History Film / Mask

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mask_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Cher and Eric Stoltz as Rusty and Rocky Dennis.]]

->''"These things are good: ice cream and cake, a ride on a Harley, seeing monkeys in the trees, the rain on my tongue, and the sun shining on my face. These things are a drag: dust in my hair, holes in my shoes, no money in my pocket, and the sun shining on my face."''
-->-- '''Rocky Dennis'''

''Mask'' is a 1985 drama film directed by Creator/PeterBogdanovich, starring Creator/EricStoltz, Music/{{Cher}}, and Creator/SamElliott.

The film is based on the true story of Rocky Dennis (Stoltz), a kid who was born with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniodiaphyseal_dysplasia lionitis]], and suffered a lot for this despite his mother Florence "Rusty" Dennis (Music/{{Cher}}) always trying to give him a normal life.

If you're looking for the animated series ''M.A.S.K.'' (which premiered the same year this movie came out), look [[WesternAnimation/{{MASK}} here]]. If you're looking for the Creator/JimCarrey movie ''The Mask'', look [[Film/TheMask here]].

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!!This film provides examples of:

* BerserkButton: Normally any jokes on Rocky's disfigurement don't bother him. Specifically ones where others who don't know him mistake his face for a mask, to which he responds by pretending he can't get it off jokingly. However after his DisabledLoveInterest is forced to leave him, it gets played straight when he slams a rude teenager against the wall.
--> '''Rocky:''' I'll take my mask off if you take yours off, you ''son of a bitch''.
* BeastAndBeauty: Rocky has a disorder which causes his skull to be very enlarged and twisted, looking like a mask. He falls in love with blind girl Diana Adams, who he met at a summer camp for disabled teenagers. He teaches her how to "see" colors by using various objects to represent them. She still stays with him even after she feels his face and sees how deformed he is.
* BikerBabe: Rusty.
* BlindAndTheBeast: The main character has a degenerative disease which has greatly disfigured his face, but this doesn't stop him from finding romance with a blind girl during a summer camp job.
* DisabledLoveInterest: The blind Diana, played by Creator/LauraDern.
* DownerEnding: Rocky dies all of a sudden, leading Rusty to have a HeroicBreakdown.
* ForegoneConclusion: The real Rocky Dennis died at age 16, meaning that his film incarnation isn't going to fare much better.
* TheGrotesque: Rocky, a gentle boy who unfortunately has a horribly disfigured skull.
* ParentalSubstitute: Rusty's biker boyfriend, Gar, isn't Rocky's biological father, but he still serves the role as a caring father figure for him.
* ParentsAsPeople: Rusty clearly loves her son and fights tooth and nail to provide him with a normal life, but she has her own personal issues to deal with, such as her history of drug abuse.
* ProfessionalSexEd: {{Subverted}}.
* YankTheDogsChain: Every time something good happens with Rocky.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mask_eric_stoltz.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Eric Stoltz as Rocky Dennis.]]

''Mask'' is a 1985 drama film directed by Creator/PeterBogdanovich, starring Eric Stoltz, Music/{{Cher}}, and Creator/SamElliott.

* DisabledLoveInterest: Diana, played by Creator/LauraDern.

''Mask'' is a 1985 drama film directed by Creator/PeterBogdanovich, starring Eric Stoltz, Creator/{{Cher}}, and Creator/SamElliott.

The film is based on the true story of Rocky Dennis (Stoltz), a kid who was born with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniodiaphyseal_dysplasia lionitis]], and suffered a lot for this despite his mother Florence "Rusty" Dennis ({{Cher}}) always trying to give him a normal life.

''Mask'' is a 1985 drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Eric Stoltz, Creator/{{Cher}}, and Creator/SamElliott.

---> '''Rocky:''' I'll take my mask off if you take yours off, you ''son of a bitch''.

* ProfessionalSexEd: Subverted.

''Mask'' is based on the true story of Rocky Dennis (Eric Stoltz), a kid who was born with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniodiaphyseal_dysplasia lionitis]], and suffered a lot for this despite his mother Florence "Rusty" Dennis ({{Cher}}) always trying to give him a normal life.

If you're looking for the animated series M.A.S.K. (which premiered the same year this movie came out), look [[WesternAnimation/{{MASK}} here]]. If you're looking for "The Mask", look [[Film/TheMask here]].

[[caption-width-right:350:Eric Stoltz as Rocky Dennis.]]

''Mask'' is based on the true story of Rocky Dennis (EricStoltz), a kid who was born with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniodiaphyseal_dysplasia lionitis]], and suffered a lot for this despite his mother Florence "Rusty" Dennis ({{Cher}}) always trying to give him a normal life.

* DownerEnding: Rocky dies all of a sudden, leading Rusty to have an HeroicBreakdown.

* BerserkButton: Normally any jokes on Rocky's disfigurement don't bother him. Specifically ones where others who don't know him mistake his face for a mask, to which he responds by pretending he can't get it off jokingly. However after his DisabledLoveInterest is forced to leave him. It gets played straight when he slams a rude teen against the wall.
---> '''Rocky:''' I'll take my mask off if you take yours off you son of a bitch.

* ParentalSubstitute: Rusty' biker boyfriend, Gar, isn't Rocky's biological father, but he still serves the role as a caring father figure for him.
* ParentsAsPeople: Rusty clearly loves her son and fights tooth and nail to provide him with a normal life, but she has her own personal issues to deal with (like her history of drug abuse).

->''These things are good: ice cream and cake, a ride on a Harley, seeing monkeys in the trees, the rain on my tongue, and the sun shining on my face. These things are a drag: dust in my hair, holes in my shoes, no money in my pocket, and the sun shining on my face.''

If you're looking for one of those lame InspirationallyDisadvantaged stories, please look elsewhere.

''Mask'' is instead the true story of Rocky Dennis (EricStoltz), a kid who was born with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniodiaphyseal_dysplasia lionitis]], and suffered a lot for this despite his mother Florence "Rusty" Dennis ({{Cher}}) always trying to give him a normal life.

NeedsWikiMagicLove.

* DisabledLoveInterest: Diana, played by LauraDern.

* BerserkButton: Normally any jokes on Rocky's disfigurement don't bother him. Specifically ones where others who don't know him mistake his face for a mask, to which he responds by pretending he can't get it off jokingly. However after his DisabledLoveInterest is forced to leave him. It get's played straight when he slams a rude teen against the wall.

* DawsonCasting: Rocky Dennis died at the age of 16, but Stoltz was 24 during production.

* ParentalSubstitute: Rusty' biker boyfriend, Gar, isn't Rusty's biological father, but he still serves the role as a caring father figure for him.

NeedsMoreLove.

If you're looking for the animated series M.A.S.K. (which premiered the same year this movie came out), look [[WesternAnimation/MASK here]]. If you're looking for "The Mask", look [[Film/TheMask here]].

If you're looking for one of those lame InspirationallyDisadvantaged stories, please look elsewhere.

-->''These things are good: ice cream and cake, a ride on a Harley, seeing monkeys in the trees, the rain on my tongue, and the sun shining on my face. These things are a drag: dust in my hair, holes in my shoes, no money in my pocket, and the sun shining on my face.''
-->-- Rocky Dennis

* TheGrotesque: Rocky, a gentle boy who unfortunadely has a horribly disfigured skull.

''Mask'' is instead the true story of Rocky Dennis, a kid who was born with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniodiaphyseal_dysplasia lionitis]].

!!''Mask'' contains examples of:

* BeastAndBeauty: Rocky has a disorder which causes his skull to be very enlarged and twisted, looking like a mask. He falls in love with blind girl Diana Adams, who he met at a summer camp for disabled teenagers. He teaches her how to "see" colours by using various objects to represent them. She still stays with him even after she feels his face and sees how deformed he is.

* BlindAndTheBeast

NeedsMoreLove.