Le masque

Broad, inventive comedy featuring Carrey as a repressed, down-on-his-luck banker (and people-pleaser) whose once uneventful life is dramatically changed when he uncovers a mysterious ancient mask that brings out his innermost desires. After developing a close bond and gradual affection for a sexy songbird and prospective client (Diaz), he then tangles with her ruthless, lowlife goon of a boyfriend (Greene). Lively, imaginative comedy with big laughs and nifty effects that almost make you feel like you're watching a live-action cartoon. The violence borders on extreme, but Carrey is in peak form and provides more than enough classic moments to make up for it. A must for Carrey fans. ***

Jim Carrey plays Stanley Ipkiss, a "zero" as the film tagline says, who never speaks his mind about anything. The typical mild-mannered guy.

After Stanley finds an enchanted mask under a bridge one day, though, everything changes. He goes from "zero to hero". But first, he plays around with his new found menacing powers.

Calling the mask a hero is like calling Hitler kind of a good guy. The mask makes Stanley rob banks, scare people and more. He's half-hero.

"The Mask" is not great, but it fits Carrey's film persona quite well. He bounces off the wall (literally) and just doesn't sit still. Typical Carrey.

If you're not one for loser-to-hero films or wacky slapstick, don't see "The Mask". Otherwise, it's worth a peek.

3/5 stars

The Mask is a character you will never forget, and Jim Carrey was perfect for the role. It's simply one of the best movies based on comic books, I don't understand why did it get such a low score. It's also one of the best comedies of the 90s, you just can't go wrong with it.

Actually, I saw The Mask by accident. I wet to the cinema with my friend to watch something. When we arrived at the cinema and saw the poster showing The Mask we did not feel like watching it. But as it was a long way home we decided to go and see the film. And we enjoyed the movie so much that we decided to go to see it next day again. The first time we watched it we did not catch everything as our eyes were flooded with tears of laugh and our bellies hurt form laugh cramps. The story is really catching and Jim Carry is simply fabulous. The plot makes you think what it would be like if you had the mask and what you would do with it. Stanley Ippkiss in his funny quest made me be happy with what I am and what I have. The Mask is undoubtedly one of my most favorite comedies and it has a steady place on my video shelf.

It's hard to use Jim Carrey in a movie. He's very good at his rapid-fire mimicry routine, but how can it ever be anything other than a diversion from both character and story? (Very rarely is it a pleasant diversion. `Ace Ventura' was unendurable.) And yet, what else can you do with him?

The `Mask' solves the problem so neatly it almost cheats. The story is ABOUT someone with a double life - so by day, Carrey does all the character and story stuff, and by night, wearing the mask, he does his stand-up schtick. The two are as integrated as they need to be. It's pulled off with such an air of innocence I can't possibly complain. SOME of the clichés (those to do with the police especially) are so very worn out that even the most thorough of movie-goers is surprised to find them still alive; but the writer seems to have been honestly unaware that they were clichés, so that's okay.

I was told that the film is saturated with animation in-jokes. I couldn't spot very many. Stanley-with-the-mask has the soul of a Tex Avery cartoon character: I suspect that's all there is to it. The computer animation, or the computer-enhancement of Carrey's animation, is tastefully done. It never looks pasted over the top of the footage the way so much computer animation does. (`The Mask' failed to win an Oscar in the special effects category - like so many other more deserving films, it was beaten by `Forrest Gump'.) The Cuban dance numbers are irresistible, as is Stanley's pet dog. Sure, `The Mask' is no masterpiece, but it's a clever, charming film that richly deserved its runaway success.