Part of Midnight Movies
When he dons an ancient Nordic mask, Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carrey) moves at warp speed, knows your every desire, satisfies your every whim and dances like Fred Astaire, Gumby and Baryshnikov combined. He’s s-s-s-smokin’! Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz star in this story of a sweet, socially inept bank teller who discovers a mask that transforms him into a superhero — but one whom you may not want to call for help.
Director Chuck Russell’s Tex Avery-tinged comic adaptation was the perfect vehicle for rubberfaced madman Carrey during his ascent to ‘90s superstardom. Swing dancing over the tightrope between oddball nostalgia and cringe, this hyperactive pop relic has weaseled its way into the collective consciousness and become an iconic cult favorite.
“Carrey gets the girl, gets revenge and even gets a city block of SWAT-team cops bumping helplessly in a conga line…. Any other actor would be overwhelmed by this sort of mega-makeover. But even without the state-of-the-art, boundary-busting computerized effects from Industrial Light & Magic, Carrey's a human cartoon.” —Joe Brown, Washington Post (Jul 29, 1994)
“This showcase for the talents of Jim Carrey is adroitly directed, viscerally and visually dynamic and just plain fun.” —Leonard Klady, Variety (Jul 28, 1994)
