One of the most popular comedy actors of this generation is Jim Carey. Jim Carey has starred in many popular movies like Ace Ventura, Dumb and Dumber and the recently released Horton Hears a Who. I’ve never quite been able to understand the love for Jim Carey. Jim Carey’s “acting” is a lot like an over exaggerated Robin Williams impression on Ritalin. Jim Carey’s wackiness is okay for a few minutes and even funny at times. But when it’s 100% Jim Carey wackiness for over an hour then I don’t see any enjoyment in that. That is why Jim Carey’s best role of his career is not in Ace Ventura, Dumb and Dumber or Horton Hears a Who. Jim Carey’s best role to date was as a character named Fire Marshall Bill.
Fire Marshall Bill was a character played by Jim Carey in the sketch comedy show called In Living Color. For those of you not familiar with In Living Color, it was basically like Saturday Night Live but with a predominantly black cast, although Jim Carey was on of the exceptions. In Living Color is probably responsible for gaining the Wayans family all their popularity, although in recent years the show has been reduced to “where Jennifer Lopez got her start as a dancer.
Fire Marshall Bill was, obviously, a fire marshal. Fire Marshall Bill was a reoccurring character that would often pop up and teach safety to those around him. Except that Jim Carey would play Fire Marshall Bill in his usual over the top manner. In order to show people just how dangerous things can be Fire Marshall Bill would often inflict damage on himself to prove it. So instead of simply telling kids that fire can be dangerous, he would show them by setting himself on fire.
In one classic Fire Marshall Bill sketch, Fire Marshall Bill explained to kids that when you’re on fire you have to be very careful, even when you stop drop and roll, because you never know when you might have a handful of thumbtacks and might drop them and roll on top of them. Fire Marshall bill then proceeded to throw thumbtacks on the floor and roll around in them.
Jim Carey’s usual craziness was pretty hilarious at the time and Fire Marshall Bill had some of the greatest laugh out loud moments in the history of In Living Colour. Unfortunately taking a character like that and stretching it out to an hour and a half or two hours is just dumb. That is why Saturday Night Live sketches-turned-movie are rarely any good.
If Jim Carey were ever to return to a sketch comedy show then perhaps he could once again be the funny actor that he is but instead he will be wasted on movies that are one good joke stretched out to 90 minutes and unfortunately I could say the same thing for just about every really popular comedy actor.
