The gangland plot is flimsy (bad guy Peter Greene wears too much eyeliner), and the jokes are erratic, but it's a far better showcase for Carrey's comic-from-Uranus talent than Ace Ventura.
Movie Metropolis
December 19, 2008
...a kind of Roger Rabbit on steroids that still holds up well after all these years.
Carrey now has the clout to find a vehicle worthy of his hyperactive gooniness. When he does, we'll see if he's truly a jester for our time or simply the moron of the moment.
Carrey, the star of the surprising hit Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and a regular on TV's In Living Color, acquits himself well in a part of sublime goofiness.
If a movie star was born in Ace Ventura, he is christened in The Mask. Quite simply, this is the best and freest crazy comedy to come along since Beetlejuice.
Not only is he adept at physical humor, the kind of knockabout stuff that recalls the classic silent clowns, but Carrey also has a bright and likable screen presence, a lost puppy quality that is surprisingly endearing.
Though the story has a certain universal appeal -- who hasn't felt like a useless jerk and wished to wake up capable of anything? -- the execution is oddly sour and distasteful.
When his face turns green and his limbs get limber, Carrey's pretty much unstoppable. This cartoon-y creation is an amazing fusion of physical comedy and state-of-the- art cinema illusion.
