The design is bright as a button and the transformation scenes real eye-poppers, but the film's best special effect is putty-faced Carrey with his razzle-dazzle star turn as the affable Stanley and his manic alter ego.
The Mask (1994)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:42
Fresh:32
Rotten:10
Average Rating:6.5/10
Consensus: It misses perhaps as often as it hits, but Carrey's manic bombast, Diaz's blowsy appeal, and the film's overall cartoony bombast keep The Mask afloat.
Synopsis: Boring bank account officer Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carrey) is tired of kowtowing to his know-nothing boss and being rejected by attractive women. But just before he decides to end it all, Stanley is... Boring bank account officer Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carrey) is tired of kowtowing to his know-nothing boss and being rejected by attractive women. But just before he decides to end it all, Stanley is transformed from a spineless accountant into a jiving zoot-suited hellion when he discovers the superhuman powers of an ancient wooden mask he finds floating in the river. With the mask, Stanley has the courage to do everything he's ever dreamed of. That includes wooing blond bombshell Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz), a torchy singer at the swanky nightclub Coco Bongo. Too bad Tina's caught up with mobster Dorian Tyrel, a brutal villain planning to rob Stanley's bank and take over the city! Now it's up to Stanley to rid the besieged metropolis of Tyrel. Based on the Dark Horse comic book, THE MASK introduced Diaz to audiences and helped cement Carrey's fame after ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE. Its story of a human cartoon, courtesy of computer effects and Carrey's talent for impressions, was a perfect fit for the comedian's pliable facial features. [More]
Starring: Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Riegert, Peter Greene
Starring: Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Riegert, Peter Greene, Amy Yasbeck, Richard Jeni
Director: Chuck Russell
Director: Chuck Russell
Composer: Randy Edelman
Producer: Bob Engelman
Story: Michael Fallon, Mark Verheiden
Screenwriter: Mike Werb
Reviews for The Mask
Though a bit slow in the in-betweens (you might get a somewhat antsy), The Mask is a cute clean film for the whole family.
In the end, those viewers who aren't big fans of Carrey, Diaz, or comic books probably won't miss much if they don't watch this film.
As a comedy, The Mask is genial, but its recycled plot is far too thin for the film to succeed as either an adventure or a spoof.
Even without the state-of-the-art, boundary-busting computerized effects from Industrial Light & Magic, Carrey's a human cartoon, and his spontaneous, Avery-esque, anything-for-a-laugh outrageousness makes this otherwise blank Mask a must-see.
The Mask is a perfect vehicle for the talents of Jim Carrey, who underwhelmed me with Ace Ventura, Pet Detective but here seems to have found a story and character that work together with manic energy.
A wacky and eye-popping (literally) combination of live-action comedy and computer animation.
Adroitly directed, viscerally and visually dynamic and just plain fun.
The story is unoriginal and dull, and the direction doesn't break anything.
This special effects extravaganza is s good star vehicle for Jim Carrey, exhibiting his skills and his shticks; in a small part, the sexy Cameron Diaz is bound to become a leading lady.
Bright-eyed, crazily intense, irrepressibly silly, Mr. Carrey can be funny without fireworks. He deserves material clever enough to let him do just that.
...a kind of Roger Rabbit on steroids that still holds up well after all these years.
The results are easy to watch, though awfully familiar and simpleminded.
Carrey has yet to find the perfect vehicle for himself, but The Mask, while hardly as fantastic as it should have been, is a step in the right direction.
Carrey is the ultimate party dude, and like the masked man says, this party is smokin'.
Latest News for The Mask
June 05, 2007:
New Comic Book Flick Alert: Mandrake the Magician!
I'm not much for magicians, but apparently this Criss Angel guy is pretty famous, right? He's got a TV series called "Mind Freak," so somebody out there knows who he... More...
June 01, 2007:
Another Comic Book Flick Arrives: The Live-Action "Teen Titans"
It's not that big a surprise to learn that DC's "Teen Titans" are coming to the big screen, nor that Akiva Goldsman is producing the flick. Doesn't mean either thing... More...
October 04, 2006:
Jim Carrey & Cameron Diaz Quit "A Little Game"
Not long ago we shared the news that Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz would be reuniting to star in a comedy called "A Little Game," which focuses on a couple who pretend... More...
September 06, 2006:
Jim Carrey & Cameron Diaz, Together Again?
The last time we saw Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz together, it was during her big breakout in 1994's "The Mask," and now comes word that the comic duo will soon be... More...
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