Mask, The (DVD)

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Since the "The Truman Show" proved Jim Carrey can do more than make funny faces, audiences might like to go back and see further evidence of his acting skills in the highly entertaining comedy-fantasy, "The Mask." Playing a character similar to the one in James Thurber's famous short story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," Carrey is Stanley Ipkiss, a milquetoast bank clerk who discovers a superhuman alter ego when he puts on an ancient, magical mask.

His transformation from a timid, reticent Stanley to the heroic, outgoing "Mask" is a pleasure to watch. Besides which, the computer graphics, sound effects, and musical numbers show up reasonably well.

The story concerns Stanley's finding a mysterious mask, learning its secret, and becoming everything he ever wanted to be and more, a man with supernatural powers, albeit a man with a green face and huge, glistening teeth; well, nobody's perfect. But every story needs a plot, so in Stanley's case he gets involved with Cameron Diaz, playing the sexy girlfriend of a mobster; the mobster himself, played by Peter Green; and a couple of Green's gangster cronies.

Further along the way, Stanley meets a police lieutenant, played by Peter Reigert, who thinks Stanley is involved in a bank robbery; and he encounters a pretty, young reporter, played by Amy Yasbeck, who provides a potential romantic interest. Richard Jeni plays Stanley's best friend and fellow bank employee, and even Ben Stein ("Anyone, anyone?") makes a brief appearance as a writer, an expert specializing in the psychological masks people wear. With the exception of a few minor lapses here and there, occasional dead spots, it's all pretty funny and sustains repeated watching, a reason for buying the disc in the first place.

Interestingly, it was the movie's several musical numbers that the studio initially wanted cut. But preview audiences loved them, common sense prevailed, and the music stayed in as some of the best material in the film. For demo fare, go to the Coco Bongo Club or "Cuban Pete" numbers. Great stuff!

The other highlights are the aforementioned acting of Jim Carrey and, of course, the special graphics. When in the guise of "The Mask," Carrey becomes, in almost every sense of the term, a cartoon character. He looks like a cartoon character, he behaves like a cartoon character, and he has the invincibility and super powers of a cartoon character. This is all no doubt attributable to the original character's origins.