The Mask

"From zero to hero."

1994 1h 41m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

🍅

82%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 11,659🍅82%Rotten Tomatoes●59Metacritic★7IMDB · 464,432

ComedyFantasyCrimeRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Timid bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss discovers a magical mask infused with the spirit of the Norse god Loki. Donning it transforms him into an unrestrained, green-faced, cartoon-like wild man. While the mask grants him the confidence to woo a local singer, it also makes him the target of a ruthless mobster.

“From zero to hero.”

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Cast

Jim Carrey
Stanley Ipkiss / The Mask
Peter Riegert
Mitch Kellaway
Peter Greene
Dorian Tyrrell
Amy Yasbeck
Peggy Brandt
Richard Jeni
Charlie Schumaker
Orestes Matacena
Niko
Tim Bagley
Irv
Nancy Fish
Mrs. Peenman

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Chuck Russell
Writers: Mike Werb, Pete von Sholly, Michael Fallon
Languages: Swedish, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $352M — a 15.3× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

32 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Swedish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Mask Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Chuck Russell, shot by John R. Leonetti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Randy Edelman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Arthur Coburn shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jim Carrey and Peter Riegert and Peter Greene carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Chuck Russell directs. John R. Leonetti behind the camera. Randy Edelman scores. Arthur Coburn cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Swedish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Grossed $352M — a 15.3× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
232 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Swedish, English.
4Part of the "The Mask Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Chuck Russell, shot by John R. Leonetti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Randy Edelman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Arthur Coburn shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Jim Carrey and Peter Riegert and Peter Greene carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "From zero to hero.".
10IMDB entry: tt0110475 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
1111,659 TMDB user ratings logged — serious cultural footprint.
12Classified under 17 themes, including "dual identity", "bank", "superhero", "mockery".

The technical file

Cinematography: John R. Leonetti
Original score: Randy Edelman
Editing: Arthur Coburn
Production design: Craig Stearns
Costume design: Ha Nguyen
Makeup / hair: Roland Blancaflor
VFX supervisor: Jon Farhat
Sound: Ken Teaney
Stunt coordinator: Rick Barker
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $23,000,000
Box office: $351,583,407
Return: 1529% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Mask (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes: 82% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 59/100
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 464,432 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 6 wins & 22 nominations total

Sitges Film Festival best special effects award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

The Mask Collection

The Mask is an American fantasy-comedy film series based on a series of comic books published by Dark Horse Comics about the mask of Loki. The original film stars Jim Carrey as Stanley Ipkiss.

Also by

Chuck Russell

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522020-04-02
★ 7/10
Fun fantasy-comedy that utilizes Jim Carrey's physicality, and comedic timing, to the extreme and while some of the jokes didn't land and the mask himself (both Stanley and Dorian) was a bit ridiculous, even within the confines of this universe, still found it to be entertaining enough, plus it is Cameron Diaz's feature debut... 3.5/5
r96sk2022-08-10
★ 8/10
Not as good as I remember, still an amusing watch regardless. It's been many, many years since I last watched 'The Mask', hence why I hadn't had it logged on here before now, and while it isn't as funny or as quotable as I thought it would be (I remember really liking it as a kid), there is still enough in there that I got much entertainment from. Jim Carrey's performance is superb, without him you'd have a very cringe and ultimately disappointing flick. Interesting to note that he did this, 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' and 'Dumb and Dumber' (which I gotta see at some point!) all in 1994 - quite the year! Peter Greene and Peter Riegert are also involved, though it's very much the debuting Cameron Diaz that is the best of the rest behind Carrey. Apparently this had a sequel released in 2005, 'Son of the Mask'. On paper it should be awful, so therefore I gotta go check it out!
CinemaSerf2024-08-23
★ 6/10
Jim Carrey is the drippy bank-clerk "Ipkiss" who is always looking for love but who never seems to make much progress. Then one night he spots something floating in the river. Thinking it's a man, he goes to the rescue but it turns out to just be a mask that we know has recently been released from a locked casket deep beneath the waves. He takes it home, and whilst inspecting it soon realises that it can attach itself to his face and turn him into a suave and witty character (albeit with a bright green face) who has no difficulty exuding the charm. That's handy because we are now introduced to the charming "Tina" (Cameron Diaz) so maybe the mask can help him woo her? The thing about this mask, though, is that it has a mischievous streak - it's enables it's users desires both good and bad, too, and of course it isn't long before the police "Kellaway" (Peter Riegert) are on the case as the mask brings out the conflicting side of it's owner's personality and some trouble beckons. It's an adequate vehicle for Carrey and he owns the show from start to finish. He's charismatic and entertaining but I just never found him funny. His presentation of humour is just too brash and in your face. There's nothing remotely subtle or sophisticated about it, and though it is lively and really doesn't hang around at all, I found it just a bit too repetitious and after about twenty minutes it reminded me of "Bugsy Malone" (1976) only without the custard pies. Like Steve Martin, Jim Carrey's style of comedy just didn't hit the spot for me, and though this is certainly one of his better efforts and Diaz adds a star quality to the affair, it's all just a little too pantomime slick for me.