Jim Carrey names the definitive roles of his career: “Kind of universal vibratory buttons”
It would be difficult to describe the incomparable rise of Jim Carrey as a comedy superstar to someone who did not grow up in the 1990s.
Although Carrey had been seen as an unusual, nearly avant-garde artist during his early days as a stand-up, he exploded into cinemas in 1994, when he starred in three hit movies in less than 12 months.
Between the unusual superhero story of The Mask, the gutbusting physical comedy of Dumb and Dumber, and the impossible-to-replicate shenanigans of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Carrey made it clear that he would be around for a very long time.
Although releasing three instant classics within the same year would generally be considered the apex of one’s career, Carrey felt that he did some of his more interesting work later on. It was two years after the 1994 triple feature that he worked on an unusual dark comedy with director Ben Stiller, which he said in an interview with Parade was a character he felt resonated with people.
“I loved what I was doing in The Cable Guy,” Carrey said, “He grew up with TV shows, and so that’s how he related to people, which is a modern problem. So that part is really special to me.”
The Cable Guy was met with more moderate reviews as compared to his previous films, but it certainly proved that he didn’t have to rely on his schtick in every role. The film was surprisingly dark at times and showed that the actor was willing to take chances, and surprisingly, he later found that it was his more dramatic work that ended up having the most lasting impact.
“I also feel like The Truman Show or Eternal Sunshine [of the Spotless Mind] are things that were kind of universal vibratory buttons or something,” he said, “I don’t know how to describe it. It vibrated with people, and it still does, and it was my prayer when I began to do the kind of work that’s got some sophistication, even if it’s comedy.”
The Truman Show ended up being one of the most visionary films of the ‘90s, as it explored the life of a man, played by Carrey, who was unaware that he was the star of a television series viewed by millions around the world. Since it debuted before reality television had begun to rise in popularity, it is also seen as a prescient warning about the effects that inadvertent fame can have on common people, making for a complex study of the human psyche, which is also something that can be said of Carry’s other favourite, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
The latter explored the relationship between former lovers, played by Carrey and Kate Winslet, who decide to erase each other from their memories after a difficult breakup. It is a decision they both come to regret and reinsert their memories back into their minds, making the film a complex deconstruction of identity, self-maturation, and the psychological impact of a thought that many have following heartbreak.
Both films were financial successes and earned many significant Academy Award nominations, even if Carrey wasn’t personally recognised. There is a sense that he wasn’t given the respect he deserved for being able to take such risks as an actor, which led him to a brief period in which he was absent from the spotlight. Thankfully, he’s had a bit of a comeback in the new decade through his scene-stealing role in the Sonic the Hedgehog films, which have helped to introduce him to an audience of much younger viewers.
