There’s a lot about the life that Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey) lead that makes it seem like he had it made. Sure, he might have to duck his landlord when he’s late on the rent and he illegally hordes dozens of animals in his apartment, but he was a free spirit who made a living doing what he loved. Still, throughout Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, he’s constantly looked down upon as second-tier, like he’s nothing but a glorified dog catcher. It isn’t until Snowflake, the Miami Dolphins’ mascot, goes missing in the weeks before the Super Bowl that Ace gets a real chance to prove that he knows what he’s doing.
While his methods may have been unconventional and his personality a little off-putting, Ace still managed to show everyone that he’s a master of his craft. The next time you’re struggling to prove that you’re right, let these Ace Ventura lines help inspire you while you scrape to come out ahead.
“Well, a reward would be nice.”
You know, when you do something right, there’s absolutely no shame in expecting a little reward for it. If you start to worry that you’ll come off as a bit pushy, remember that when Ace found a woman’s beloved pet Shih Tzu, she asked if there was any way to repay him. While Ace responded confidently and decisively, it serves as a reminder that there’s never a bad time to ask for what’s coming to you.
“If I’m not back in five minutes… just wait longer.”
It’s hard enough to be around a bunch of new people that you’re trying to impress, but when those same people are already skeptical of you, the pressure can be unbearable. In that case, it’s more important that you do your job well than to do it quickly, and Ace knows that more than anyone. While he spends some time scouring the bottom of Snowflake’s water tank looking for clues, he makes it clear that he’ll be taking all the time he needs to make sure he’s going about everything the right way.
“That might not do any good. You see, nobody’s missing a porpoise. It’s a dolphin that’s been taken. The common harbor porpoise has an abrupt snout, pointed teeth, and a triangular thoracic fin. While the bottlenose dolphin, or Tursiops truncates, has an elongated beak, round cone shaped teeth, and a serrated dorsal appendage. But I’m sure you already knew that.”
They say that no one likes a know-it-all, but honestly, if you want people to give you the benefit of the doubt, you have to know what you’re talking about, and sticking to the facts is key. In this case, when Lt. Einhorn (Sean Young), who’s presiding over the case, makes a dismissive remark about the missing porpoise, Ace takes the chance to correct her on some fundamentals of marine biology. Like a highly targeted carpet-bombing campaign, he erases all doubt in his wake. You might wanna lay off the little zinger at the end, though, otherwise you’ll come off as too braggy.
“This is double-paned soundproof glass. There is no way that neighbor could’ve heard Roger Podacter scream on the way down with that door shut. The scream she heard came from inside the apartment before he was thrown over the balcony and the murderer closed the door before he left. Yes. Yes. Oh, yeah.”
When no one’s willing to take you seriously, you have to work twice as hard to prove your point. After the murder of a Miami Dolphins employee is ruled a suicide, Ace has a very different take on the matter. While anyone with a badge would’ve had their theory taken seriously without a second thought, Ace has to walk everyone through his detective work step-by-step, effectively giving verbal bullet points to the Miami PD. Ace, of course, ends up making his point, because there’s something to be said for a succinct sense of confidence that even the biggest naysayers can’t ignore.
“Fiction can be fun, but I find the reference section a little more enlightening.”
Often times it’s not enough to be a calm, confident voice of authority. Sometimes to really drive your point home you have to add a little style to go with it. Right as Ace is about to solve the case in front of Dan Marino and the entire Miami PD, Lt. Einhorn desperately tries to pull Ace into her web of lies involving the one and only Ray Finkle. Savoring the moment, Ace doesn’t just tell her she’s wrong, he goes out of his way to dress up the point with a little more dramatic flair.
Having style won’t necessarily help you to be more right, but it will make your point that much more memorable, and it could really boost your public image as a problem-solver.
“Unfortunately in every contest, there must be a loser. Loo-hoo-ser-her.”
It’s important to be a gracious winner (though Ace spends most of the movie demonstrating that he has some work to do on that), but sometimes, after being kicked around and looked down upon by everyone every single step of the way, you just can’t help yourself.
