The Mask – Review

In the timeless Edge City, underwater divers find an old locked chest and of course immediately try to access it. As it jars open, a strange wooden mask floats up to the surface. Meanwhile, bank employee Stanley Ipkiss (Carrey) hooks up his coworker with two concert tickets that she so desperately wants. He senses a date coming! He is such a nice guy however that he lets her convince him to let her go with her out of town girlfriend instead. Bummer dude.

His buddy Charlie Schumaker (Jeni) watches the scene and convinces him to hit up the Coco Bongo club later that night, but as they converse in walks stone cold hottie Tina Carlyle (Diaz) who is looking for a new account. She chooses Stanley to help her despite all the male workers drooling over the opportunity. What luck for Stanley, finally!

But why is this woman really there? Maybe it has something to do with her thug boyfriend Dorian (Greene) and the surveillance camera in her bag. Maybe Stanley isn’t so lucky after all…Back to bummer. As Dorian plans to use the city as his playground, danger is in the air.

Nice guy Stanley’s life keeps getting pushed into the craptastic zone as his mechanic takes advantage of him, and his Coco Bongo evening does not go well. One hit after another and he is ready to call it quits on the night. So, what happens when his shit loaner car stalls out on a bridge and he stumbles into a strange wooden mask in the waters below? Naturally, it is pure insanity waiting to happen as only Jim Carrey can deliver. Hold on to your lugnuts, it’s time for an overhaul!

The Mask is a fun and zany comedy that fully allows Carrey to lean into the physical nature of his comedy. The ‘nice guy turned into a cartoon-like force of nature’ plot is not all that usual for non-superhero movies. The special effects aren’t too bad for the mid-90s. It has endless energy and is a lot of fun. Plus, the dog Milo is pretty dope. Buckle up and get ready for looney times and crazy antics in this cartoon brought to life.

This was based on a comic, however that version is much darker than this fun comedy. This film also spawned an animated series that I don’t remember well, and eventually a sequel which should be avoided.