History Film / TheMask

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: {{Discussed}} trope. Stanley connects with Peggy when he reveals he sent a letter to her advice column [[DoggedNiceGuy bemoaning his lack of a dating life]]. It seems at first that Peggy is going to exhibit this trope when she wants to meet the Mask, but it turns out [[spoiler: she betrays Stanley in order to keep her apartment]]. Although Tina was seduced by the Mask, she winds up falling in love with Ipkiss (albeit his experience with the Mask having made him more confident).

* AndIMustScream: One of the many powers bestowed to the mask's user is to control people's bodies but not their minds, meaning that the user could literally make you do anything they wanted to while you are fully conscious and aware of what's going on; luckily Stanley only uses this ability to make a few dozen police officers dance around and sing with him, but if Dorian had realized he had this power, [[AGodAmI combined with his ego]], it's probably best not to think about what he would have done.

** What happens after a driver almost runs over the Mask and starts honking at him.

** Non-fatal example on the two mechanics. The Mask shoves two exhaust pipes up their butts after they tried to cheat Stanley on the price. It's implied they regularly did to this to other customers.

* TheAllegedCar: "The Loaner" Stanley receives from the mechanics, a 1951 Studebaker Champion that is rusting, and as demonstrated when Stanley kicks it in anger, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiLCEBdLSmo falling to pieces.]]

* BondOneLiner: "Snooze" and "You were good, kid, real good. But as long as I'm around, you'll always be second best, see?"

** "Ssssmokin'!"
** "Doyle!"
** "Somebody stop me!"

* {{Novelization}}: By Steve Perry (not THAT [[Music/JourneyBand Steve Perry]]).

** Also the street gang when The Mask finishes making his last balloon sculpture.
** When The Mask barricades the Landfill Park gate to escape from Kellaway and Doyle he turns around to find SWAT, a helicopter, and dozens of cops [[FailedASpotCheck right behind him.]] He's so terrified his eyes, skull, and tongue leap out of his face as he screams.

* BlackDudeDiesFirst: The Doctor is the first named character to die in the movie.

* NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters: The Mask, because of his wearer is a fan of the Tex Avery cartoons, decides to become a gangster; partly of them but mostly he wanted to instill fear and respect into people because of Stanley being bullied by some of those people. He goes after some of the people who ticked Stanley off the most, and robs a bank at one point so that he can have enough money to get inside the Coco Bongo, but other than that he is very polite, friendly and nice towards the people who are nice to him or Stanley like Tina. He is also harmless, as he doesn't hurt or kill anyone at all, preferring to {{Troll}}ing them and messing around as well, and he does help stop the BigBad from killing Tina and everyone else in the Coco Bongo.

* NeverGiveTheCaptainAStraightAnswer: Dorian Tyrell sends his minions to rob a bank. Later on, one of them shows up unexpectedly and is somewhat unresponsive to Tyrell's question. It turns out that another minion is upstairs dying from gunshot wounds. Somewhat justified in that Dorian is in public at the time, and you don't want to openly discuss a dying bank robber in your place where it's even remotely possible that someone might overhear -- mobsters quickly learn to never discuss crimes if they're not 100% certain there are no listeners or bugs.

* LovesMyAlterEgo: Tina and Stanley start out this way. However, she soon figures out that Stanley IS the Mask, making the issue moot, and it's implied she liked Stanley's NiceGuy personality more than the Mask's more outgoing persona more in the first place though The Mask still cares about her and still loves her as well as he saves her life along with everyone else at the Coco Bongo from the bomb which he swallows so that it can explode inside him.

* ActuallyQuiteCatchy: During The Mask's "Cuban Pete" song and dance number, police detective Doyle (who's supposed to be trying to catch The Mask) starts dancing along with the music. His boss Lieutanant Kellaway tells him "Start dancing and I'll blow your brains out."

** The theater audience (shown using shadows at the bottom of the screen) applaud him for his ‘acting’, and Dorian and his goon, realizing they’re on screen, awkwardly fix their hair.

* CoolGuns: The Tommy gun. Especially the one made out of a balloon.

* CowTools: Parodied when Doyle and another cop are frisking an under-arrest Stanley Ipkiss (in his Mask persona) while an increasingly exasperated [[TheComicallySerious Lieutenant Kellaway]] looks on. The cops name each item they pull from Ipkiss's [[{{Hammerspace}} (surprisingly deep)]] pockets - and then Doyle pulls from the left pocket the commonly seen squeeze toy for stressed people of a clown whose eyes, nose and ears bug out when it's squeezed. Doyle - who isn't the brightest bulb in the Edge City police department - looks at it blankly for two seconds and then says "I don't know."

* CrashingDreams: Stanley has a dream of the night he was at the Coco Bongo, only he is suave and confident with a nice Porsche and dressed cleanly. Most significantly, in this dream Tina was more openly attracted to him, and instead of him taking off, he flirts with Tina and signals for her to come to him. She does so, but as the two end up in each other’s arms, just as their lips are slightly brushing against each other, Tina suddenly grabs Stanley’s head and starts licking his ear repeatedly, sadly forcing Stanley to wake up to realize it was all a dream and that his dog Milo is licking his ear.

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Stanley could be seen as this at the end. The Mask can be seen as this at first due to the fact that he’s wacky and over the top but he’s a very powerful {{Reality Warper}} so, therefore, he can do whatever he wants with anyone if he wishes to. Thankfully, he’s a good-hearted person and is essentially harmless, so therefore people are very lucky when they decided to be idiots or jerks towards him or both.

* CuteButCacophonic: The horn the title character uses to blow out the motorist's windows. Crosses over with LoudOfWar and MakeMeWannaShout.

* TheDarknessBeforeDeath: Parodied. While the title character is performing his award-winning death scene, he says ''"Hold me, Ed...It's getting dark"''.

* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: To wit - "Je te ador! Je te ''any'' door! Shut ze window, I don't care!"
* EvilCounterpart: "Dorian Mask", who is very much ugly looking and uses the Mask's cartoon-like powers for evil, to "Stanley Mask", who is a (almost) harmless good-hearted person who is very easy looking and uses the Mask’s cartoon-like powers for good and to also have fun as well.

* {{Foreshadowing}}

* InLoveWithTheGangsterGirl: Stanley Ipkiss falls in love with Tina, the girlfriend of Dorian the gangster. It results in a big showdown between the two of them, once Ipkiss gets the mask back. And it's Tina who decides she likes Stanley enough to leave Dorian, rather than Stanley trying to take Tina away.
* InNameOnly: While inspired by Issue #0 of ''The Mask'', by starring Stanley Ipkiss, sharing many scenes and lines of dialogue, and featuring Lt. Kellaway, it is a comedic romp instead of the ultraviolent comic where the title character used his cartoon physics to commit grisly murders.

%%* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: Milo while wearing the Mask.

* NecktieLeash: Tina Carlyle compliments Stanely Ipkiss' tie when they first meet, pulling and stroking it suggestively. He responds that "it's a power tie. It's supposed to make me feel... powerful," while his body language reveals that at the moment, intimidated by her sexuality, he's feeling anything but.
* NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters: The Mask, because of his wearer is a fan of the Tex Avery cartoons, decides to become a gangster; partly of them but mostly he wanted to instill fear and respect into people because of Stanley being bullied by some of those people. He goes after some of the people who ticked Stanley off the most, and robs a bank at one point so that he can have enough money to get inside the Coco Bongo, but other than that he is very polite, friendly and nice towards the people who are nice to him or Stanley like Tina. He is also harmless, as he doesn't hurt or kill anyone at all, prefering to {{Troll}}ing them and messing around as well, and he does help stop the BigBad from killing Tina and everyone else in the Coco Bongo.

* OhCrap

* RoadsideWave: Stanley outside of the Coco Bongo club, just after the bouncers tossed him out - but right before he meets Tina again.

** Many examples of classic Creator/TexAvery animations and the WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes. Most notably, The Mask imitates Taz (moves by spinning), Westernanimation/DaffyDuck (wildly jumping), Westernanimation/BugsBunny (dying in the enemy's arms), Westernanimation/PepeLePew (way too intimate attempt at romance), and the Wolf from ''WesternAnimation/RedHotRidingHood'' (doing a WildTake in reaction to a sexy woman).

** [[FreezeFrameBonus Look]] ''[[FreezeFrameBonus really]]'' [[FreezeFrameBonus closely]] during the Cuban Pete number at the theater behind the Mask-- it's showing another New Line Cinema film, 1993's ''Film/SurfNinjas'', "all week". (It's debatable whether or not this was ProductPlacement or a TakeThat.)

* SignsOfDisrepair: Once Stanley Ipkiss puts on the enchanted mask and gets its power, one of the first things he does is get revenge on Ripley Auto-Finishing, the auto repair shop that ripped him off earlier in the movie - aside from literally [[AssShove shoving carburetors up the asses of the mechanics]], he vandalizes their sign to read "RIP OFF".
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Two of them: Tina, and it's hinted at when it comes to Peggy. But, of course, FirstGirlWins.

%%* TransformationTrinket: The green mask of Loki.

* UnusualEuphemism

* VoluntaryShapeshifting: The Mask himself, along with other objects (turning a balloon tommy gun into a real one, for example).

* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Peggy gives a speech of this variety to Stanley. And [[spoiler:despite it immediately leading to her FaceHeelTurn reveal, and the fact that she didn’t mean a single word of it,]] in the end... she was ''right''.

* YouTasteDelicious

* CatchPhrase:
** "Ssssmokin'!"
** "Doyle!"
** "Somebody stop me!"

* MayItNeverHappenAgain: Stanley Ipkis had used a magic mask to become his alter ego "The Mask". It made him go crazy and got into trouble with the law. In the end Stanley threw the mask into the sea so he can never use it again.

* OfficeGolf: The head mobster, who drives off of Dorian's face to show his displeasure.

* PainfulTransformation: Putting on the Mask is implied to be quite painful, as the wearer's face changes shape though taking it off seems to be less painful
* PetGetsTheKeys: As {{foreshadow|ing}}ed by Milo's ability to fetch Stanley's keys, he does this to break him out of jail.

* [[PreAsskickingOneLiner Pre-Ass-Shoving One-Liner]]: "Hold on to your lug nuts! It's time for an overhaul!"

%%* PunchPunchPunchUhOh: Stanley vs. Dorian Tyrell.

* RingRingCRUNCH: When The Mask is trying to sneak past his landlady's door. An annoying alarm clock comes out of his pocket and he silences it by whacking it with a croquet mallet after missing twice.

%%* RummageFail

* SadlyMythtaken

* TakingAdvantageOfGenerosity: Near the openings, Stanley Ipkiss buys the tickets of a show to invite a work colleague. The young woman lies that her best friend is in town, knowing that Stanley would generously give her the tickets and she would go to the show with someone she actually likes.

* SympatheticInspectorAntagonist: Lieutenant Kellaway, who is just trying to do his job against a man who has been disturbing the peace and robbing banks. See VillainyFreeVillain below.

* TimeBomb: Disposed of in a... ''unique'' fashion.

* TransformationTrinket: The green mask of Loki.

* {{Troll}}: The Mask is a living embodiment. Just imagine him smiling with a more stretched smile, saying "Problem?" or "lol u mad?", and going "TROLOLOLOLOL" instead of his strange laughter, and you've got yourself a textbook troll. He even makes [[InsaneTrollLogic troll science]] real!

** The Mask's [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Pepe Le Pew]] impersonation. "Our love is like a red red rose, and I am a little [[{{Demographically Inappropriate Humour}} thorny]]!"

** People only start acknowledging the Mask's powers when ''Dorian'' wears it. Presumably, it's an effect of the Mask invoking Stanley's fondness for ToonPhysics by applying a PerceptionFilter so he doesn't scare people (unless he wants to); Dorian doesn't have the same sense of whimsy and ''wants'' to terrify people.

* WheelOFeet: While in his The Mask form, Stanley Ipkiss's legs spin like wheels while running from the police in Landfill Park. {{Justified}}, as the Mask is a RealityWarper powered by a TricksterGod and Stanley himself -- whose desires are given form by the Mask -- is a cartoon lover.

%%* XRaySparks: Shortly, the first time Stanley puts on the Mask.

* AbsurdlyIneffectiveBarricade: The Mask sealing the gate to Landfill Park is a great example of this trope. He does it to keep Kellaway and Doyle inside... only to turn and find the rest of the police on the same side of the wall as him!
** It also doesn't do such a good job at keeping Kellaway and Doyle locked inside either; the pair simply climb over the wall.

* {{Affably Evil}}: The Mask is this at first, as he decides to become a gangster instead of a superhero, going after those who mistreat Stanley like those mechanics and robbing a bank just so he can get inside the Coco Bongo, but he is friendly, polite, sweet and nice towards Tina who -- though she prefers Stanley -- clearly likes him because of these things, and he is a saint as well compered to Dorian Tyrell. At the end of the film he drops the evil part and plays the "affable" part straight, deciding to become a superhero.

* {{BFG}}: [[GunsAkimbo Two of them.]] But they turn out to be full of {{Bang Flag Gun}}s.
** While being frisked down by police, one of the agents retrieves a bazooka from the Mask's {{Hammerspace}}. The Mask claims that he has a permit for that.

* BreakingTheFourthWall: The Mask looks and speaks to the viewers multiple times. Considering he's basically a living Creator/TexAvery creation, it makes sense.
** The Oscar-winning scene: the theater audience (shown using shadows at the bottom of the screen) applaud him for his ‘acting’, and Dorian and his goon, realizing they’re on screen, awkwardly fix their hair.

* ClothesMakeTheManiac: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]]. The Mask unlocks a seemingly absolute power for its wearer and disinhibits them, but doesn't make him evil but pretty much makes him wacky and impulsive. ([[InNameOnly unlike in the source comic]]).

* CoolLoser: Stanley Ipkiss, as lampshaded by Webvideo/{{Cinemasins}}: “I love how [[PrettyBoy handsome]] Jim Carrey in [[HeCleansUpNicely a nice suit]] with a good job is somehow a loser with women”.

** To be fair The Mask doesn’t harm anyone at all, unlike in the comic. In general, he is relatively friendly, with most of his victims being jerks to begin with; the police are the exception, but even then they were only doing their jobs and he doesn't cause them significant harm. The Mask can be extreme, as shown with the mechanics, but generally just trolls people who annoy him, such as shooting ''around'' the gangsters who attacked him rather than shooting them directly.

* DoggedNiceGuy: Yup, Stanley.

* {{Fanservice}}: Every scene Cameron Diaz is in. Particularly her [[MaleGaze entrance]] and the nightclub scene where she appears to be channeling [[Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit Jessica Rabbit]].
** Which would then mean that The Mask is Roger Rabbit. Appropriate, since he's a toon, and she has a thing for him...
** According to the DVD commentary, they kept trying different bras in her first scene trying to get as much cleavage as possible.

* FiveFiveFive: Mrs. Kellaway's phone number, as shown in the picture of her which the cops find in the Mask's possession, is 555-9371.

* HarmlessFreezing: The Mask does it to himself in the park.

* HeartBeatsOutOfChest: This happens to the title character while he's watching Tina Carlyle sing at the Coco Bongo Club. Also the TropeCodifier and now provides the trope image.

* HyperspaceArsenal
** Stanley, as the Mask, pulls out a double handful of guns to scare off some punks. They turn out to be {{BANG Flag Gun}}s. Complete with GunTwirling!
** In a more "traditional" scene, he also produces a HyperspaceMallet to kill an alarm clock.
** And the bazooka.
*** Hey now, he has a permit for that.

* IWantThemAlive: Dorian Tyrell puts up fifty thousand dollars to anyone who can bring him The Mask before the police do.
* IconicOutfit: The Mask's banana-yellow zoot suit and hat, which was based on a suit Jim Carrey's mom made for him when he first did stand-up.

* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Three or more cops fire at Stanley as he gets into Peggy's car. Not only do they not hit him, but the only thing they manage to hit is one of her taillights, despite her proximity and the fact that her window is open.
** Averted in the third Mask scene, the bullets DO hit, but the Mask is invulnerable, so he just shrugs it off.

* InNameOnly: While inspired by Issue #0 of ''The Mask'', by starring Stanley Ipkiss, sharing many scenes and lines of dialogue, and featuring Lt. Kellaway, it is a comedic romp instead of the ultraviolent comic where the title character used his cartoon physics to commit grisly murders.

* {{Jerk with a Heart of Gold}}: The Mask is a genuine troublemaker, shoves pipes into the bottoms of mechanics and even robs a bank but he does care about Tina and is in love with her. Despite deciding to become a gangster at first The Mask decides to become a superhero in the end.

* LiveActionCartoon: The Mask acts like an old-timey zany cartoon character, seemingly inspired by Creator/TexAvery cartoons and contemporaries which Stanley is shown to be a fan of. Plus, it helps that he is played by Creator/JimCarrey, himself probably the closest thing in existence to a real-life cartoon character.

*** Before that, the Mask says it when a police officer pulls out a picture of Kellaway's wife.

* CoolLoser: Stanley Ipkiss, as lampshaded by Webvideo/{{Cinemasins}}: “I love how [[PrettyBoy handsome]] Jim Carrey in [[HeCleansUpNicely a nice suit]] with a good job is somehow a [[HollywoodDateless loser with women]]”.

* BettyAndVeronicaSwitch: Tina is the impossibly gorgeous girlfriend of a mobster and a criminal accomplice. Peggy is a modest, struggling journalist who would like to have a man in her life. Later, [[spoiler: Peggy sells Stanley to said mobster for money to pay for a nice apartment, and Tina breaks up with him and ends up with Stanley after he saves her life as the Mask, neatly inverting the trope]].

* BettyAndVeronicaSwitch: Tina is the impossibly gorgeous girlfriend of a mobster and a criminal accomplice. Peggy is a modest, struggling journalist who would like to have a man in her life. Peggy sells Stanley to said mobster for money to pay for a nice apartment, and Tina breaks up with him and ends up with Stanley after he saves her life as the Mask.

* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Used constantly for comedic effect. The RuleOfFun greatly applies here.

%%* RoadsideWave: Stanley outside of the Coco Bongo club.

%%* ThatPoorCat: After The Mask throws away a Tommy gun.

It had a Carrey-less pseudo-sequel, ''Film/SonOfTheMask'', in 2005, which starred Jamie Kennedy and a CGI baby. It was a complete disappointment both critically and commercially.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Intelligent dogs say "Uh?" in a questioning tone to express confusion.

** Edward G. Robinson, when the Mask lights a cigar and says "You were good, kid, real good. But as long as I'm around, you'll always be second best, see?".