Mask

This is an excellent film with an excellent story played by an excellent cast! Rocky, a teenager with a horribly disfigured skull tries to fit in. His mother, ably played by Cher, portrays a biker babe who loves her son but little else. Sam Eliot plays her biker boyfriend but also has a soft spot for Rocky. Rocky loves a blind girl, played wonderfully by Laura Dern. All in all, this is a touching, but not overly sappy film! This one is worth a watch.

Definitely one of the best films made in 1985; Peter Bogdanovich's "Mask" is an engrossing character study on the life of Rocky Dennis, and the somewhat tumultuous but always loving relationship he shared with his mom Rusty. Tragic, touching, inspirational – the movie succeeds in proving the importance of maintaining a positive attitude despite life's adversities. Bogdanovich masterfully draws stunning performances from all of the principle players. With several noteworthy scenes throughout the film where Cher shines, it's no surprise she won the best actress trophy at Cannes for her role as Rusty; effectively depicting a loving mother who is incredibly strong willed, yet also lost and vulnerable. No other actress would have made the portrayal so gut wrenchingly real – it's a shame she wasn't awarded the Oscar as well. Eric Stoltz, Sam Elliott, and Laura Dern are also magnificent. The incredible acting by everyone involved really makes this film such a rewarding and worthwhile experience, with the viewer being taken on an intimate journey through the lives of every day people facing extraordinary circumstances. If possible, see the original version with the Bob Seger soundtrack – the re-release DVD contains only the Springsteen soundtrack; which one would have expected a Director's Cut edition to have both choices. Having seen the original so many times, I opted to hunt down the now out-of-print original theatrical release by Image Entertainment for my collection. Not to be missed by anyone with an interest in true life stories. Highly recommended – a 9/10.

This is one of those movies that makes you feel good. Despite the knowledge of Rocky's inevitable fate, you will like this film. Watching him deal with other kids' initial fear and hatred towards him because of his appearance, he eventually gets them to like and respect him. The best part is that this is based on a true story. You will love it, guaranteed.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Beautiful movie from a true master Peter Bogdanovich.Truly warm movie about a boy Rocky who has a rare disease so people often think he's wearing a mask.But he was lucky because he had a family.Maybe not kind of family we all think about when we hear that word,but he had a true family who loved him till the end.His family was mother,drug addict and bunch of bikers.All of them saw something in Rocky and that something was his inside and not outside.Story is very good and you can relate it to any other story from todays life.This isn't just a story about boy with weird face,it's a story about whole society,family and mostly about people.What is really important to us people?How we look from the outside or from the inside.Only girl who connected with Rocky was a blind girl.Isn' that tragic how we,people have wrong priorities in life.Excellent movie that really touched me and also some great performance from Eric Stoltz,Cher and Sam Elliott.All time story with great directing and good acting.

The true story of Rocky Dennis (Eric Stoltz) is the subject of this heart-breaking film that pulls absolutely no punches. The youngster was born with a disease that caused his face to be terribly deformed, making it appear that he had a mask on. Cher is excellent as Stoltz's drug-addicted mother who is so good with him, but so poor with most everyone else. Sam Elliott also leaves a lasting impression as a biker who is much gentler than he appears. An amazing screenplay and the flawless direction of Peter Bogdanovich help to make "Mask" one of the best films of the 1980s. Terribly over-looked. 4.5 out of 5 stars.