73
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertMask is a wonderful movie, a story of high spirits and hope and courage.
- 88Chicago TribuneGene SiskelChicago TribuneGene SiskelIt's an old lesson, but one well told with fresh faces in Mask.
- 80Los Angeles TimesSheila BensonLos Angeles TimesSheila BensonStoltz is simply amazing in the variety, the humor and the absolute lack of self-pity with which he draws Rocky, whose spirit soars so far beyond his body.
- 80Time OutTime OutBogdanovich invests the story with warmth, generosity and considerable power.
- 80Based on a true story, Mask is alive with the rhythms and textures of a unique life. Both in the background and foreground, Mask draws a vivid picture of life among a particular type of lower middle class Southern California whites. Much of the credit for keeping the film from tripping over must go to the cast, especially Stoltz, who, with only his eyes visible behind an elaborate makeup job, brings a lively, life-affirming personality to his role without a trace of self-pity.
- 75Miami HeraldBill CosfordMiami HeraldBill CosfordIt is shameless, and I have the feeling that it is not always wholly honest with us or with its subjects. But it is so well made that we are compelled to forgive its sins. Only a cynic could deny its appeal. [22 Mar 1985, p.D10]
- 70Washington PostWashington PostMask is a tear-jerker in the sense that your dentist is a tooth jerker -- it yanks on your heart with pliers. That said, the story it has to tell is so unutterably sad and inspiring that the movie works in spite of itself. [22 Mar 1985, p.C1]
- 60The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyAll of the performances are limited by the material and, in the case of Mr. Stoltz, by Michael Westmore's quite spectacular makeup. The exception - and the film's best sequence - occurs when Rusty's very middle-class, well-meaning parents, played by Estelle Getty and Richard Dysart, come to visit. In these few, brief minutes, Mask becomes specific and interesting. Otherwise it's the kind of story that would work better as a television feature.
- 60TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineMask is a good movie that could have been a great one with a little more restraint.
- 60NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenThe heart of the movie is in the Rocky-Rusty relationship, and as long as Bogdanovich sticks with Cher and Stoltz, his film is genuinely moving and largely free of cant. Far more problematic is the portrait of the biker gang who, for all their rowdiness, are about as threatening as Santa's elves. [04 Mar 1985, p.74]