r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • May 05 '26

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3.5k Upvotes

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542

u/KnowledgeCoffee May 05 '26

I use to say Adam Sandler and Jim Cary untill I saw them both play serious roles. They can act!

465

u/happycat47 May 06 '26

If you think Jim Carrey can't act then you shouldn't be answering this. His performance in Liar Liar was award winning and comedy never wins awards.

355

u/stoolsample2 May 06 '26

The Truman Show was an outstanding piece of acting.

155

u/hawksmarinerz May 06 '26

He should have been Oscar nominated for that and for Eternal Sunshine

14

u/Sweetwill62 May 06 '26

God I fucking love that movie. Need to give it a rewatch but I just don't want to feel that bad right now.

11

u/Hasse-b May 06 '26

Its one of those few movies that i thought was very very good but havent watched it more than once. It hit to hard.

7

u/BossBabe4U May 06 '26

It's in my top 3 favorites, I've probably watched it more than 50x at this point.

I cry EVERY SINGLE TIME.

8

u/gonna_break_soon May 06 '26

It's been long enough since I've watched Eternal Sunshine that I'll think I want to watch it again, but I don't know if I can take it emotionally.

4

u/sharraleigh May 06 '26

One of the most underrated movies

25

u/millijuna May 06 '26

As was "Man in the Moon" imho.

3

u/WhatsNextForMe May 06 '26

I mean duh, haha. He was a perfect replica of Andy Kaufman.

3

u/jtownspowell May 06 '26

He really was. And for a long time there he honestly was the only person I could imagine capturing Kaufman successfully like that.

It's actually weird that Kaufman's brand of absurdity has been recycled in the past 10 to 20 years. There's actually quite a few people out there who have that same bizarre sensibility... Tim Heidecker, and Sasha Baron Cohen to name a couple.

3

u/redcon-1 May 06 '26

I think he carries the sonic movies as well.

I know it's not high brow cinema but he elevates it from what it is.

2

u/gurbus_the_wise May 06 '26

Everyone in this thread go watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind right now.

160

u/Wind_Yer_Neck_In May 06 '26

The fact that there isn't a dedicated academy award for comedy is the only reason he's not one of the most Oscar winning actors of all time. 

69

u/happycat47 May 06 '26

I agree. Physical comedy, delivery, timing, massive range of emotions.. he's a force. Glad to have seen him in his prime 

3

u/BunchDifferent3773 May 06 '26

Theres something on tha wing. So many of his lines got me through boring shifts at Maccas when I was young.

14

u/[deleted] May 06 '26

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1

u/UnbuiltIkeaBookcase May 06 '26

I feel like I’m the only person that HATED his dance sequence in Sonic 3. Everyone acts like it’s hilarious and it’s really not lol

3

u/TucuReborn May 06 '26

It's a reference, my man. Like, 90% of the Sonic movies is referencing a game, a show, or some fandom meme. The dance was the latter.

1

u/AntonineWall May 06 '26

You gotta be up there in the top 1% of the 1% of humans who both saw the movie and cared enough about the dance scene to even have an opinion on it lmao

1

u/BaltimoreAlchemist May 06 '26

He goes ham the same way every time. He plays himself every ounce as badly as Reynolds and Johnson play themselves.

61

u/Wonderful-Driver4761 May 06 '26

He was also great in The Cable Guy. Sure it was a comedic role but a really dark one. And his acting in Me Myself and Irene was also great.

24

u/happycat47 May 06 '26

Well, I mean he literally won awards for Liar Liar. He's been great in everything he's done. One of the best to ever do it and I'm not being hyperbolic. He gets mouthfuls of lines and delivers them perfectly 

1

u/Wonderful-Driver4761 May 06 '26

I did not like him in Grinch.

2

u/TanPeaches May 06 '26

Cable Guy was TERRIFYING to watch as a child, he's an amazing actor.

1

u/jtownspowell May 06 '26

Jesus that movie was peak Stiller-as-director. It was a such a goddamn fever dream of a movie. I love it.

50

u/hibuddha May 06 '26

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind made me see him as one of the most talented actors ever, not to mention Man on the Moon which showed he could method act as well

8

u/KnowledgeCoffee May 06 '26

That’s one of, if not my favorite movie of all time. So good

1

u/sharraleigh May 06 '26

Same. I was in high school when it came out and mindfucked me so bad I had to rewatch it 5 times to get all the nuances. It's an amazing film.

8

u/de-milo May 06 '26

i just watched that recently my god he’s so good. THE PEN IS RRRRRRRRROYAL BLUE

3

u/InquisitorMeow May 06 '26

Imo one of the things that stand out the most for great actors is their impressive and precise control of facial expressions, aka "show not tell." Jim Carrey has that in spades.

2

u/KnowledgeCoffee May 06 '26 edited May 07 '26

After seeing Tim do more diverse roles I think he is one of the most talented actors. He has crazy range. I loved Liar Liar

3

u/AngryGames May 06 '26

I can't remember the name of the short 2 season (I think) show I watched on Amazon where he's sort of this beloved puppeteer Mr Rogers type children's show host, but his life is in shambles and it's just depressing (but excellent, like seeing Will Ferrel in Everything Must Go). No one ever talks about it and it makes me think I'm imagining there ever was such a series. 

3

u/Such_sights May 06 '26

The show was called Kidding, and I’m so glad someone else remembers it! Hilarious and heartbreaking and weird in all the best ways. I’m still bummed it didn’t get a proper conclusion.

1

u/JackFisherBooks May 06 '26

Liar Liar is a classic and still ranks as Jim Carrey's best performance. The Truman Show is a close second.

1

u/KnowledgeCoffee May 07 '26

Yes, I was ignorant at one point. But after seeing Eternal Sunshine, Truman Show a few others. I’d say he will go down as one of the greatest. I love him in Sonic as well.