Top 5 Best Jim Carrey Performances

Walter: Hey, guys. I'm Walter Banasiak, and welcome to Top 5. Here, we count down the best and worst performances of our most beloved actors. Today, we take a look at the best of everyone's favorite human cartoon, Jim Carrey.

(The Top 5 opening logo is shown, before showing the title and cover of this Top 5 list. Images of Jim Carrey are then shown)

Walter (vo): Jim Carrey has been in the public eye for decades now. Even though many people know him for the crazy comedic characters he's played, he also has some fantastic dramatic roles to his credit.

Walter: This guy has some great range, and these are his Top 5 Best Performances.

#5
Walter (vo): Number 5: Stanley Ipkiss/The Mask in The Mask.

Walter: This #5 spot had a few contenders, but what put The Mask over the top is the fact that Carrey got to cut loose in this role like none before or after.

(Footage of The Mask is shown)

Walter (vo): When timid bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss discovers a magical mask containing the spirit of the Norse god Loki...

Stanley Ipkiss: Loki? Who's Loki?

(A clip of Loki in The Avengers is shown)

Loki: I am a god, you dull creature!

(Cut back to footage of The Mask)

Walter (vo): ...his entire life changes. While wearing the Mask, Ipkiss becomes a supernatural playboy, exhuming charm and confidence, which allows him to catch the eye of local night club singer Tina Carlyle. Unfortunately, under the Mask's influence, Ipkiss also robs a bank, which angers junior crime lord Dorian Tyrell. whose goons get blamed for the heist.

Walter: So Carrey plays two roles in this movie. We have Stanley Ipkiss and the Mask himself.

Walter (vo): He starts out not so great as Ipkiss. It seems like he's holding back from the straight man character. I'm sure that was done to boost the appeal of the Mask and his zaniness that comes out later in the movie, but he's played fantastic straight man characters before that were very engaging. This one takes a while to hold up. However, as the film goes on, Ipkiss becomes more interesting and it turns into a very solid role for Carrey.

Walter: Of course, the real reason why this is on the list is because of his performance as the Mask.

(Various scenes of the Mask are shown)

The Mask: Ssssssssssmokin'! / P-A-R-T-Why? Because I gotta! / Somebody stop me! / This guy's incouragable.

Walter: This must have been a dream come true for the guy. He got to play a real-life cartoon character.

Walter (vo): Everything from his movements to his expressions still showing through the makeup reveal probably his most purely entertaining, and I think in some respects, underrated role he's ever done.

Walter: I wish we had more of him as the Mask in this movie. It just feels like that character deserved more screentime. Hey, maybe they'll make a sequel. (A poster for Son of the Mask quickly flies over, causing Walter to shiver) Got cold.

#4
Walter (vo): Ace Ventura in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

Walter: 1994 was Carrey's breakout year. This, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber all came out then.

(Images and footage of Ace Ventura are shown)

Walter (vo): And Ace Ventura still might be what Carrey is best known for. That character is pretty much the epitome of his crazy side. It's all him, unfiltered in the best way. When the dolphin mascot of Miami's NFL football team is abducted, Ace Ventura, a zany private investigator who specializes in finding missing animals, looks into the case. Soon, Miami Dolphins players are kidnapped, too, including star player Dan Morino, making Ace's sleuth work even more impressing. Working with Dolphins representative Melissa Robinson, Ace closes in on the culprits, but not before making ridiculous misadventures.

Walter: Carrey comes out of the game swinging at this, and it lasts the whole film. His energy is infectious, and it carries the film past mediocrity and put him on everyone's radar.

Walter (vo): What makes this role very strong for Carrey is that Ventura is not an idiot. He's obviously super eccentric, but he's also very smart and competent, not just some fool. Carrey gave him just a touch of depth, that's all he needed.

Walter: The memorable lines are complimented by Carrey's impeccable physical humor.

(Various scenes of Ace Ventura are shown)

Ace: All righty, then. (We are next shown the scene of Ace holding a long note while opening and closing a slide door) And exercise the demons! / Let's see that in instant replay.

Walter: Overall, he's more well-rounded here than in The Mask, and this is just the better movie. The laughs don't stop. If you've never seen this one, go back and check why Carrey became so popular in the first place.

#3
Walter (vo): Number 3: Joel Barrish in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

#2
Walter (vo): Number 2: Truman Burbank in The Truman Show.

Walter: The concept of this movie is very intriguing. It's just outside the grasp of reality. But when you look at the idea behind The Truman Show, are we really that far off? There's so much for Carrey to sink his teeth into here. He gets to be funny, he gets to be serious. It's really the best of both worlds for him and a great movie.

(Footage of The Truman Show is shown)

Walter (vo): He doesn't know it, but everything in Truman Burbank's life is part of a massive TV set. Executive producer Christoff orchestrates The Truman Show, a live broadcast of Truman's every movie captured by hidden cameras. Christoff tries to control Truman's mind, even removing his true love Sylvia from the show and replacing her with Meryl. As Truman gradually discovers the truth, however, he must decide whether to act on it.

Walter: Truman is loveably goofy in this, without coming off as obnoxious like Carrey can sometimes get. The name of the game behind this performance are the layers behind it.

Walter (vo): He plays Truman as the world season, and he plays the real man underneath who hates his surroundings and is trying to plan his way out of town. All those conversations with himself and little things that he thinks nobody hears is very nuanced. Carrey handles it well, nearly perfect.

Walter: He's innocent, but determined as the story moves along. When he suspects something is off, that's when another layer comes out.

Walter (vo): This is more manic, more riled up. He wants answers and is starting to become more spontaneous.

Walter: He even questions those around him.

Truman: What the hell are you talking about? Who are you talking to?!

Meryl: (Smiling and holding a jar of Mococa) I've tasted other cocoas. This is the best.

Truman: What the hell does any of this have to do with anything? Tell me what's HAPPENING!

Walter: The Truman Show is a lot of fun. It asked important questions while being quirky enough to keep it light. Check it out if you haven't, and as Truman would say, "Good afternoon, good evening and good night."

#1
Walter (vo): And the Number 1 Best Jim Carrey Performance is...Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon.