A hopeless romantic finds an ancient mask
that turns him into a wild, crazy, love machine. COMEDY/FANTASY
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The Mask (1994)Directed by Chuck Russell
Written by Mike Werb Starring Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Richard Jeni, Peter Greene, Amy Yasbeck, Peter Riegert, Jim Doughan Based on characters from Dark Horse Comics Oscar Nominations - Best Visual Effects |
Jim Carrey was the king of the 90's. In 1994 alone, he had three number one hits at the box office, Dumb & Dumber, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and The Mask. Of those three, The Mask may just be my favorite. It's a perfect vehicle for Carrey to let loose his comedic genius, and his turn as both the Mask and his alter ego Stanley Ipkiss is pure gold. With some impressive special effects and a host of quotable lines ("Sssssssmokin!"), The Mask remains one of the funniest comedies of the 90's and one of Carrey's greatest films.
Carrey plays Stanley Ipkiss, a bank worker whose too nice and unlucky in love. When he meets the gorgeous Tina Carlyle (Diaz), he wants to impress her but he's nothing special. One day, he finds a strange wooden mask. When he puts it on, the mask transforms him into a wild, energized love machine with godlike powers. He uses these powers to get back at everyone who took advantage of him, and also to rob a bank, pissing off a local gang. As the Mask, Stanley can live out his greatest fantasies, but at the cost of his own cozy little life. It's such a funny movie, but also pretty dark at times. I've loved The Mask since I was a kid. It's been in my collection my entire life because it still holds up. It's a phenomenal comedy and a great dark horse (wink, wink) superhero flick that came out right around the time Batman Forever started camping up the works. Any Jim Carrey fan likely adores this movie, and I'm still holding out hope for a decent sequel. Then again, maybe after Dumb & Dumber To, it might be best to let this one enjoy its relatively untainted legacy. |