paper mask movie review

Paper Mask (1990)

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Sunday, September 20, 2015

Neglected gem #83: paper mask (1990).

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Release details.

• Duration: 105 mins

Cast and crew

• Director: Christopher Morahan
• Screenwriter: John Collee
• Paul McGann
• Amanda Donohoe
• Frederick Treves
• Tom Wilkinson
• Barbara Leigh-Hunt
• Jimmy Yuill
• Mark Lewis Jones

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Where to Watch

Paul McGann (Matthew Harris) Amanda Donohoe (Christine Taylor) Frederick Treves (Dr. Mumford) Tom Wilkinson (Dr. Thorn) Barbara Leigh-Hunt (Celia Mumford) Jimmy Yuill (Alec Moran) Mark Lewis Jones (Dr. Lloyd) John Warnaby (Dr. Hammond) Alexandra Mathie (Beverley) Oliver Ford Davies (Coroner)

Christopher Morahan

A lowly hospital orderly impersonates a recently deceased doctor and goes to work in the busy ER of a small hospital where he meets and befriends a nurse who slowly figures out his secret and helps him maintain his charade.

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Paper Mask Review

01 Jan 1990

118 minutes

Hospital porter Paul McGann gets away with impersonating a doctor, and gradually comes to enjoy his role to such an extent that he starts killing people.

The really scary idea is that McGann is more convincing when he starts making lethal mistakes rather than demonstrating his medical knowledge. Unusually for a British film starring McGann and Amanda Donohoe, this is actually quite interesting.

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1990 Directed by Christopher Morahan

Trust me. I'm a doctor.

A lowly hospital orderly impersonates a recently deceased doctor and goes to work in the busy ER of a small hospital where he meets and befriends a nurse who slowly figures out his secret and helps him maintain his charade.

Paul McGann Amanda Donohoe Tom Wilkinson Jimmy Yuill Mark Lewis Jones Oliver Ford Davies Frederick Treves Barbara Leigh-Hunt Clive Rowe Karen Ascoe Dale Rapley Dhirendra Philip Fox Bridget Brammall

Director Director

Christopher Morahan

Producers Producers

Christopher Morahan Sue Austen

Writer Writer

John Collee

Original Writer Original Writer

Editor editor.

Peter Coulson

Cinematography Cinematography

Production design production design.

Caroline Hanania

Art Direction Art Direction

Andrew Rothschild

Composer Composer

Richard Harvey

Costume Design Costume Design

Amy Roberts

Paper Mask British Screen Productions Granada Television Film4 Productions

Alternative Titles

Máscara de papel, Le Grand Simulateur, Anestesia letale

Drama Thriller

Releases by Date

14 sep 1990, 30 jan 1991, releases by country.

105 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Greg Newman ★★★★

Going to rewatch tonight as I actually saw Paul McGann, in a paper mask, in our local supermarket yesterday. Finally a Covid benefit!

Review by Christina ★★★

In case the central theme of this film wasn’t obvious enough for you, “The Great Pretender” is played at every available opportunity and the Latin motto “to be rather than to seem” is oft repeated. I truly wasn’t expecting the dark and dramatic turns in the latter half of the story: the moment of reckoning-the “liar revealed” beat that most films of this type build up to-never arrives. The main character is never truly punished for his crimes and in fact starts his grift all over again in a new hospital…though one could argue his real punishment is being condemned to live a lie forever and dragging his girlfriend down with him. A little too soapy for my tastes, and the sex scenes arguably weren’t necessary, but Paul McGann is a joy to watch as always (his increasingly nervous energy reminds one of Withnail and I’s Marwood) and Tom Wilkinson also delivers in a sadly minor part.

Review by Sofa Sinema ★★★★½

A true hidden gem that has aged well, and fits in nicely with our contemporary fascination with cheats, liars, fallen heroes, and the everyman who breaks bad. The acting is first-rate from the entire cast, especially Paul McGann in the leading role. Catch him if you can!

Review by paddy ★★★★½

he really found a more stressful route than medical school

Review by ari ˳༄꠶ ★★★½

well u know why i’m here

Review by Dean ★★½

if paul mcgann has a million fans, then I am one of them. if paul mcgann has ten fans, then I am one of them. if paul mcgann has only one fan then that is me. if paul mcgann has no fans, then that means I am no longer on earth. if the world is against paul mcgann, then I am against the world.

pretty good concept, a little boring, paul mcgann gives a great performance, its on tubi

Review by Dan Gorman ★★★½

British drama with Paul McGann as a hospital orderly who decides to impersonate his doctor friend after they die in a car crash. This basically becomes a kind of cringe thriller where they get themselves into situations where they need to, you know, be a doctor but they don't have the knowledge. Makes some points about the hospital system, tossing doctors into the fray and having them figure it out as they go. There's a nice amount of depth here despite the movie's obvious surface of playing "The Great Pretender" three or four times throughout. Very watchable and a bit oddly overlooked maybe?

Review by Placeboaffect ★★★½

Paul Mcgann leaping into his room smacking his head on the light and then immediately breaking into song on his banjo

Review by Ben Dempster ★★★½

This started off fairly lighthearted, but my god did it get dark.

Review by Bob R. ★★★

Paul McGann, AKA "The Eighth Doctor" plays, well, a doctor... kinda, in Paper Mask . The story centers on Matthew Harris a hard drinking, banjo-playing blue-collar worker who sees an opportunity for something better when a doctor acquaintance of his dies, leaving a pending job-interview for an emergency-room physician. The plot veers off into Chameleon Street territory pretty quickly. The chain of events that sets this unlikely scenario in motion seems far-fetched itself, however McGann's terrific charm as well as a good turn from Amanda Donohoe make this one watchable and at times actually enjoyable.

Review by Wren ★★★

Fake doctor Paul McGann cures imposter syndrome

Review by loureviews ★★★★

A story which on the face of it is proposterous (hospital porter impersonates a doctor after his sudden death) is done very well indeed thanks to the leading performance of Paul McGann.

Matthew, or Simon as he becomes as impersonator, turns from dreamer to avenger in this thriller as he seeks to protect and uncover his deception, assisted by friendly nurse Christine, played by Amanda Donohoe (remember how high her star was at this point?).

It's very dark and very persuasive, and if there are gaps in the narrative, this amoral leading character has enough to keep you gripped, and has much of the nervous, quiet energy McCann displayed in Withnail and I .

This film also displays the moral dilemmas faced by those who are embitious and in love; Christine displays classic accessory syndrome as she gets more involved in 'Simon's' deception and actions.

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This article was written on 23 Jun 2020, and is filled under Reviews .

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doctor , female frontal nudity , hospital , mask , nurse , posing as a doctor

Paper Mask **** (1990, Paul McGann, Amanda Donohoe, Frederick Treves) – Classic Movie Review 9950

Director Christopher Morahan’s 1990 film Paper Mask stars Paul McGann as ambitious male nurse Matthew Harris, a humble hospital worker who assumes the identity of a young doctor killed in a car crash, and lands a casualty-room job at a Bristol hospital, where he is befriended by sexy nurse Christine Taylor (Amanda Donohoe}. At first, when he apparently forgets even basic procedures, she thinks he is just nervous. But then…

This delicious British black comedy-thriller is wicked, polished entertainment. McGann is splendidly cast against type as someone who could get away with murder and Donohoe again proves she is one of our most intelligent, attractive young stars.

With pacey, focused, concentrated direction by Morahan, this intense, gripping film deserved better reviews and bigger audiences.

Dr John Collee‘s screenplay is based on his own novel.

Also in the cast are Frederick Treves, Tom Wilkinson, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Jimmy Yuill, Mark Lewis Jones, John Warnaby, Oliver Ford Davies, Clive Rowe, Frank Baker and Alexandra Mathie.

Paper Mask is directed by Christopher Morahan, runs 105 minutes, is made by British Screen Productions, Channel Four Films and Granada Television, is released by Enterprise Pictures Limited (1990) (UK) and Castle Hill Productions (1991) (US), is written by John Collee, based on his own novel, is shot by Nat Crosby, is produced by Christopher Morahan, is scored by Richard Harvey and is designed by Caroline Hanania.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9950

Check out more reviews on   http://derekwinnert.com

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Paper Mask (1990)

Genre: drama, duration: 118 minuten, country: united kingdom, directed by: christopher morahan, stars: paul mcgann , amanda donohoe and tom wilkinson, imdb score: 6,6  (737), releasedate: 14 september 1990.

This movie is not available on UK streaming services.

Paper Mask plot

"Trust me. I'm a doctor." With the papers of the young doctor who died in an accident, the ambitious nurse Matthew poses as a doctor. He gets a job as a doctor in the emergency room of a hospital in Bristol. Nurse Christine thinks it's nerves that keep Matthew from knowing essentials, but even her help can't stop the lack of knowledge from quickly turning deadly.

Actors and actresses

Matthew Harris

Christine Taylor

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Review/Film; A 'Doctor' Who Learns On the Job

By Janet Maslin

• Feb. 28, 1992

"Paper Mask," which opens today at the Quad Cinema, is the story of a medical fake whose willfulness knows no bounds. Originally a London hospital aide named Matthew Harris (Paul McGann), he takes on the identity of Dr. Simon Hennessey after Hennessey is killed in an accident. He then applies for a job at a hospital in Bristol without benefit of formal medical training, and quickly tries to achieve a minimal level of proficiency by tutoring himself. "I don't know what you see in these skinny women," says one of Matthew's friends when he finds a teaching skeleton hidden in Matthew's bed.

Bluffing his way into a privileged position -- the camera lingers fondly on perks like "Doctors Only" signs in hospital parking lots -- he does rather well, under the circumstances. Talent and luck are at least as important to Matthew's success as real knowledge would have been. Intuition helps, too; he is able to make a diagnosis of cirrhosis simply by spotting a bottle of liquor hidden in a patient's bed. Also immeasurably helpful is Christine Taylor (Amanda Donohoe), a smart, sexy emergency-ward nurse who seems at least as knowledgeable as most of the doctors working around her.

In its detailed depiction of hospital life and various medical crises, the generally engrossing "Paper Mask" has an authentic flavor. Written by John Collee, a doctor who is also a novelist and columnist, the screenplay captures the banter and bravado of young doctors, as well as the tension that would make an emergency ward such a nerve-racking place for on-the-job training. As directed by Christopher Morahan, whose credits include "Jewel in the Crown" for Grenada Television and the very funny film "Clockwise," "Paper Mask" moves briskly and does a lot to make its central character's improbable situation seem real.

But by the end of the story, in an effort to heighten this material's dramatic possibilities, Matthew's compelling mixture of sweetness and ruthlessness becomes unbalanced. Sheer ambition takes precedence, leading him to take deadly measures to hang onto his medical career. And at that point the film becomes too macabre to remain plausible. The story's last moments, however diabolical, are less interesting than the day-by-day details of Matthew's medical charade.

Mr. McGann, best known as the "I" of "Withnail and I," does a lot to make Matthew appealing, even when he is seen flushing a wristwatch engraved "Love Mom and Dad" down a toilet to dispose of his old identity. Mr. McGann so ably captures Matthew's opportunistic charm that it becomes difficult to dislike him, even when he turns out to be evil incarnate. Ms. Donohoe gives a lively, game performance and manages to look slinky even while wearing sensible shoes. Production notes point out that she has never had any interest in being a nurse.

Also in the film's solid cast of stage-trained actors are Tom Wilkinson and Frederick Treves as two senior doctors with reason to suspect the competence of "Dr. Hennessey," and Barbara Leigh-Hunt as Mr. Treves's kindly, devoted wife. Ms. Leigh-Hunt, who may be vividly remembered as a strangler's victim in Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy," doesn't fare much better this time around.

"Paper Mask" is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It includes some gore, partial nudity and sexual situations. Paper Mask Directed by Christopher Morahan; written by John Collee; director of photography, Nat Crosby; edited by Peter Coulson; music by Richard Harvey; produced by Mr. Morahan and Sue Austen; released by Castle Hill Productions. At the Quad Cinema, 13th Street, west of Fifth Avenue, Manhattan. Running time: 105 minutes. This film is rated R. Matthew Harris . . . Paul McGann Christine Taylor . . . Amanda Donohoe Dr. Mumford . . . Frederick Treves Dr. Thorn . . . Tom Wilkinson Celia Mumford . . . Barbara Leigh-Hunt Alec Moran . . . Jimmy Yuill Dr. Simon Hennessey . . . Dale Rapley

Film Review: ‘Wonder’

Stephen Chbosky's drama of a middle-school kid with a facial deformity proves that a movie that sounds mawkish on paper can earn honest tears.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

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Auggie Pullman (Jacob Tremblay), the central character in Stephen Chbosky ’s “ Wonder ,” is a brainy 10-year-old boy with a sweet high voice and a congenital facial deformity, whom numerous corrective surgeries have left looking like a cherub after a car accident. His left eye tugs downward as if a teardrop were falling from it; his ears are bulbs of flesh, and his face is framed by a pinkish ring of scar tissue. That said, he’s not the Phantom of the Opera. He’s just an ordinary kid whose looks take a bit of getting used to.

Auggie is a science geek who loves “Star Wars” and Minecraft, ice cream and X-Box sports games; he’s fueled by all-American fantasies of going to outer space. (He likes to walk around in a toy astronaut helmet that conceals him and feeds his dreams.) His face, which looks youthful and old at the same time, is jarring the first time you see it, but the more you take in his innocent if slightly askew elfin features, the more his soul shines through. Any thoughts that he’s ugly, or odd, are really in the eye of the beholder.

Movies about people with dramatic disfigurements run a high risk of being mawkish and manipulative. Yet maybe because the dangers of grotesque sentimentality loom so large, a handful of filmmakers, over the years, have made a point of taking on stories like this one and treading carefully around the pitfalls. David Lynch did it in “The Elephant Man” (1980), his shrewdly restrained, underbelly-of-London Gothic horror weeper, which revealed John Merrick, beneath his warped and bubbled flesh, to be a figure of entrancing delicacy. Peter Bogdanovich did it in “Mask” (1985), his straight-up tale of a teenager with a face of scowling strangeness who came to embrace the person he was.

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“Wonder” is a movie that belongs in their company. It’s a very tasteful heart-tugger — a drama of disarmingly level-headed empathy that glides along with wit, assurance, and grace, and has something touching and resonant to say about the current climate of American bullying. At the same time, the film never upsets the apple cart of conventionality. “Wonder” is an honest feel-good movie, but it lacks the pricklier edges of art.

Auggie has been home-schooled by his mother, Isabel ( Julia Roberts ), in their cozy Brooklyn brownstone. But now that he’s 10, she and Auggie’s dad, Nate ( Owen Wilson ), have made the decision to send him to middle school. They know they can’t shield him from the world forever, and they have no desire to.

Roberts and Wilson make a compelling team; they play the Pullmans as supremely sensitive, loving parents who have the occasional tug-of-war spat about what’s best for their special son. Yet both want him to stand up for himself, and to be part of a community. Auggie wants that, too, though the kids he meets at Beecher Prep School don’t make it easy. By the end of his first day there, he has already been nicknamed (after one of his favorite “Star Wars” characters) “Barf Hideous,” and he chops off the rat-tail braid that’s his only fashion statement — a testament to the destructive power of peer pressure. Just enough of the kids treat Auggie like a freak to make the belief that he is one tough for him to shake.

This is the third feature directed by Chbosky, the novelist who actually got his start as a filmmaker (with the 1995 indie “The Four Corners of Nowhere”), and it was his second, “ The Perks of Being a Wallflower ” (2012), that established him as a major directorial voice. Adapted from his own first novel, “Perks” was the most remarkable coming-of-age movie in years, a drama that took in, with astonishing authenticity, the pleasures and perils of teenage life. (It also used David Bowie’s “Heroes” in a way that’s so transporting it trumps every musical sequence in “Baby Driver.”) “Wonder” is a movie by the same sharp-eyed, open-hearted, close-to-the-ground filmmaker. Chbosky, working in the tradition of Jonathan Demme, doesn’t hype what he shows you, and he cuts to the humanity of everyone on screen, even those who act badly. (He has a touching refusal to demonize.)

“Wonder,” adapted from R.J. Palacio’s 2012 novel (which took its title from the 1995 Natalie Merchant song about overcoming disfigurement), is a less audacious film than “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” But Chbosky’s intense understanding of the layered personalities of kids is a rare gift. He lets the movie breathe by refusing to restrict the drama to Auggie’s point of view. It’s built around his gentle sadness and yearning, but it opens up into chapters told from the vantage of Jack (Noah Jupe), his science-class partner, who looks like he might be turning into Auggie’s buddy, only to leave him with a sense that he can’t trust anyone; and Auggie’s high-school sister, Via (Izabela Vidoovic), who’s the most complicated character in the movie. She has grown up in a family so organized around Auggie that her own needs can never come first. She wouldn’t think to question that, but the dynamic has graced her with both compassion and a hidden wound, and Vidovic’s pensive presence lends her scenes a rapt center of gravity.

Chbosky has a sixth sense for how to let a drama flow from anecdote to anecdote. Auggie’s favorite holiday, Halloween, leads to the moment when he overhears Jack, goaded by the smug, fashionable Julian (Bryce Gheisar), snarking to the other kids about him — a devastating betrayal, but one that turns out to be crucial to cementing their friendship. Jack can’t get past his prejudice until he has outed it. “Wonder” is a movie that’s finely attuned to what bullying is actually about: kids walling off their feelings, giving into the dark side of themselves to be superior. Bullies, of course, weren’t born bad, but in “Wonder” the idea is no pious abstraction — it plays out in every encounter between Auggie and those who would treat him meanly. The scenes are really about how his presence is a threat to their too-cool-for-schoolness.

“Wonder,” as effective as it is, is a movie in which everything has a way of working out with tidy benevolence. Via goes from being shunned by her best friend (Danielle Rose Russell), who has joined a hipper clique, to falling for a charismatic kid (Nadji Jeter) from the drama club to trying out for a student production of “Our Town” to winning her friend back to becoming the understudy who knocks ’em dead on opening night. Auggie, over the course of fifth grade, goes from being the school goat to a school hero. Yet Jacob Tremblay, acting from behind his transformative make-up, roots that journey in something real: the fact that who you are, whether you look like Auggie Pullman or someone more “normal,” can be a prison or a liberation, depending on the path you choose. Of all the films this year with “wonder” in the title (“Wonderstruck,” “Wonder Woman,” “Wonder Wheel,” “Professor Marston and the Wonder Women”), this is the one that comes closest to living up to the emotional alchemy of that word.

Reviewed at Park Avenue Screening Room, New York, Nov. 8, 2017. MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 113 MIN.

• Production: A Lionsgate release of a Lionsgate, Mandeville Films, Participant Media, Walden Media production. Producers: David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman. Executive producers: Jeff Skoll, Robert Kessel, Michael Beugg, Alexander Young, R.J. Palaco. Director: Stephen Chbosky. Screenplay: Stephen Chbosky, Steven Conrad, Jack Thorne. Camera (color, widescreen): Don Burgess. Editor: Mark Livolsi.
• With: Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Izabela Vidovic, Noah Jupe, Nadji Jeter, Daveed Diggs, Mandy Patinkin, Ali Liebert, Emma Tremblay, Millie Davis.

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A surgeon dies in an accident, and a hospital orderly (Paul McGann) assumes his identity. Amanda Donohoe. Dr. Mumford: Frederick Treves. Dr. Thorn: Tom Wilkinson. Celia: Barbara Leigh-Hunt. Alec: Jimmy Yuill. Dr. Hennessey: Dale Rapley. Directed by Christopher Morahan.

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Paper Mask Reviews

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Paper Mask Stream and Watch Online

Watch 'Paper Mask' Online

Yearning to watch ' Paper Mask ' in the comfort of your own home? Finding a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or view the Christopher Morahan-directed movie via subscription can be difficult, so we here at Moviefone want to do the work for you. We've listed a number of streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription alternatives - along with the availability of 'Paper Mask' on each platform when they are available. Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty of how you can watch 'Paper Mask' right now, here are some details about the Paper Mask British Screen Productions Granada Television Film4 Productions drama flick. Released , 'Paper Mask' stars Paul McGann , Amanda Donohoe , Tom Wilkinson , Jimmy Yuill The movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 45 min, and received a user score of 60 (out of 100) on TMDb, which assembled reviews from 19 well-known users. What, so now you want to know what the movie's about? Here's the plot: "A lowly hospital orderly impersonates a recently deceased doctor and goes to work in the busy ER of a small hospital where he meets and befriends a nurse who slowly figures out his secret and helps him maintain his charade" 'Paper Mask' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on Tubi TV .

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• 1 hr 45 min
• 6.6   (733)

The 1990 movie "Paper Mask" is a psychological thriller directed by Christopher Morahan, adapted from John Collee's novel of the same name. The film stars Paul McGann, Amanda Donohoe, and Frederick Treves in lead roles and is set in a British hospital in the late 1980s. The story follows Matthew Harris (played by Paul McGann), a porter at the hospital who aspires to become a doctor. He is frustrated with his lowly position and decides to take matters into his own hands. One day, he steals a doctor's coat and stethoscope and starts acting as a physician.

He initially fumbles through his duties but soon gains the confidence and respect of his colleagues, especially nurse Christine Taylor (played by Amanda Donohoe). As the line between reality and fiction blurs, Matthew becomes embroiled in a web of lies and deceit that threatens to unravel his whole life.

As Matthew gets deeper into his impersonation, he sees a side to the hospital that he never imagined. He discovers the ruthlessness of the medical profession and the politics that govern it. Meanwhile, his relationship with Christine becomes more complicated as she begins to have doubts about his identity.

The film explores themes of identity, power, and corruption, as Matthew's fake persona gives him access to the powerful world of doctors and surgeons. However, it also highlights the dangers of playing with fire, as his lies threaten to unravel everything he holds dear.

Paul McGann delivers a strong performance as Matthew, showcasing his range as an actor. He captures the character's desperation and determination, and the audience is drawn into his world from the very beginning. Amanda Donohoe is also impressive in her role as Christine, bringing vulnerability and warmth to the character.

The supporting cast, including Frederick Treves as Dr. Philip Murray and Tom Wilkinson as the hospital's Chief Executive, provide able support to the leads. The film's score, by Hans Zimmer, further adds to the overall suspense and tension.

The film's pace is deliberate, allowing the audience to fully absorb the nuances of each scene. The use of lighting and color also provides a contrast between the sterile, white atmosphere of the hospital and the darkness of Matthew's deception.

Overall, "Paper Mask" is a gripping thriller that takes the audience on a journey into the dark underbelly of the medical profession. Its themes and performances make it a thought-provoking film, and its twist ending leaves a lasting impression on the viewer.

Paper Mask is a 1991 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 45 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.6.

• Genres Drama Thriller
• Cast Paul McGann Amanda Donohoe Frederick Treves
• Director Christopher Morahan
• Release Date 1991
• MPAA Rating R
• Runtime 1 hr 45 min
• Language English
• IMDB Rating 6.6   (733)

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When we see him for the first time, it's a glimpse through his bedroom window, half-reflected in a mirror. A second later, we see him more clearly, this teenage boy with the strange face. We are shocked for a second, until he starts to talk, and then, without effort, we accept him as a normal kid who has had an abnormal thing happen to him. The name of his disease is craniodiaphyseal dyaplasia, and it causes calcium deposits on his skull that force his face out of shape. "What's the matter?" he likes to ask. "You never seen anyone from the planet Vulcan before?"

The kid's name is Rocky Dennis, and his mother is named Rusty. She is not your normal mom, either. She rides with a motorcycle gang, abuses drugs, shacks up with gang members, and has no visible means of employment. But within about, 10 minutes, we know that she is the ideal mom for Rocky. That's the scene where the school principal suggests that Rocky would be better off in a "special" school, and she tells the principal he is a jerk, her son is a good student with good grades, and here is the name of her lawyer.

Movies don't often grab us as quickly as "Mask" does. The story of Rocky and Rusty is absorbing from the very first, maybe because the movie doesn't waste a lot of time wringing its hands over Rocky's fate, "Mask" lands on its feet, running. The director, Peter Bogdanovich , moves directly to the center of Rocky's life - mother, his baseball cards, his cocky bravado, his growing awareness of girls. Bogdanovich handles "Mask" a lot differently than a made-for-TV movie would have, with TVs disease of the week approach. This isn't the story of a disease, but the story of some people.

And the most extraordinary person in the movie, surprisingly, is not Rocky, but his mother. Rusty Dennis is played by Cher as a complicated, angry, high-energy woman with a great capacity to love her son and encourage him to live as fully as he can. Rocky is a great kid, but because he succeeds so well at being a teenager, he is not a special case like, say, the Elephant Man. He is a kid with a handicap. It is a tribute to Eric Stoltz , who plays the role beneath the completely convincing makeup of Michael Westmore, that we accept him on his own terms.

Cher, on the other hand, makes Rusty Dennis into one of the most interesting movie characters in a long time. She is up front about her lifestyle, and when her son protests about her drinking and drugging, she tells him to butt out of her business. She rides with the motorcycle gang, but is growing unhappy with her promiscuity, and is relieved when the guy she really loves ( Sam Elliott ) comes back from a trip and moves in. She is also finally able to clean up her act, and stop drinking and using, after Rocky asks her to; she loves him that much.

"Mask" is based on a true story, and that doesn't come as a surprise: Hollywood wouldn't have the nerve to make a fictional tearjerker like this. The emotional peak of the movie comes during a summer that Rocky spends as an assistant at a camp for the blind. He falls in love with a blind teenage girl ( Laura Dern ), who feels his face and says he looks all right to her, and they have some of that special time together that only teenagers can have: Time when love doesn't mean sex so much as it means perfect agreement on the really important issues, like Truth and Beauty. Then the girl's parents come to pick her up, and their reaction to Rocky comes as a shock to us, a reminder of how completely we had accepted him.

"Mask" is a wonderful movie, a story of high spirits and hope and courage. It has some songs in it, by Bob Seger, and there has been a lot of publicity about the fact that Peter Bogdanovich would rather the songs were by Bruce Springsteen . Let me put it this way: This is a movie that doesn't depend on its sound track. It works because of the people it's about, not because of the music they listen to.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Mask (1985)

Rated PG-13

120 minutes

Cher as Rusty Dennis

Eric Stoltz as Rocky Dennis

Sam Elliott as Gar

Estelle Getty as Evelyn

Richard Dysart as Abe

Laura Dern as Diana

Directed by

• Peter Bogdanovich

Produced by

• Martin Starger

From a screenplay by

• Anna Hamilton Phelan

Photographed by

• Laszlo Kovacs

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