Top 11 Jim Carrey Movies
- CJ Tiernan
- Jun 10
- 6 min read
By CJ Tiernan
Jim Carrey is one of the funniest actors to ever grace the silver screen. His comedy chops are unmatched by absolutely everyone in history (with the possible exception of Robin Williams). As such, he has amassed an impressive filmography over the last 35 or 40 years. His signature move is an elastic face coupled with a Gumby body. He moves as though he is made of rubberbands and Jell-O brand gelatin and his comedy is better for it. Below is a list of the Top 11 Jim Carrey Movies I’ve ever seen. Enjoy!
1. The Truman Show (1998)
How good was The Truman Show? So good that it created a new psychological condition (New Fear: Unlocked!). Hypochondriacs everywhere joined hands, attended their biweekly session, and revealed to their therapists they were unwitting stars of a television show. In some ways, this is an implausible premise, and in other ways it is the next obvious evolution of today’s reality TV. It is also one of the greatest performances of Jim Carrey’s career.
2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
It has been revealed that Jim Carrey required an unbearable amount of time every day to put his makeup on and take it off for this role. As such, he almost quit, until they brought in an ex-Navy Seal to help him with the mental anguish. He described the process as being “buried alive.” I couldn’t tell when watching the movie. He seemed like the same old, improv-heavy guy he always was. Still, it explains why there’s no “Grinch 2: Christmas Boogaloo.”
3. Liar Liar (1997)
In addition to being a wonderful physical comedy vehicle for Carrey, Liar Liar might be the most subtle fantasy in history. It is, in every tangible way, set in the real world. The only exception? The central point of the plot wherein Jim Carrey’s estranged son makes a wish on a birthday cake that, for one day, his dad doesn’t tell a lie. It leads to a series of events, personal and professional, that make the movie and the comedy. Also, let’s give a clap to the performance of Cary Elwes. He is delightfully cringey as the substitute boyfriend.
4. Bruce Almighty (2003)
In the ‘90s, there was a big alternative push to call God a woman. Ever since this movie, it’s tough not to picture Morgan Freeman in the role. People look to the heavens in moments of frustration and cry, “why me?” Ever since I saw this movie, I try to do it when something good happens and say, “thanks.” If I miss a step on the stairs but I catch myself and don’t fall, I look up. If I drop something and it doesn’t break, I look up. If someone cuts me off in traffic but I stop in time and there’s no accident, I look up. If God exists (citation required), he/she/they is/are probably pretty busy. You may not believe it, but you CAN handle it on your own.
5. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
’94 was the year of Jim Carrey. In that one year, he had Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber all reach number one at the box office. It is the greatest year a movie star has ever had. This one featured a Dolphin (Dan Marino), a bottlenose dolphin (Snowflake), and a pre-Friends Courtney Cox. Fun fact: the actress that played Finkle/Einhorn is Sean Young, who played Rachael in Blade Runner.
6. The Mask (1994)
You take one look at Jim Carrey and you think: Tex Avery cartoon. Well, at least someone did. They came up a way to turn Carrey’s preposterously fluid bones into an actual cartoon character. They shoehorned it into existing IP, a comic book with a much darker path before Jim Carrey stepped into the shoes of Stanley Ipkiss (a wild and wonderful name). Plus, the movie was the debut of Cameron Diaz, who went on to do some great movies herself (like Shrek, Being John Malkovich, and Gangs of New York).
7. Yes Man (2008)
Yes Man is a simple Rom-Com, and I’d imagine I rank it higher than many, but I love its simple message. The idea of stepping out of one’s comfort zone is often terrifying. There is an inherent fear of the unknown. This movie says, “ah, screw it! What’s the worst that could happen?” It also has a rooting-for-the-little-guy element that’s tough not to love. And to be perfectly honest, other than Patrick Warburton, Rhys Darby has my favorite voice in entertainment history.
8. Man on the Moon (1999)
Jim Carrey has won exactly zero Oscars in his career. Given the general upturned-nose nature of the Academy when it comes to comedy, that is not a complete surprise. However, it is my opinion that he should have at least been nominated for this movie (he was nominated once for “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”). His performance is incredible and seems to simultaneously be a departure from his normal fair and right up his alley. Andy Kaufman was a singular figure in comedy and Carrey’s ability to inhabit that extraterrestrial for the entirety of filming is really quite remarkable. Fun fact: The song by REM with the same title was not written for this movie (I didn’t know!) and was released in ’92 and used as the inspiration for the title (as it is also about Andy Kaufman).
9. Horton Hears a Who! (2008)
This is the second Dr. Seuss entry on this list. Dr. Seuss is known for his irregular, uneven animation designs. Yes, the right angle has gone the way of the Star-Belly Sneetches amidst the pages of a Dr. Seuss book. Jim Carrey is also known for dramatic angles and wild gyrations. And yet, we find him here voicing a character in an animated movie. Steve Carrell’s voice acting is the star of the show here and makes the movie (he plays the mayor of the town on the speck). Everyone else is just a sparring partner.
10. Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Sonic the Hedgehog overcame something very few movies ever do. It had to go through massive (digital) reshoots because the design of Sonic was freakin’ everybody out. It is very rare that a successful movie gets that far down the pike and then has an extreme pivot. Yet, the movie is big hit. They’ve crafted multiple sequels already and it shows no signs of slowing down. Jim Carrey plays the bad guy, which is a fun change of pace for him that we rarely get to see. The bad guy in question, Dr. Eggman, is your standard genius mad scientist with the power to grow an epic mustache. The relationship between James Marsden and Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz, of Jean-Ralphio Saperstein fame) makes the movie, but Carrey is delightful.
11. Dumb and Dumber (1994)
That’s right, not only did Jim Carrey have three number one movies in 1994, but all three made my Top 11. What a year! This one actually may be his most iconic. He has a ridiculous haircut, a one-of-a-kind suit, and all the intelligence of a stale saltine. This movie launched both Jim Carrey and the Farrelly Brothers into the stratosphere. You can still hear many of its quotes among today’s vernacular. Also, let’s give a clap for Jeff Daniels, who just said “yes!” even though this movie took him way out of his normal line of work.
Final Thoughts
Comedic Legend. All-Timer. Physical Comedy Genius. The list of superlatives one can use to describe Jim Carrey and his body of work can run on and on. I’m a huge fan. I hope you are too. His body of work is epic and now, of all things, he’s a painter. If you have some favorites that didn’t make the list, please let me know in the comments. I’ll leave a list of the movies that just missed my Top 11, containing the rest of his movies that I’ve seen down below. Thanks! Have a great day!
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