The Mask (1994)

Without the green face, The Mask is a pretty flat gangster movie. Peter Greene’s villain is generic, the bank heist plot is filler, and Stanley on his own is a nice guy the movie barely cares about. Every scene before the mask goes on is just waiting for the mask. But when Jim Carrey puts it on, he turns into pure rubber. Eyes popping out on springs, a jaw that hits the table, a whole police force dragged into a conga line. It’s one of the most physically unhinged comedy performances ever filmed, and the effects mostly still hold up. Milo the dog deserves his own billing. Cameron Diaz walks into the bank in slow motion and the movie forgets what it was doing. It made $351.6 million worldwide on a reported budget of $18 to $23 million. A 6.6 because Carrey in the mask is a genius and the movie around him is just okay. $462 says you try the Cuban Pete hip shake in the kitchen and immediately regret it.

What works: Jim Carrey’s rubber-limbed, cartoon-speed physical comedy whenever the mask goes on, plus a scene-stealing dog.

What doesn’t: The gangster plot and the villain are flat, so every scene without the mask feels like a wait.

Who it’s for: Anyone who grew up on Saturday morning cartoons and wants to see one with a real person inside it.