Movie #112 - Mask

"They told 16-year-old Rocky Dennis he could never be like everyone else. So he was determined to be better."

This movie is one of the more powerful dramas of the 1980's. In similar fashion to the movie, The Elephant Man, which was released a few years earlier, Mask follows the life of a teenager who is trying to live a normal life with a grotesque disfigurement and is based on the true story of the life of Rocky Dennis.

In a related recommendation, I recently watched The Elephant Man in 2008 and didn't find it compelling, probably because it was a true story and there wasn't much more intrigue that could be conveyed by the life of John Merrick that you couldn't read about in books or on the Internet. Not fair to judge The Elephant Man in that fashion though, because in 1980 when it was produced, there weren't a great deal of references available on the subject matter.

Back to Mask, the film received two two Golden Globe nominations. Both were for acting for both Cher and Eric Stoltz, the film did in fact win an Oscar for Best Make-up.

To be honest, I have not seen this movie in about 15+ years as every time it would be on television, my sister would change the channel as the make-up created for Stoltz's character used to give her bad dreams. However, back when I did see this film, I acknowledged the story and the drama behind the life experienced by Rocky Dennis (Stoltz). Not only is he growing up as an awkward teenager, but he's also growing up with a disfigurement that makes his life more difficult. It takes the relationships with his mother and close friends to make a difference and its one of those moving stories in the end.

Beyond this film, Cher has gone on to a strong acting career and may actually have a better portfolio in films than with her music. Stoltz has really not moved beyond the 80's, mainly making television and movie cameos as either a villain or side character. Director Peter Bogdanovich has actually done more acting than writing or directing recently, as he retained a recurring role on the Sopranos. His other known film from his resume is the cult movie, The Last Picture Show.

This movie is highly recommended, even if you are technically taking the recommendation from a 14-year old version of myself 15 years ago. I plan on updating my knowledge about this movie in more-depth in the coming weeks by watching it again... its just another one of those films that you rarely see on television anymore and that's a shame, because it has a great story to tell.