Obviously influenced by "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" with its focus on wacky animated special effects, this film has many flaws that keeps that far from being perfect. The script is filled with lame, often ridiculously juvenile dialog that is infuriating to listen to, especially by obnoxious cop Peter Riegert who seems fixated on Jim Carrey's ugly pajamas. Carrey is your typical loser with a dead-end career, a girlfriend who psychologically abuses him (who is in one scene to manipulate tickets to a concert away from him and never seen again), and auto mechanics who want to read Pam off. A very funny scene has his car completely falling apart as he crosses a bridge, and diving into the river when he sees what he thinks is someone jumping in, he discovers the mask. Putting it on out of curiosity, he turns into the green faced, wise cracking character who fortunately does not dominate the rest of the time, only appearing here and there, and aided only by the creative elements of the film in avoid incomplete annoyance when he's on.
The female allure is provided by Cameron Diaz who first shows up at Carey's bank to open up an account while actually filming the goings-on with her purse. She's the moll of a mobster (Peter Greene) who also wants to get his hand on the mask, and when he briefly does, he's like the Green Goblin from the Spider-Man movies. Amy Yazbeck is an ambitious reporter determined to unmask the mask, and Nancy Fish is Carry's obnoxious landlady obsessed with noise issues in the building who gets the shock of her life when she opens the door to Carrey in full green regalia. But the scene is stolen by Carry's adorable Jack Russell dog who also end up briefly in the mask, even doing a Mutley laugh. Diaz has a musical number which is meant to spoof a cartoon sequence seen early in the film, and there's also a big production number on the street that Carrey in the mask manipulates. I'm certainly hoping that no one ever does this as a stage musical. This was a big smash hit when it came out, and it's definitely worth seeing, but I'm certainly glad that there were never any sequels.
The female allure is provided by Cameron Diaz who first shows up at Carey's bank to open up an account while actually filming the goings-on with her purse. She's the moll of a mobster (Peter Greene) who also wants to get his hand on the mask, and when he briefly does, he's like the Green Goblin from the Spider-Man movies. Amy Yazbeck is an ambitious reporter determined to unmask the mask, and Nancy Fish is Carry's obnoxious landlady obsessed with noise issues in the building who gets the shock of her life when she opens the door to Carrey in full green regalia. But the scene is stolen by Carry's adorable Jack Russell dog who also end up briefly in the mask, even doing a Mutley laugh. Diaz has a musical number which is meant to spoof a cartoon sequence seen early in the film, and there's also a big production number on the street that Carrey in the mask manipulates. I'm certainly hoping that no one ever does this as a stage musical. This was a big smash hit when it came out, and it's definitely worth seeing, but I'm certainly glad that there were never any sequels.