It’s Jim Carrey‘s birthday! To mark the occasion, here are five performances from the acclaimed comedic and dramatic actor. Check some of these out, and give the man an Oscar already!
The Truman Show (1998)
Quite possibly my favorite Carrey role. He should have won the Oscar for Best Actor that year (heck, he should have been nominated, too!). He is just so damn good as Truman. It’s a compelling drama that is perhaps more relevant today than it was twenty years ago. What if the world you grew up in was actually a carefully constructed TV reality? How would you react when you began to realize something was off? It is a brilliant idea, and, while I’m usually against remaking perfect films, I would love to see a modern take on The Truman Show that deals with similar themes and how Truman reacts to the real world once escaping “his world”.
Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
It is weird to think of Jim Carrey as anything but a ’90s comedic star. I mean, if someone asked you what the word Jim Carrey makes you think of, 9 out of 10 people would probably list one of his three box office hits from 1994. So to see Carrey doing his usual shtick back in 1986 was delightful. I’m shocked some studio executive never saw the potential in Carrey during filming and gave him his own movie. It’s only a minor role, but Carrey owns every scene he is in.
Dumb and Dumber (1994)
Has the “road trip movie” ever been any dumber? I am of course kidding because nothing about Dumb and Dumber is dumb beyond the two main characters’ IQ. This movie is firing on all comedic cylinders and it is no wonder Jim Carrey became a star of the 1990s. His comedic timing with Jeff Daniels as the bumbling duo Harry and Lloyd is brilliant, and it is hard to choose who ends up with the best scenes or lines. I think “I like it a lot” may be my favorite, but “You go and do something like this…and totally redeem yourself” is a close second. I know you have all seen this film, so I don’t need to try and sell you on it. Now the sequel? Eh, it turned out better than expected.
Liar Liar (1997)
This film does not seem to get talked about as much as some of Carrey’s other films which is a shame because I remember quite enjoying it. Carrey stars as a successful lawyer who made his career off of lying who is cursed to only tell the truth for one day. One particularly memorable scene in the film is when, after sexual relations with a particularly ravishing woman, he tells her that he’s had better. It doesn’t get funnier than that folks.
Me, Myself & Irene (2000)
I’m pretty sure I thought this film was about one of two things: either Carrey was playing twin brothers using one identity to woe a girl, or he was playing something with three personalities (Irene being one of them). I mean, I guess I was a little bit right on both accounts since Carrey does play a character with a second personality who he uses to woe a girl. This might be one of the best films to showcase Carrey’s facial range and how he is able to change who he is playing through a shift in the eyebrow or a movement of the mouth. I don’t consider it one of his best films, but it definitely deserves to be mentioned.
What are some of your favorite films to feature birthday boy Jim Carrey?
