The Mask

(Russell, 1994)

Back when Jim Carrey looked like he might turn daft facial expressions and leftover stand-up routines into a long-lasting film career, “Wacky” was the name of the game. 1994 was Carrey’s break-out year, with the first Ace Ventura flick and Dumb and Dumber sandwiching The Mask, in which the man making a name for himself as a living cartoon character got to play his wildest, most cartoonish role yet.

The Mask is the story of Stanley Ipkiss. Under-appreciated bank clerk and doormat by day, dog-loving, cartoon-obsessive man-child by night. One day, following a series of calamities that see him lose the girl, get in trouble once again at work, and have his car held for ransom by cowboy mechanics, Stanley happens upon a discarded wooden mask. When he puts the mask on, he finds himself transformed into a manic embodiment of his innermost desires, stripped of his inhibitions and blessed with superhuman strength, speed and invulnerability.

The mask’s form is defined by whoever puts it on, so Ipkiss – who is a fundamentally nice guy at heart – is mischievous, playful but ultimately harmless. All he’s interested in is getting dressed up and partying, but in doing so he manages to attract the attention of local mobsters, whose activities are hampered by the scattershot antics of Stanley’s alter ego. To complicate things further, the local police are on the hunt for the “masked menace”, and Stanley’s bumbling protests of innocence will only protect him for so long.

This is neither a children’s film nor one strictly for grown-ups, although it does possess qualities of both. The mix of live action and cartoon-like CGI, together with Carrey’s arsenal of silly noises (for the kids) and celebrity impressions (which will sail over the heads of younger audiences) give this film a broad appeal that has stood up remarkably well over time. There are a couple of darker or more risque moments, but nothing that’ll make protective parents reach over and cover their kids’ ears and eyes.

The cast are all very entertaining, from Carrey himself to Richard Jeni’s comical best friend, as well as Peter Greene’s power-hungry mob lieutenant and Cameron Diaz (in her debut) as the busty, husky femme fatale. The story is fairly rudimentary and the humour doesn’t always quite click, but since this is essentially a feature-length cartoon it can be forgiven the odd descent into farce. As star vehicles go, this one was made for Carrey, and no other man alive could have pulled it off.

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tl;dr: A good bet for both the young and the young at heart, The Mask is a living comic; an entertaining blend of romance, comedy and crime drama with over-the-top special effects and up-tempo theme music inspired by the classic cartoons of the 40s and 50s. Frantic, inoffensive and fun.