Ace Ventura’s 15 Most Hilarious Quotes

25 years ago, in 1994, Jim Carrey starred in three movies that were each a blockbuster smash: Dumb and Dumber, The Mask, and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. The unprecedented box office success of Sonic the Hedgehog and its sequel proved that Jim Carrey — who played the villainous Dr. Eggman — is still a major draw for moviegoers. Carrey famously hates doing sequels to his movies, since he doesn’t like to play the same character twice, but he returned to the role of Ace for good reason. As these Ace Ventura quotes reveal, the titular pet detective remains arguably the most perfect character for Jim Carrey’s particular comedic style.

In fact, Carrey co-wrote the script for Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, which isn’t surprising considering his background as a successful stand-up comic from the infamous Comedy Store in L.A. Together, Pet Detective director Tom Shadyac, screenwriter Jack Bernstein, When Nature Calls writer and director Steve Oedekerk, and Jim Carrey immortalized a number of Ace Ventura quotes that remain burned into viewers’ minds. Notably, nearly 20 years after the sequel was released, Ace Ventura 3 rumors persist and refuse to die, and much of this is due to these memorable Ace Ventura quotes.

15 “Do Not Go In There!”

Ace Venture in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

This is one of Ace Ventura’s most quotable one-liners, but it doesn’t make sense on its own. Like many Ace Ventura quotes, context is needed to understand why it’s so memorable. Ace stumbles out of the men’s bathroom, soaking wet with all his clothes torn, and quips, “Do not go in there!” Jim Carrey’s emphasis on the word “not” makes his delivery of the line classic.

14 “Lovely Party. Pity I Wasn’t Invited.”

Ace Venture in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Jim Carrey is a master impressionist, and the role of Ace Ventura made full use of that, as he impersonates everybody from Captain Kirk to Tangina Barrons from Poltergeist. He also does a spot-on impression of Sean Connery, the first actor to play James Bond on the big screen in the Eon series, when he says, “Lovely party. Pity I wasn’t invited.” This is one of those Ace Ventura quotes that echo Jim Carrey’s time as a stand-up comic at L.A.’s Comedy Store.

13 “Hi, I’m Looking For Ray Finkle… And A Clean Pair Of Shorts.”

Ace Venture in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Since it has a pause in the middle, this is one of the lines that gave Jim Carrey a chance to show off his pitch-perfect comic timing. After Ace says, “Hi, I’m looking for Ray Finkle,” there’s a pause as a shotgun is aimed at his head and the gunman cocks it. Then, with masterful timing, Ace adds, “…and a clean pair of shorts.”

12 “Yes, Satan? Oh, I’m Sorry, Sir. You Sounded Like Someone Else.”

Ace Venture in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

When Mr. Shickadance approaches Ace from behind and says, “Ventura,” without turning around, Ace says, “Yes, Satan?” And then, when he turns around and sees that Mr. Shickadance is standing behind him, he says, “Oh, I’m sorry, sir. You sounded like someone else.” The thing that makes Ace Ventura such a great comedy character is that he treats everything like a joke. It drives the people around him mad, like Mr. Shickadance, but the audience laps it up.

11 “That’s None Of Your Damn Business And I’ll Thank You To Stay Out Of My Personal Affairs.”

Ace Venture in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

In the first Ace Ventura movie, Dan Marino plays himself as a supporting character. Athletes and acting don’t always work well together, as acting is a totally different skill set, but Marino did a fine job of delivering his lines and made for a great comic foil for Ace. At one point, Marino asks the pet detective, “You got any more of that gum?” Ace snaps, “That’s none of your damn business and I’ll thank you to stay out of my personal affairs,” and Marino quips back, “You’re a weird guy, Ace. A weird guy.”

10 “If I’m Not Back In Five Minutes, Just Wait Longer.”

Ace Venture in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Out of all the other memorable Ace Ventura quotes, this one most reflects Jim Carrey’s attitude while making Pet Detective. Discussing the first Ace Ventura movie, Carrey said in a 1994 LA Timesinterview “I knew this movie was going to either be something that people really went for, or it was going to ruin me completely.” In the end, while its critical response wasn’t great, it not only became one of the biggest ’90s comedies but even retains a cult following to this day. And it’s the movie that turned Carrey from “the white guy on In Living Color” to the biggest movie star in the world, a transformation that happened pretty much overnight.

9 “Lew-Who, Za-Her!”

Ace Venture in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Jim Carrey often takes a word that audiences have heard a million times before and says it in a new and unique way for laughs, such as his use of the word “loser” in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. He announces, “That was close one, ladies and gentlemen. Of course, in every contest, there must be a loser. Lew-Who, Za-Her!” It’s fair to say that this whole line – and the scene, actually – wouldn’t be anywhere near as memorable if he didn’t end it by saying, “Lew-Who, Za-Her!” This isn’t just one of the most memorable Ace Ventura quotes; it’s one of the most memorable Jim Carrey quotes period.

8 “Guano. Sounds So Familiar.”

Ace Venture in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

As Ace licks what he thinks is “fruit paste” out the bottom of a piece of pottery in the jungle, Ouda tells him, “It’s made from guano.” Intrigued by this, Ace says, “Guano. Sounds so familiar.” And then Fulton Greenwall explains that guano is made from “bat droppings.” It wasn’t a “fruit paste,” or even food, after all. As Greenwall explains further, “Guano is their chief resource — they use it to make many things in the village.” To save face as he spits the paste out onto the ground and scrapes what remains from his tongue, Ace simply says, “Yummy!”

7 “Be Careful With That Phone, Lieutenant. In Time, You Could Develop A Tumor.”

Ace Venture in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

In many ways, Ace Ventura is a pitch-perfect parody of characters from ‘80s action shows like Magnum P.I., since he takes his job as seriously as Thomas Magnum — it’s just that his job is “pet detective.” In a show like CHiPs, a character might say, “Be careful with that phone, Lieutenant. One bad call and you’ll blow our whole investigation!” Jim Carrey as Ace Ventura, with the exact same degree of deadpan, says, “Be careful with that phone, Lieutenant. In time, you could develop a tumor.” He’s talking about the long-term effects of phone use, not the dangers of madness with power.

6 “Pleasure To Meet You, Mr. Camp, And Congratulations On All Your Success. You Smell Terrific.”

Ace Venture in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

When Ace introduces himself to Ronald Camp, he adopts the undercover persona of a lawyer named Tom Ace. He shakes Camp’s hand and says, “Tom Ace. Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Camp, and congratulations on all your success. You smell terrific. I was just telling Melissa that one of the first things we learned back at Stanford Law was the modern proliferation of food poisoning claims against wealthy private homeowners. In fact, if one were so inclined, one could make quite a lucrative law practice with little else. How is everyone feeling tonight?”, delivering the line like a more outlandish Axel Foley.

5 “Excuse Me! I’d like To Ass You A Few Questions!”

Ace Venture in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Jim Carrey is a master of physical comedy. There have been countless occasions where his affinity for the classic slapstick stars of the silent era have led to a blending of old and new comedy stylings. Almost nowhere else does he display his penchant for the method as well as in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective — specifically when he turns around and pretends to talk out of his butt. He says, “Excuse me! I’d like to ass you a few questions!” Ace is working a case, because he’s a detective, but he’s a fun detective. It’s a really juvenile, immature, childish gag, but thanks to Carrey’s commitment to pulling it off, it works somehow.

4 “I Came To Confess. I Was The Second Gunman On The Grassy Knoll.”

Ace Venture in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Understanding this joke requires a little background knowledge. Viewers need to know what Ace is referring to when he claims to be “the second gunman on the grassy knoll.” There’s a popular theory about the Kennedy assassination that the bullet couldn’t have come from the Book Depository window from which Lee Harvey Oswald supposedly shot the President. Instead, there had to have been a second shooter on the grassy knoll across the road. One of the darker Ace Ventura quotes, this works for its sheer absurdity and how it references an event that’s well-remembered in America’s collective memory.

3 “Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, And You Must Be The Monopoly Guy.”

Ace Ventura in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

At a fancy party, Ace spots a woman wearing fur and tells her, “That’s quite a wrap you’re wearing! Perhaps I could get you some fluffy new slippers made from the heads of innocent and defenseless baby seals!” Offended, the short bald man with a huge mustache accompanying the woman asks Ace who he is, and he responds, “Ace Ventura, pet detective, and you must be the Monopoly guy!” The woman dismisses Ace as just another activist, saying that “there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the fruits of nature – you should try it sometime.” Ace then utters his catchphrase, “Alrighty then!,” punches the Monopoly Guy unconscious, wears him like a fur coat, and struts around the room.

2 “Okay, I Threw It In A Cave! What Do You Want From Me? What Are You, Mr. Perfect!?”

Ace Venture in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

In the sequel, a monk asks Ace, “What answer do you seek?” Ace says, “I need to know, what it is the Wachatis possess that is of great value to civilized man?” The monk replies, “The medallion will lead you to the answer. You do still have the medallion, don’t you?” And then Ace remembers that he tossed the medallion some time ago. Ace says, “Medallion? Why, surely. I left it back, uhh, with my body.” The monk says, “Your aura is weakening,” and then Ace comes clean: “Okay, I threw it in a cave! What do you want from me? What are you, Mr. Perfect!?”

1 “Alrighty Then!”

Ace Venture in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

This is Ace Ventura’s catchphrase. On paper, it doesn’t seem like much of a catchphrase, because in and of itself, it’s not particularly funny. However, it’s the way that Jim Carrey delivers it every time that makes it funny. What makes this repeated line work well as a catchphrase is that, out of all the best Ace Ventura quotes, it’s the one that can be used in any situation. Whenever the writers — including Carrey — were stumped at any point in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective or When Nature Calls, Ace Ventura can just say, “Alrighty then!” and lead them into the next scene.