I was not one of the admirers of "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." Millions were, however. Stanley's apartment resembles a teenage boy's bedroom all that's missing is a sign on the outside of the door saying "Keep Out! This means you!" The look of the film is as much fun as anything else. The art design on the movie goes for the lurid 1940s film noir look of a lot of superhero comic books, and the Coco Bongo Club looks recycled out of "Gilda" and a dozen other movies with elegant nightclubs. The story otherwise involves Richard Jeni as Charlie, Stanley's best friend at the bank, who introduces him to the mysteries of the Coco Bongo Club Peter Riegert as a cop who notices the Mask's tie seems to be made of the same material as Stanley's unspeakable pajamas and Milo, Stanley's dog, who is at least as clever as his master.
Her chemistry with the Carrey character holds together a plot that is every bit as derivative as it can be, and when she dances with the Mask the result is one of those scenes when movie magic really works. This is her first movie role, after a brief modeling career. She flirts with him in the bank while taking secret videotape of the vault for her boss, the slimy Dorian Tyrel ( Peter Greene), who runs the Coco Bongo Club, where, of course, Tina is the slinky chanteuse.Ĭameron Diaz is a true discovery in the film, a genuine sex bomb with a gorgeous face, a wonderful smile, and a gift of comic timing. The story begins with Stanley as a hapless bank clerk, who is hopelessly besotted by a beautiful customer, Tina Carlyle ( Cameron Diaz). The result is a movie character who seems half real, half animated.Īnd the director, Charles Russell, is able to use special effects to move effortlessly between what might be possible and what is certainly not, as the Mask whirls like a beebop dervish and triumphantly prevails in situations that would have baffled poor Stanley Ipkiss. The notes with the film explain that makeup expert Greg Cannom realized Carrey's exaggerated facial expressions are part of his essence, and didn't want them lost behind makeup. It transforms Carrey's features into a much larger, comic-bookish parody, but at the same time the features are still able to move in a lifelike way. One of the key design decisions on the movie must have involved the Mask character's makeup. "The Mask" is a perfect vehicle for the talents of Jim Carrey, who underwhelmed me with " Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" but here seems to have found a story and character that work together with manic energy. He is instantly transformed into a maniacal whirlwind of energy, dressed in a 1940s-style zoot suit - a cross between the Joker and Aladdin's genie, with elements of the Shadow. No wonder adolescent boys respond to these stories so powerfully.Ĭonsider what happens to Stanley when he puts on the mask.
Billy Batson shouts "Shazam!", Clark Kent darts into a phone booth, Bruce Wayne becomes Batman, and in every case an insignificant wimp becomes a superhero. Transformation scenes are of course the soul of comic book fiction.