One of the most hilarious comedic actors in movie history,Jim Carreyhas been making audiences cackle since he first stepped onto the small screen inIn Living Color. Carrey is a legendary performer who has a unique brand of slapstick comedy. He has starred in numerous hit films throughout his career, delivering quirky and entertaining characters in movies likeAce Ventura, Liar Liar, andThe Mask. These and other iconic comedies made him a household name.
Carrey has also starred inseveral dramatic films, including his Golden Globe-winning performances inThe Truman ShowandMan on the Moon, but nobody can deliver a comedic one-liner like Carrey. Many of the funniest ones have gone on to be ingrained in the pop culture lexicon. In this list, let’s take a closer look at some of Jim Carrey’s most iconic film quotes that showcase his comic timing and undeniable talent for delivering a memorable line.
“B-E-A-utiful.” - Bruce Almighty
In the smash hit 2003 comedyBruce Almighty, Carrey stars as Bruce Nolan, a newscaster in Buffalo, New York who has a streak of bad luck but still tries to look on the bright side with his refrain “B-E-A-utiful”. He first uses it after his dog makes a mess in the apartment he shares with his girlfriend Grace (Jennifer Aniston). After losing a promotion he desperately wanted, Bruce lashes out on live television, gets fired, beat up, and left in his parking lot where he says it again, bruised and bloodied. He complains to God (Morgan Freeman) and God responds.
Once Bruce inherits God’s power for a week, he starts to use it for some more selfish reasons and then his delivery takes on a different tone. Still, in all, Bruce’s warmly funny message of positivity is a nice reminder to see the beauty in a tough situation.
“It’s party time. P-A-R-T-Y? Because I gotta!” - The Mask
Carrey stars inThe Mask, a wacky comedy adventure about a bank clerk named Stanley Ipkiss who finds an ancient mask floating in the river of Edge City. When he puts it on, he becomes The Mask, a larger-than-life green-faced trickster who can transform into anything he wants. When The Mask first appears, with his lime green skin and giant white teeth, he darts to the closest mirror and delivers this iconic one-liner.
At first, Stanley uses his newfound abilities as The Mask for all sorts of pranks and shenanigans, including getting revenge on his mean landlady. Throughout the film, The Mask ends up in many life-threatening situations, but his ability to make everything cartoonish lets the audience know that causing troubleishis idea of a party.
“Riddle me this…riddle me that…who’s afraid of the Big Black Bat?” - Batman Forever
Director Joel Schumacher helmedBatman Foreverand its sequel, Batman and Robin, and both were criticized for their lighter, campier tone. In this film, Carrey plays Edward Nygma, a scientist at Wayne Enterprises fixated on Bruce Wayne (played here by Val Kilmer) and a desire to create a machine that can manipulate brain waves. Nygma loses his mind andbecomes The Riddler, a criminal who leaves puzzles for Batman to solve.
In the film, Carrey predictably chews the scenery, going for a performance more akin to the campy 1960s Batman television series than the dark, brooding films audiences had known thus far. Batman eventually infiltrates The Riddler’s secret island lair and before the final showdown, Carrey’s Riddler makes a dramatic entrance in a rhinestoned bodysuit while uttering this memorable line, turning down the camp and turning up the menace.
“Alrighty then!” - Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Arguably Jim Carrey’s most memorable performance, he playsAce Ventura: Pet Detectivein this 1993 comedy. The titular pet detective is hot on the case of the missing Miami Dolphins mascot, a bottlenose dolphin named Snowflake. The goofy gumshoe seems like he is an absolute fool the entire time (and he is, even talking out of his butt at one point), but Ventura is also incredibly good at his job. “Alrighty then” is a phrase that elicits laughs in many instances. It can be Ace at his most obnoxious, such as when he leaves the police station after a confrontation with Lieutenant Lois Einhorn (Sean Young). It can be his battle cry, like when he faces off against Tommy Davidson’s Wachootoo Prince, and it also serves as his mantra, intoning it over and over as he meditates in the 1995 sequelAce Ventura: When Nature Calls. “Alrighty then” is Ace’s Swiss army knife.
“Good morning! And in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!” - The Truman Show
In 1998, Carrey starred as Truman Burbank inThe Truman Show, a film about a man who, unbeknownst to him, has lived his entire life inside an elaborate set within a massive dome as the star of a 24-hour-a-day reality show broadcast to the world. Truman is a sweet guy, liked by all his neighbors, and loved by his wife Meryl (Laura Linney).
His catchphrase in this film speaks to the genuine warmth of Truman as a person, the type of person anyone would want as a neighbor. Once the truth of his world unravels, he can finally face his greatest fear and escape the dome. Nothing else but this one-liner would be a fitting sign-off to the show that made him and to the audience who adored him for his whole life.
“I…can’t…lie!” - Liar Liar
Carrey leads the hit 1997 comedyLiar Liaras lawyer Fletcher Reede, who makes it his business to lie. He lies to win, to his ex-wife Audrey (Maura Tierney), and to his son Max (Justin Cooper) about making it to his birthday party. Little does he know that Max wished for his dad to be unable to lie for one whole day…and it comes true. While representing Samantha Cole (Jennifer Tilly) in her divorce from her husband Richard, Fletcher cannot defend her because he knows she is lying about the reason for the divorce, namely her many infidelities. In an attempt to have the case postponed until he can regain his ability to speak falsehoods, Fletcher dramatically intones these three words to the judge, who could not care less and only wants to proceed. Carrey’s performance as Fletcher Reede earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy.
“Wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?” - Dumb and Dumber
Peter Farrelly directed the 1994 comedy smashDumb and Dumberfrom a script by himself and his brother Bobby, and it is chock-full of hilarity. It is about a pair of, well, dumb friends who get into all kinds of trouble while trying to return a suitcase full of money to a beautiful woman named Mary (Lauren Holly). While on their cross-country road trip from their home in Rhode Island to Colorado, dim-witted limo driver Lloyd (Carrey) and dog groomer Harry (Jeff Daniels) pick up a hitchhiker named Mental (Mike Starr) who happens to be a goon for Nicholas Andre (Charles Rocket), a greedy businessman.
During their afternoon drive in Harry’s work truck fashioned to look like a giant dog, Lloyd asks Mental this very important and quotable question before demonstrating the most annoying sound in the world. It is guttural, loud, annoying, and above all, hilarious.
“Do NOT go in there!” - Ace Ventura
Carrey’s Ace Ventura hysterically yells this quote in the middle of a party. While on the case of the missing Miami Dolphins mascot, Ace and Melissa Robinson (Courteney Cox), the publicist for the Dolphins, attend a bash thrown by a billionaire known for collecting rare animals. After making a fool of himself in front of the guests (grabbing the cello player’s arm to make him mess up, punching a man in the face, and draping his unconscious body over his shoulders like a shawl), Ace sneaks around the mansion and happens upon a gigantic tank. He assumes Snowflake is inside but is sorely mistaken.
Ace emerges into the main hall of the palatial estate, soaking wet, with his clothing ripped to shreds, and shouts to everyone in attendance that going into that room would be a grave error. His delivery of this line spotlights his impeccable comedic timing.
“Nothing can stop…the CLAW!” - Liar Liar
Attorney Fletcher Reede seems irredeemable inLiar Liarbecause he lies so much, but once that is stripped from him, he is forced to see the error in his ways and embraces honesty. Carrey as Fletcher is frenetic and hilarious throughout the film, spouting off many quotable lines, but this one sticks out for its heartwarming nature. Fletcher may lie and let his job take over his life, but he still deeply loves Max. He has an inside joke with Max where his hand becomes “possessed” by The Claw, a powerful force that has one objective: to tickle Max to make him laugh uncontrollably.
This funny gesture of love between father and son makes a few appearances in the film, including a not-so-successful attempt by Audrey’s new boyfriend Jerry (Cary Elwes) to bond with Max.
“Cable Guy!” - The Cable Guy
In 1996’sThe Cable Guy, Carrey stars as titular cable guy aka Chip Douglas, a clingy and obsessed cable installer who was raised by television sitcoms and wedges himself into the life of architect Steven Kovacs (Matthew Broderick). Steven has just moved into a new apartment following a breakup and has an appointment with the cable company for his installation. Chip shows up at an inopportune moment and has to keep introducing himself over and over until Steven can answer the door.
What follows is an entertaining comedy that is quite dark, as it takes on Chip’s stalking, gaslighting, and manipulation of Steven and the people closest to him, including ex-girlfriend Robin (Leslie Mann). The line reappears further into the movie during a nightmare scene where Chip bangs on the door before bashing through it and chasing Steven down.Carrey recently reprised the rolein a Super Bowl commercial.
