warner brothers has scored another marketing coup . the one-two punch was started in the summer , with the release of batman forever . trailers for ace ventura 2 were bundled with the bat , ensuring that every jim carrey fan in the free world would know about the impending sequel . carrey went on to win raves as the riddler and the ever-wise warner chose halloween as the release date for the video ( $11 . 99 at wal-mart ) ; a mere two weeks before carrey's return in this marketwise , but misfired comedy . ace ventura : when nature calls is a painful reminder of just how grating the rubber-faced comic can be when allowed to perform within an uncontrolled environment . he may have been brilliant under the direction of joel schumacher , in batman forever , but , here , left to his own devices , carrey quickly wears out his welcome . the opening sequence is by far the best--an amusing spoof of cliffhanger , with ace performing a mountain rescue of a stranded raccoon . ( you can guess what happens to mr . paws . hint : it sounds like splat . ) the plot quickly shifts to a temple in the himalayas , and then to not-so-darkest africa , where ace is on the case of a missing white bat . with his hair and limbs both wildly askew , carrey flies through his routine in about thirty minutes . the rest of the film is just more of the same . sure , the plot's linear , and the production values solid , but where is the scripted humor to support carrey's sloppy slathering ? writer and director steve oderkerk provides precious few set-ups . instead , carrey just mugs away , playing for the camera even when most of it isn't funny . the better gags have been shown in the ads , though a bit with ace emerging buck-naked from the backside of a mechanical rhino is something to see . though an arguable improvement over the original , ace ventura : when nature calls is still a snooze for anyone over the age of ten . the script is virtually devoid of wit . tribal mask jokes ? jerry lewis cameos ? forget it . if anything , the inexplicable presence of simon callow ( four weddings and a funeral ) and bob gunton ( the shawshank redemption ) suggests that working with carrey is the classical actor's ultimate challenge . just how long * can * they keep a straight face ?
