The Mask (1994 film) = Finished

Okay, first off: I am aware that this is the equivalent of a live-action cartoon. I am aware that this is a star vehicle for Jim Carrey (and to a lesser degree Cameron Diaz). I am aware that the 90s were a very confusing time for many of y'all in general.

However

how

in the HELL

DID THIS MAKE

THREE HUNDRED

AND FIFTY

MILLION

DOLLARS

I kind of answered my own question. A live-action CGI cartoon about Extremely Nice Guy Look How Nice He Is Really He's So Nice OH WAIT HE'S A DEMON NOW Stanley Ipkiss was exactly what the world needed in the year that produced Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, and Clerks. Apparently. It was a confusing time. I don't blame you.

That said, I couldn't help being a little disappointed. This was one of the movies of the 90s, so why did it feel so...hollow?
I think the answer lies in the movie's execution of its own core.

The Mask, as a character, is a manic force driven purely by desire, trailer-worthy moments, and special effects. Jim Carrey contorts across the screen like he's literally made out of rubber and madness. Since the character defies reality, the reasoning goes, then the world itself can do the same. The messy, problematically simple content of its pulp inspirations only adds to the seeming evidence. Everyone can be a caricature! It's archetypal! It's a cartoon! It works!

To a degree, they aren't wrong. We go from point A (pathetic Stanley) to point B (triumphant Stanley) with a series of exhilarating, zany episodes, unburdened by significant emotional development. Barely connected, they break the fourth wall with abandon--because there's nothing to be found behind it.
It lacks sincerity.
Even though Stanley's tale reaches for audience empathy, it always lacks this essential heart.

It reminds me of Darkman's opposite. Where Darkman embedded enough truth in its stereotypical characters to remain relatable in its most absurd, over the top moments, The Mask is just...absurd. And that's fine--as long as you know that this is all it has.

In the end, the titular Mask is empty.