Love him or hate him, Jim Carrey is one of those actors you just can’t ignore. The guy went from making faces on stage to becoming the king of 90s comedy, turning silly movies into stuff people still quote today. Sure, he’s known for his crazy expressions and wild energy, but there’s more to Carrey than just talking through his butt. Here’s a look at our top ten Jim Carrey movies where he really showed us what he’s got.
The Cable Guy (1996)

First up on our list of our top ten Jim Carrey movies is The Cable Guy. In this dark comedy, Carrey went way darker than usual. He played Chip Douglas, a lonely cable guy who got weirdly obsessed with his customer Steven (Matthew Broderick).
Ben Stiller directed Carrey to tap into his creepy side, but you can’t totally cage that classic Carrey energy. Even while stalking Steven, Chip threw himself around like a maniac during basketball and turned Medieval Times into pure chaos.
When it was released in ’96, the movie threw people off. It barely crossed $100 million (pretty weak for Carrey back then). But that’s part of what makes it cool now. Carrey risked his hot streak to get weird, mixing his usual crazy faces with something genuinely unsettling. Plus, it gave us early looks at Jack Black, Owen Wilson, and Leslie Mann.
Man on the Moon (1999)

Up next is Man on the Moon, where Carrey became Andy Kaufman. Not just played him, became him. He even drove everyone nuts on set by staying in character 24/7, but hey, it worked. Of course, Carrey nailed it, whether he was doing Kaufman’s shy, mumbly act or body-slamming female wrestlers on TV.
That being said, the movie itself had some issues. Director Milos Forman played it pretty safe with Kaufman’s story, and audiences weren’t sure what to make of it. It didn’t do as well at the box office as some of Carrey’s other comedies.
But watch Carrey in this thing. He’s magnetic. He even grabbed a Golden Globe for becoming Andy, and honestly? You forget you’re watching Jim Carrey half the time. That’s the sign of real acting chops.
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How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Another one of the best Jim Carrey movies was How the Grinch Stole Christmas, where Carrey transformed into everyone’s favorite green Christmas-hater. Under all that fur and makeup, he somehow made Dr. Seuss‘s grump even grumpier. And funnier.
Most critics rolled their eyes at this live-action take, but families didn’t care. They actually really showed up, turning it into a holiday hit. Carrey went all out, mixing his usual comedy with the Grinch’s snarl. Fun fact: The makeup process for this role was brutal. He spent 92 days in full makeup as the Grinch, but his dedication showed. He made every growl and grimace count.
At this point, the movie has become a Christmas tradition. Kids who grew up with Carrey’s Grinch now show it to their kids. And yeah, some people prefer the cartoon, but watching Carrey stomp around Whoville, stealing Christmas with his crazy energy? That’s become its own kind of classic.
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The Mask (1994)

The Mask was Carrey’s third hit of 1994, and what a wild ride it was. Playing Stanley Ipkiss, the nice-guy banker turned green-faced maniac, Carrey got to be two characters in one. And, as usual, he nailed them both. Once that mask went on, Carrey went nuts. He bounced off walls, danced like a maniac, and turned into a living cartoon. His “Cuban Pete” dance scene became a classic.
The movie made a dark comic book fun, throwing in gangsters, old-school effects, and (at the time, newcomer Cameron Diaz) for good measure. Even today, many of the iconic effects still look pretty cool—like watching Carrey’s face stretch and twist while he turned into a wolf or spun like a tornado. Between this, Ace Ventura, and Dumb and Dumber, Carrey owned ’94. And honestly? The Mask was one of the most fun of the bunch.
Bruce Almighty (2003)

Next, Bruce Almighty landed at the height of Carrey’s comedy reign in 2003. He played Bruce Nolan, a whiny TV reporter who got to be God for a week after complaining that the Big Guy wasn’t doing His job right. Morgan Freeman even showed up as God himself, and it was the perfect casting.
Carrey went wild with his newfound powers, using them for everything from parting his soup like the Red Sea to making his girlfriend’s chest bigger. But the real fun came from watching him slowly realize that being God wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. His scenes with Freeman were gold, where their two totally different acting styles that somehow clicked.
And, the movie made bank, pulling in nearly $500 million worldwide. It gave us classic Carrey moments like the “B-E-A-utiful” spelling trick that people still use today, earning Bruce Almighty a spot on our list.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

As a pet detective hunting down the Miami Dolphins‘ missing mascot in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Carrey created a character so weird and wild that studios were probably terrified. Until it hit big.
Interestingly, the movie almost looked totally different from how it turned out. Hollywood wanted Rick Moranis or even Whoopi Goldberg for Ace. Instead, they took a chance on “the white guy from In Living Color” and let him rewrite the script. And it turned out to be a smart move. Carrey turned Ace into this maniac who talked through his butt, treating every single scene like a one-man circus.
Made for just $15 million, the movie raked in $107 million and gave us phrases like “Do NOT go in there!” and “Alrighty then!” that people still quote today. This movie was when Hollywood realized they had truly something new on their hands.
Liar Liar (1997)

Up next, Liar Liar, showed Carrey taking on the role of Fletcher Reede, a lawyer who physically could not lie for 24 hours thanks to his kid’s birthday wish. For a guy known for going over the top, this was perfect. This time, Carrey got to be wild while actually having a reason for it.
The movie gave us some of his best freak-outs ever. Watching him try to say a blue pen is red or beating himself up in a bathroom showed off everything Carrey does best. But this time, there was heart behind the madness—a dad learning to be better for his kid. Between the physical comedy and the touching father-son story, Carrey proved he could do both laughs and heart in this iconic movie.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Another one of the best Jim Carrey movies was Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Playing Joel, a guy trying to erase his ex from his memory, Carrey ditched all his usual tricks. No funny faces, no crazy voices. Just raw emotion and quiet pain.
Director Michel Gondry and writer Charlie Kaufman threw him into this weird sci-fi love story with Kate Winslet, and something magical happened. Watching Joel chase his memories of Clementine through his own mind, you completely forget you’re watching “the Ace Ventura guy.” And there’s one scene where he’s reliving his childhood memories with her… and it totally breaks your heart.
The movie also won Kaufman an Oscar for the script and ended up on pretty much every “Best of the 2000s” list out there. While other serious Carrey films flopped, this one proved he could truly act when given the right material. It’s not just Carrey’s best drama. Some folks call it his best movie, period.
Dumb and Dumber (1994)

Dumb and Dumber capped off Carrey’s insane 1994 run, pairing him with Jeff Daniels as two of the dumbest guys ever to hit the road. Nobody expected a serious actor like Daniels to match Carrey’s crazy energy, but somehow they clicked. Lloyd and Harry became comedy’s perfect idiots.
Of course, the plot was ridiculous. These two morons drove across the country to return a briefcase, getting mixed up with kidnappers along the way. But it was watching Carrey and Daniels play off each other that made it work. Every scene was quotable, from “So you’re telling me there’s a chance” to that most annoying sound in the world. I mean, even their haircuts and outfits became famous.
The Farrelly Brothers struck gold with this one. You’d think watching two idiots for two hours would get old, but Carrey and Daniels made these doofuses impossible not to root for. Twenty years later, they tried to recapture the magic with the sequel, but nothing beats this first.
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The Truman Show (1998)

Capping our list of Jim Carrey’s best movies is The Truman Show. As a guy whose whole life turned out to be one big TV show, Carrey still got to be funny. But in a way that actually helped tell the story. His morning greetings and goofy ad-libs felt real because, well, Truman thought they were real.
Back in ’98, the idea of watching someone’s everyday life seemed crazy. Now? We do it on social media all day long. But Truman’s story still hit hard—watching him figure out his whole world is fake, right down to his best friend and wife being paid actors, is gut-wrenching stuff.
That ending was perfect when Truman took his final bow – “In case I don’t see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!” It’s still Carrey being Carrey but in service of something bigger. No other film better captures both sides of Carrey’s talent quite like this one.
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