Mask (1985)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Peter Bogdanovich

Writer:

Anna Hamilton Phelan (written by)

Release Date:

8 March 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

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

Plot:

A boy with a massive facial skull deformity and biker gang mother attempts to live as normal a life as possible under the circumstances.

Plot Keywords:

Biker Gang | Biker | Deformity | Prejudice | Sport Card

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Cher	...	Florence 'Rusty' Dennis
Sam Elliott	...	Gar
Eric Stoltz	...	Roy L.'Rocky' Dennis
Estelle Getty	...	Evelyn
Richard Dysart	...	Abe
Laura Dern	...	Diana Adams
Micole Mercurio	...	Babe
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Red
Dennis Burkley	...	Dozer
Lawrence Monoson	...	Ben
Ben Piazza	...	Mr. Simms
L. Craig King	...	Eric
Alexandra Powers	...	Lisa
Kelly Jo Minter	...	Lorrie (as Kelly Minter)
Joe Unger	...	1st Boyfriend

Also Known As:

Peter Bogdanovich's Mask (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

120 min | USA:127 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-10 | France:U | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Netherlands:AL

Filming Locations:

Azusa, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The poem that "Rocky" reads to "Rusty" was written by the real Rocky Dennis.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the beginning of the film, Rocky has two Steve Garvey cards. Red gives him another one, making him have three Steve Garvey cards. A little bit later, Rocky gives one of his Steve Garvey cards to Ben, leaving him again with two Steve Garvey cards. When Rocky and Rusty have their fight about Rusty going out all the time, she rips one, which should only leave him with one whole card left. But when he goes and finds the other cards that match the ripped one, he has a total of three. Since he gave one away to Ben and his mother ripped another one, he should only have a total of two Steve Garvey cards (the ripped and the whole).

Quotes:

Rusty Dennis: [her final line, after finding that Rocky has passed away in his sleep] ... Now you can go anywhere you want, baby.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The X Files: The Post-Modern Prometheus (#5.5)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Katmandu

"This is beautiful"

Seriously, I did cry, but this wasn't an overly sappy film. I read in most of the comments that it was too sappy for some viewers. Yeah, you might cry, but rightfully. "Mask" is an excellent story. Rocky is a teenager who is very horribly disfigured. But he keeps his spirits up and just wants to fit in with the rest of the world. Cher plays his mother who is a biker chick. She loves him to death. And Rocky makes wonderful friends on the way through his life. It's a wonderful movie. I thought the story was very good and the actors were great. If you enjoyed movies like "Powder" or "Huntchback of Notre Dame", I think you would like this. I would highly recommend this film. Don't be afraid to cry.

9/10