meaningful plot, it's probably not going to work for you. Anyone who enjoys physical comedy that sometimes wanders into uncomfortable territory will love it.
If this is the first time Ace Ventura has crossed your screen, the next logical step is to watch Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, which is built around a missing dolphin case. It still has the same energy and performance style as the sequel, but it's a bit more contained. And somewhere between the two, you get a pretty clear sense of why Ace has stuck with so many people for so long.
