The Mask (1994 film)

The Mask is a 1994 American superhero comedy film directed by Charles Russell, produced by Bob Engelman, and written by Mike Werb, loosely based on the Mask comics published by Dark Horse Comics. The first installment in the Mask franchise, it stars Jim Carrey, Peter Riegert, Peter Greene, Amy Yasbeck, Richard Jeni, and Cameron Diaz in her film debut. Carrey plays Stanley Ipkiss, a hapless bank clerk who finds a magical mask that transforms him into his alter ego, The Mask, a mischievous troublemaker who later on becomes a superhero with superpowers, but who ends up accidentally becoming targeted by the mafia when gangster Dorian Tyrell intends to use the mask to overthrow his boss.

The Mask
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCharles Russell
Produced byBob Engelman
Screenplay byMike Werb
Story by
Based onCharacters
by Dark Horse Comics
Starring
Music byRandy Edelman
CinematographyJohn R. Leonetti
Edited byArthur Coburn
Production
companies
Distributed byNew Line Cinema
Release date
  • July 29, 1994 (1994-07-29)
Running time
101 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$18–23 million[2][3]
Box office$351.6 million[2]

The film was released on July 29, 1994, by New Line Cinema, becoming a critical and commercial success. The film grossed over $351 million on a $18–23 million budget, which made it the second most profitable film based on a comic up to that point, behind Superman (1978). It cemented Carrey's reputation as a significant actor of the 1990s, and it established Diaz as a leading lady. Carrey was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role, and the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects but lost to Forrest Gump. A standalone sequel, Son of the Mask, was released in 2005.

Plot

In Edge City, an accident during an underwater plumbing repair in the city's harbor causes a locked chest to break open, releasing a wooden mask that's inside it. Cartoon-loving Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carrey), an insecure bank clerk working at the local Edge City bank, is frequently ridiculed by everyone around him except for his co-worker and best friend Charlie Schumaker (Richard Jeni). Meanwhile, gangster Dorian Tyrell (Peter Greene), owner of the Coco Bongo nightclub, plots to overthrow his boss Niko (Orestes Matacena). One day, Tyrell sends his dazzling singer girlfriend Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz) into Stanley's bank to record its layout, in preparation for a robbery.

Stanley is attracted to Tina, and she seems to reciprocate. Unable to enter the Coco Bongo to watch Tina perform and after his faulty loaner car breaks down whilst driving home, Stanley looks over the harbor bridge in despair thinking what to do until he finds the mask near the city's harbor. After returning to his apartment, he places the mask on his face and it transforms him into a green-faced, zoot-suited trickster known as "The Mask", who is able to cartoonishly alter himself and his surroundings at will. As the Mask, Stanley indulges in a comical rampage through the city, humiliating several of his tormentors, including the mechanics who gave him the faulty loaner car and his rude, temperamental landlady Mrs. Peenman (Nancy Fish).

The next morning, Stanley encounters detective Lt. Mitch Kellaway (Peter Riegert) and newspaper reporter Peggy Brandt (Amy Yasbeck), both of whom are investigating the Mask's activity of the previous night. To obtain the funds necessary to attend Tina's performance, he again dons the mask and raids the bank, inadvertently foiling Tyrell's plan in the process. At the Coco Bongo, Stanley dances exuberantly with Tina, whom he ends up kissing. Following a confrontation with Tyrell for disrupting the robbery and stealing his girlfriend, Stanley flees, leaving behind a scrap of cloth from his suit. Tyrell and his men are then arrested by Kellaway and his partner Doyle (Jim Doughan).

Based on the piece of cloth, which has reverted to a piece of Stanley's distinctive pajamas, Kellaway suspects Stanley to be the bank robber. Stanley later consults a psychiatrist (Ben Stein) who has recently published a book on masks and discovers that the object may be a creation of Loki, the Norse god of night and mischief. He also learns that the mask's powers only work at night. The same night, Stanley meets Tina at a local park as the Mask, but the meeting is interrupted by Kellaway, who attempts to capture him. Stanley flees with Peggy after distracting the police (and nearby civilians) with a mass performance of the Desi Arnaz song "Cuban Pete"; she then betrays him to Tyrell (who was released due to insufficient evidence connecting him or his men to the robbery) for a $50,000 bounty. Tyrell dons the mask, becoming a malevolent green-faced being. Tyrell's henchmen force Stanley to reveal the location of the stolen money, before turning him in to the police.

When Tina visits Stanley in the station, he urges her to flee the city. Tina thanks Stanley for showing her kindness and warmth she wasn't used to and tells him he didn't need the mask to be special to her. She attempts to leave the city, but is captured by Tyrell's men and forcibly taken to a charity ball at the Coco Bongo, hosted by Niko and attended by the city's elite, including Mayor Tilton (Ivory Ocean). Upon arrival, the masked Tyrell kills Niko and prepares to destroy the club with a time bomb. Milo, Stanley's dog, helps Stanley escape from the station by retrieving the keys from the guard. Stanley then takes Kellaway hostage in a desperate attempt to stop Tyrell.

After locking Kellaway in his car, Stanley enters the club and manages to enlist the help of Charlie, but is soon after discovered and captured. Tina tricks Tyrell into taking off the mask, which is recovered and donned by Milo. Milo battles his way through Tyrell's men as Stanley fights him alone. After recovering the mask, Stanley uses its powers to rescue Tina by swallowing the bomb seconds before it detonates and then flushes Tyrell down the drain of the club's ornamental fountain. The police arrive and arrest Tyrell's henchmen. Kellaway attempts to arrest Stanley once again, but Tilton tells Kellaway and the police that Tyrell was the Mask the whole time as a way of releasing Stanley and Tilton then tells Kellaway and Doyle that he needs to have a serious meeting with them in his office at dawn.

As the sun rises the following day, all charges against Stanley are dropped. Not wanting to get involved with the police again, Stanley decides to return the mask back to the harbor. After informing Tina that getting rid of the mask will result in him being only himself, she throws it into the water as she and Stanley share a kiss. Charlie then jumps in the water to retrieve the mask for himself, only to find Milo swimming away with it. Stanley closes the movie by saying the Mask's catchphrase, "Smokin'."

Cast
  • Jim Carrey as Stanley Ipkiss / The Mask: Carrey commented that he characterized Stanley after his own father: "a nice guy, just trying to get by". When Ipkiss puts on the Mask, he becomes a wacky, zoot-suited, suave cartoon figure with the superhuman ability to manipulate his own shape and the world around him; this is implied to be the projection of his preferred fantasies onto himself. Before Carrey was cast, Matthew Broderick, Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, Martin Short, Keanu Reeves, Mike Myers, John Ritter and Robin Williams were all considered.
  • Max as Milo, Stanley Ipkiss's dog of Jack Russell Terrier breed.[4][5]
  • Peter Greene as Dorian Tyrell: A Mafia officer who desires to kill his superior. He is insane, psychopathic, manipulative, ambitious, arrogant, paranoid and selfish with scant regard for those lives destroyed as a result of his ambition. When Tyrell wears the Mask, he becomes a troll-like figure (representing his malice) and exhibits bestial behavior. Before Greene was cast, Jack Nicholson, Willem Dafoe, Dennis Hopper, Robert De Niro and Rupert Everett were all considered.
  • Cameron Diaz as Tina Carlyle: Tyrell's glamorous and beautiful girlfriend who is also attracted to Stanley. Tina is dissatisfied with Tyrell as a partner but does not defy him until she has been courted by his rival. This role marked the feature-film debut for former model Cameron Diaz. Before Diaz was cast, the studio considered casting Vanessa Williams and Kristy Swanson. There was also a studio offer for Caprice Bourret and Anna Nicole Smith.
  • Orestes Matacena as Niko: The mafia boss of Edge City and owner of the Coco Bongo Club.
  • Peter Riegert as Lt. Mitch Kellaway: A slightly cynical police detective lieutenant who pursues the Mask, Tyrell, and Niko throughout the film. Before Riegert was cast, Warren Beatty, John Heard, Pierce Brosnan, Jeffrey Jones, Christopher Reeve and Paul Gleason were all considered.
  • Jim Doughan as Detective Doyle: Kellaway's slightly inept partner.
  • Richard Jeni as Charles "Charlie" Schumaker: A friend of Stanley. Charlie is amiable but can be selfish or irrational at times. Before Jeni was cast, Phil Hartman was considered.
  • Amy Yasbeck as Peggy Brandt: A reporter. Originally, the character was murdered by Tyrell when he is first transformed by the Mask, but Director Chuck Russell cut this scene with an eye to including a reformed Peggy in a Mask sequel (though this idea fell through when Carrey declined to return). The character appeared in the animated series.
  • Jeremy Roberts as Bobby the Bouncer: One of Tyrell's bodyguards who works as the bouncer of the Coco Bongo Club.
  • Ben Stein as Dr. Arthur Neuman: A psychologist who tells Ipkiss about the Mask being representative of Loki. He's also the author of the book, The Masks We Wear, which deals with people portraying themselves differently to others.
  • Ivory Ocean as Mitchell Tilton: The Mayor of Edge City.
  • Reginald E. Cathey as Freeze: One of Tyrell's bodyguards and a loyal friend of his.
  • William Daniel Mielcarek as Doc: One of Tyrell's thugs.
  • Denis Forest as Sweet Eddy: One of Tyrell's thugs.
  • Eamonn Roche as Mr. Dickey: Stanley and Charlie's supervisor at Edge City Bank.
  • Nancy Fish as Mrs Peenman: Stanley's temperamental landlady.
  • Nils Allen Stewart as Orlando: One of Tyrell's thugs.
  • Blake Clark as Murray: Peggy's supervisor at the city's local newspaper.

Production

Development

In 1989, Mike Richardson and Todd Moyer, who was Executive Vice President of Dark Horse Comics, first approached New Line Cinema about adapting the comic The Mask into a film, after having seen other offers. The main character went through several transformations, and the project was stalled a couple of times.[6]

One unused "Mask" idea, according to Mike Richardson, was to transform the story into one about a mask-maker who took faces off of corpses to put them on teens and turn them into zombies.[7]

Initially intended to become a new horror franchise, New Line Cinema offered the job of directing the film to Chuck Russell.[8] However, Russell found the violence of the comic to be off-putting, and wanted the film to be less grim and adult-oriented and more fun and family-friendly than the source material.[9]

Writing

Mike Werb says Chuck Russell tapped him after reading his script for Curious George for Imagine. The two decided to turn The Mask into a wild romantic comedy.[10] Mike Werb wrote his first draft of The Mask in less than six weeks, and less than two months later it was green-lit.[11]

According to Mark Verheiden, they had a first draft screenplay for a film version done back in 1990. Verheiden then wrote the second draft in early 1991, adding more humor, and that ended up being the only work he did on The Mask. After that the film went into development hell.[12]

Visual effects

The Mask's visual effects were handled by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Dream Quest Images. The sequences in the film which involved computer animation were supervised by ILM animation director Wes Takahashi.[13] There were a lot of VFX scenes that had to be cut for budget.[11]

Release

Home media

The film was released on VHS and Laserdisc on January 18, 1995 (and later on DVD) by New Line Home Video. The VHS version included the Space Ghost Coast to Coast episode "The Mask", which featured interviews with Jim Carrey and Chuck Russell. It was later released on Blu-ray Disc on December 9, 2008.[14]

Reception

Box office

The film was a box-office success, grossing $119 million domestically and over $350 million worldwide,[2] becoming the second-highest grossing superhero movie at that time, behind Batman. In terms of global gross compared to budget, the film became the most profitable comic book movie of all time and remained so until 2019, when Joker surpassed it.[15] The Mask is one of three films featuring Carrey (the others being Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Dumb and Dumber) released in 1994 that helped launch the actor to superstardom; The Mask was the most successful of these three films both critically and commercially. The film is also notable for establishing the previously unknown Diaz as a major Hollywood star.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a "Certified Fresh" approval rating of 77% based on reviews from 53 critics, with an average rating of 6.47/10. The site's consensus states: "It misses perhaps as often as it hits, but Jim Carrey's manic bombast, Cameron Diaz's blowsy appeal, and the film's overall cartoony bombast keep The Mask afloat."[16] Metacritic gave it a weighted average score of 56 out of 100 based on reviews from 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[17] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[18]

On the television program Siskel & Ebert & the Movies, the critics gave the film "two thumbs up". Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars, noting Jim Carrey for his "joyful performance."[19]

The film was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the 67th Academy Awards, but lost to Forrest Gump. Carrey was nominated for a Golden Globe but also a Razzie Award (for "Worst New Star").

Year-end lists

Music

Soundtracks

The Mask: Music From the Motion Picture was released on July 26, 1994 on Chaos Records through Sony Music Entertainment. It features music from Xscape, Tony! Toni! Toné!, Vanessa Williams, Harry Connick Jr., Carrey himself and more. The songs "Cuban Pete" and "Hey Pachuco" were also used for the trailer of the 1997 Disney film Flubber.

The Mask: Music from the Motion Picture
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
ReleasedJuly 26, 1994 (1994-07-26)
GenreSwing, retro swing, pop rock, R&B, new jack swing
LabelChaos/Columbia

Track listing
  1. "Cuban Pete" (C & C Pop Radio Edit) – Jim Carrey
  2. "Who's That Man?" – Xscape
  3. "This Business of Love" – Domino
  4. "Bounce Around" – Tony! Toni! Toné!
  5. "(I Could Only) Whisper Your Name" – Harry Connick Jr.
  6. "You Would Be My Baby" – Vanessa Williams
  7. "Hi De Ho" – K7
  8. "Let the Good Times Roll" – Fishbone
  9. "Straight Up" – The Brian Setzer Orchestra
  10. "Hey! Pachuco!" – Royal Crown Revue
  11. "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You" – Susan Boyd
  12. "Cuban Pete" (Arkin Movie Mix) – Jim Carrey

The record labels TriStar Music and Epic Soundtrax released an orchestral score soundtrack to The Mask shortly after the original soundtrack's release. The score was composed and conducted by Randy Edelman and performed by the Irish Film Orchestra.

Orchestral score track listing
  1. Opening – The Origin of the Mask
  2. Tina
  3. Carnival
  4. Transformation
  5. Tango In The Park
  6. Lovebirds
  7. Out of the Line of Fire
  8. A Dark Night
  9. The Man Behind the Mask
  10. Dorian Gets a New Face
  11. Looking for a Way Out
  12. The Search
  13. Forked Tongue
  14. Milo to the Rescue
  15. The Mask Is Back
  16. Finale

Charts
Chart Position
Billboard 200 80

Other media

Animated series

An animated television series, entitled The Mask: Animated Series, was made from 1995 to 1997, with Rob Paulsen as Ipkiss and Neil Ross as Kellaway. Its final episode was a crossover with The Mask and another Jim Carrey character Ace Ventura. This would later continue in an episode of the Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

Video game

A video game for the Super Nintendo, The Mask, was based on the film.

Sequel
Main article: Son of the Mask

After the success of the original, a sequel film was planned, with magazine Nintendo Power offering readers a chance, via sweepstakes, to win a cameo role in the film.[22] However Jim Carrey eventually bailed on the project, forcing, amongst other things, Nintendo Power to give the winner of the contest the equivalent cash value instead.[23] A standalone sequel, Son of the Mask, featuring neither Carrey nor Diaz, was eventually released in 2005, but it was a critical and commercial failure upon release.

Possible sequel

On the possibility of a direct sequel to the 1994 film with Carrey reprising the role of Stanley Ipkiss and Diaz as Tina Carlyle, Mike Richardson has said, "We've been talking about reviving The Mask, both in film and in comics. We've had a couple of false starts."[24]

References
  1. "The Mask". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  2. "The Mask (1994)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  3. "The Mask (1994)". The Numbers. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  4. https://www.wolfstoria.com/famous-tv-movie-dogs/milo-the-mask/
  5. https://ew.com/article/1994/08/19/max-dog-steals-mask/
  6. Brennan, Judy (July 31, 1994). "'Mask' Makes Dark Horse Into Sure Bet for Spinoffs : The booming comic-book publisher gets a multi-picture deal before the Jim Carrey film even opens". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  7. Ching, Albert (20 October 2013). "NYCC: Palmiotti, Richie & Richardson Talk Comics and Hollywood". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  8. THN Exclusive: Chuck Russell talks I Am Wrath, The Mask and Freddy Krueger Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  9. Shapiro, Marc (August 1994). "Mask Maker". Starlog. No. 205. pp. 32–35. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  10. 'MASK' MASTERMIND: But Aren't All Screenwriters Former Teen-Age Geek Losers? Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  11. An Interview with Face/Off Screenwriter Mike Werb Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  12. Jankiewicz, Pat (September 1994). "Masks of Time". Starlog. No. 206. pp. 40–45. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  13. "Subject: Wes Ford Takahashi". Animators' Hall of Fame. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  14. Dreuth, Josh (2008-12-09). "Today on Blu-ray – December 9". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
  15. "Joker is the most profitable comic book movie of all time". Consequence of Sound. 2019-11-09. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  16. "The Mask (1994)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  17. "The Mask". Metacritic. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  18. "Cinemascore :: Movie Title Search". web.archive.org. 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  19. Ebert, Roger (July 29, 1994). "The Mask". Chicago Sun-Times. rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2006-08-01.
  20. Pickle, Betsy (December 30, 1994). "Searching for the Top 10... Whenever They May Be". Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 3.
  21. Craft, Dan (December 30, 1994). "Success, Failure and a Lot of In-between; Movies '94". The Pantagraph. p. B1.
  22. "Player's Poll Contest". Nintendo Power (77): 82–83. October 1995.
  23. Ponce, Tony. "Meet the winner of Nintendo Power's The Mask II contest". Destructoid. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  24. Sunu, Steve (7 August 2014). "EXCLUSIVE: Richardson Details Dark Horse's "Itty Bitty Mask" Plans". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
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