Stanley Ipkiss is such a nice guy. A cartoon loving banker and an old fashioned romantic, Ipkiss just lacks self-confidence. Hence, he takes all the abuse without saying a word. This is all gonna change when Stanley finds a mysterious mask that has the power to turn him into a human cartoon, The Mask, an eccentric, loud and charismatic green-faced cat in a 40s zoot suit. With the mask, Ipkiss will even be able to rock the hottest nightclub in town and seduce a sultry chanteuse played by the downright gorgeous Cameron Diaz. But the film’s real star is Jim Carrey, the only comedian who could have played that nutcase role. You have to see him cha-chaing like a madman all through the film, throwing catchy one-liners and defying the laws of physics.

But if it wasn’t for him, the film would really fall flat. The story is unoriginal and dull, and the direction doesn’t break anything. The special FX sure are neat, but it ain’t actually that funny. Some bits are amusing, but it’s all stuff we’ve seen countless times in real cartoons. This is one of Carrey’s early efforts, and it doesn’t have the assurance of his best comedies, “Dumb & Dumber” and “The Cable Guy”, which are more daring and much funnier. Still, “The Mask” is an enjoyable feature. Carrey’s always entertaining to watch and Diaz sure is a fox (they have a wonderful dance scene together), so the movie is worth renting, for it is colorful and energetic.