Once upon a time, Jim Carrey was someone known only to fans of the comedy variety show In Living Color. However, he became a household name in 1994 thanks to the success of the zany Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, as well as another film that adapted one of the wildest comic books ever created. That second film was The Mask, and you can now stream this cartoonishly crazy film for free on Tubi.
The plot of The Mask is that Jim Carrey plays a nebbish bank teller who’s always the butt of the joke, so he’s worried whether he has the rizz necessary to win the heart of a saucy nightclub singer. Things change when he finds a mask that changes him into a bald, green maniac with fantastic powers straight out of a Looney Tunes cartoon. He revels in this newfound power, but it doesn’t take long for the mask to cause problems in his personal life, even as it makes this boring banker begin to question who he really is.
Jim Carrey goes cartoon crazy in The Mask.
As old-school comics fans already know, The Mask was originally a Dark Horse comic with a similar storyline, only the titular mask made our main character into someone whose over-the-top violence leads to massive body counts. Accordingly, New Line Cinema originally wanted to adapt the comic into a horror film that fans of franchises like Nightmare on Elm Street would appreciate. But after they hired Chuck Russell to helm the film, the director successfully convinced New Line that The Mask would work better on the big screen as a wild, family-friendly comedy.
Virtually unknown star Jim Carrey was chosen for the lead role in The Mask even though much bigger names were considered, including Robin Williams, Nicolas Cage, and Matthew Broderick. But director Russell was already a big fan of Carrey, who appreciated his work as both a stand-up comedian and an actor. He helped convince New Line that Carrey was the perfect choice for a role that demanded so much manic energy and extremely physical acting.
Cameron Diaz oozes Jim Carrey in The Mask.
The rest of the casting choices are equally perfect, including Cameron Diaz making her theatrical debut in The Mask as the main character’s love interest. She’s effervescently and mesmerizingly funny in the film, and she had perfect chemistry with Carrey whenever they were onscreen. The original source material may have been toned down for this PG-13 film, but that doesn’t keep Diaz and Carrey from oozing sex appeal with every passionate glance.
Aside from the leads’ chemistry, there are plenty of reasons to watch The Mask, including some great action scenes that lean into the cartoonish nature of our main character. Plus, the mix of live-action and animation in this film is subtly brilliant, evoking Who Framed Roger Rabbit? in all the best ways. Honestly, though, the main reason to watch this film is how funny it is, with Carrey’s violent, vibrating energy making every look, every line, and every song contagiously hilarious.
Cameron Diaz wows in her first movie.
The Mask was a modest hit with critics, earning an 80 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from reviewers who felt the gags were hit-or-miss but that Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz gave amazing performances. The film was a much bigger hit with general audiences, though, earning $352 million against a modest budget of $18 million. Audiences went crazy for Jim Carrey, and The Mask helped cement him as one of the most bankable funnymen in all of Hollywood.
Will The Mask tickle your funny bone, or is this one comedy you’d rather throw into the ocean so some other hapless schmuck will find it? You won’t know until you stream it for free on Tubi. Fair warning: you’ll likely rewind so much to relive this film’s punchlines that your back button will be “sssssssmoking!”
You’ll fall in love with The Mask.
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