My Favorite Jim Carrey Performances

This list is long overdue. He first hit our TV screens as part of the ensemble cast of the sketch comedy series In Living Color, eventually becoming one of Hollywood's most bankable stars and one of our most underrated actors. He has been robbed of at least one Oscar nomination, maybe more, but he has won two Golden Globes. Feel free to post what films you would like to see show up here, while I get ready to offer my list (as always, my opinion and my opinion only) of my favorite Jim Carrey performances:

The Mask, both Ace Ventura movies, Batman Forever, both Sonic movies just to name a few.

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Never saw the second Ace Ventura movie so it won't be on this list.

25.

Lounge Entertainer, Pink Cadillac



Carrey has about 10-15 seconds of screentime in this Clint Eastwood film doing an Elvis impression in a nightclub.

24.

Peter Appleton, The Majestic



Carrey is fighting the screenplay all the way in this overly sentimental drama as a blacklisted writer during the 1950's accused of being a communist who, after a drunken stupor, drives his car off a bridge and washes up in a small town where he is mistaken for a local war hero come back from the dead.

23.

Johnny Squares, The Dead Pool



Carrey pops up in another Clint Eastwood film playing a drugged out rock star.

22.

Leap Dave William, 30 Rock



Carrey garnered major laughs with this 30 Rock character who apparently appears every four years to spread joy and mirth.

He should have earned Oscar nominations 3 times (The Truman Show, Man On The Moon, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) but was snubbed, possibly the biggest snub in Academy history.

My top 5 would be:

1. The Truman Show
2. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
3. Dumb and Dumber
4. Man On The Moon
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

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“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!” ~ Rocky Balboa

21.

Mark Kendall, Once Bitten



An early leading role for Carrey playing a virginal high school student who finds himself romantically involved with a female vampire (Lauren Hutton).

20.

Whiploc, Earth Girls are Easy



Carrey plays one of a trio of aliens whose spaceship lands in the swimming pool of a beautiful but empty-headed manicurist (Geena Davis).

19.

Walter Getz, Peggy Sue Got Married



Carrey made the most of his tiny role in this Francis Ford Coppola time travel comedy as the best friend of Nicolas Cage's Charlie Bodell.

18.

Count Olaf, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events




Carrey did some effective scenery chewing in this comic fantasy playing the zany cousin of three orphaned children who plans to steal their inheritance.

17.

The Grinch, How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)



It's a little difficult to appreciate the work he does under all that makeup, but Carrey does work very hard to be believable in Ron Howard's elaborate full-length feature mounting of the Dr Suess classic.

16.

Bruce Nolan, Bruce Almighty



The story is silly and Carrey's character is rather unlikable, Carrey still manages to keep this story of a cynical TV anchorman who complains that God (Morgan Freeman) is dropping the ball where his responsibilities are concerned so God decides to teach Bruce a lesson and temporarily gives all of his powers to Bruce.

15.

Scrooge, Scrooge as a Teenage Boy, Scrooge as a Young Man, Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present, Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Scrooge as a Middle Aged Man, A Christmas Carol (2009)



I only recently became acquainted with this animated version of the Dickens classic where Carrey provides the voices for all of the above referenced characters.

14.

Ace Ventura, Ace Ventura Pet Detective



Carrey had his first big hit on the big screen playing animal detective who has been hired to find the kidnapped mascot for the Miami Dolphins.

13.

Various Characters, In Living Color




This is where Carrey got his start, as the only male caucasian cast member on this sketch comedy show creating classic characters like Fire Marshall Bill and Vera De Milo.

12.

Dr. Robotnik, Sonic the Hedgehog




Carrey was the best thing about this live action comic adventure where the animated hero came to life.

11.

Tim Carter, Doing Time on Maple Drive



Carrey impressed in one of his earliest roles in this made for tv movie playing the black sheep older brother in a very dysfunctional family who don't know their younger son {William McNamara) is harboring a huge secret.

10.

Jeff Pickles, Kidding



Carrey received an Emmy nomination for his work on this SHOWTIME series about a childrens' show host who is struggling not to lose his family and his mind after losing his television show.