Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
A significantly deformed but highly intelligent teenage boy and his biker gang mother attempt to live as normal a life as possible under the circumstances.
Mask (1985) is elevated almost entirely by its performances — Cher delivers a career-best dramatic turn as the fiercely protective biker mother Rusty Dennis, and Eric Stoltz is remarkable as Rocky, conveying warmth and intelligence beneath layers of prosthetic makeup. The acting earns a genuine 4. The plot is a competent, heartfelt drama that follows a somewhat familiar arc of a disabled individual seeking normalcy and connection, earning a solid 3. Peter Bogdanovich's direction is workmanlike and functional rather than visually adventurous, placing it at 3 for cinematography. Novelty is moderate — the biker subculture setting and the specific nature of Rocky's condition (craniodiaphyseal dysplasia) give it a distinctive flavor, but the emotional beats follow a well-worn disease-drama template. The ending, while emotionally affecting and true to the real story, is a conventional tragic conclusion that doesn't surprise, landing at 3.