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Movies / Upcoming / The Mask
The Mask

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The Mask (1994)

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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.

Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins

Genre: Comedies

US Box Office: $0

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

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Mask

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; Australian critics are listed first)
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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.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out

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.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
01/26/04
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

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.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
10/01/01
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

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.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

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.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Joe Brown
Joe Brown
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Exuberant fun.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/17/01
William Gallagher
William Gallagher
BBC

A wacky and eye-popping (literally) combination of live-action comedy and computer animation.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Hicks
Chris Hicks
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Doesn't have any more material than a Tex Avery cartoon.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rita Kempley
Rita Kempley
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Adroitly directed, viscerally and visually dynamic and just plain fun.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
11/24/08
Leonard Klady
Leonard Klady
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The story is unoriginal and dull, and the direction doesn't break anything.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment 2 Comments
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

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.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
02/05/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Bright-eyed, crazily intense, irrepressibly silly, Mr. Carrey can be funny without fireworks. He deserves material clever enough to let him do just that.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
06/08/03
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despite everything, it's still a marvellously energetic movie.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
07/06/05
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...a kind of Roger Rabbit on steroids that still holds up well after all these years.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
12/19/08
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

The Mask would be a loud dud without Jim Carrey's unique talents.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Scott Renshaw
Scott Renshaw
rec.arts.movies.reviews

A highly imaginative film.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

The results are easy to watch, though awfully familiar and simpleminded.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
04/18/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

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.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

Carrey is the ultimate party dude, and like the masked man says, this party is smokin'.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
06/06/01
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; Australian critics are listed first)
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all

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...

See All

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