User Reviews

This is an excellent film with an excellent story played by an excellent cast! Rocky, a teenager with a horribly disfigured skull tries to fit in. His mother, ably played by Cher, portrays a biker babe who loves her son but little else. Sam Eliot plays her biker boyfriend but also has a soft spot for Rocky. Rocky loves a blind girl, played wonderfully by Laura Dern. All in all, this is a touching, but not overly sappy film! This one is worth a watch.

It's 1978 Azusa, California. Rocky Dennis (Eric Stoltz) has massive facial deformities. His biker single mom Rusty (Cher) registers him into the 9th grade. He's a happy well adjusted teen who dreams of riding motorcycles with his friend around the world. She's a force of nature. He excels in school academically. The surprised principal notices his tutoring jobs and gets him a counseling job at Camp Bloomfield for the blind. He falls for blind girl Diana Adams (Laura Dern). Gar (Sam Elliott) is a fellow biker who is in love with Rusty.

This is a wonderful feel-good movie. Eric Stoltz is utterly charming. Cher is a great momma bear and Laura Dern is angelic. The puppy love is heart warming and heart breaking. The story is an inspirational tale and the actors make the movie even better.

Beautiful movie from a true master Peter Bogdanovich.Truly warm movie about a boy Rocky who has a rare disease so people often think he's wearing a mask.But he was lucky because he had a family.Maybe not kind of family we all think about when we hear that word,but he had a true family who loved him till the end.His family was mother,drug addict and bunch of bikers.All of them saw something in Rocky and that something was his inside and not outside.Story is very good and you can relate it to any other story from todays life.This isn't just a story about boy with weird face,it's a story about whole society,family and mostly about people.What is really important to us people?How we look from the outside or from the inside.Only girl who connected with Rocky was a blind girl.Isn' that tragic how we,people have wrong priorities in life.Excellent movie that really touched me and also some great performance from Eric Stoltz,Cher and Sam Elliott.All time story with great directing and good acting.

The true story of Rocky Dennis (Eric Stoltz) is the subject of this heart-breaking film that pulls absolutely no punches. The youngster was born with a disease that caused his face to be terribly deformed, making it appear that he had a mask on. Cher is excellent as Stoltz's drug-addicted mother who is so good with him, but so poor with most everyone else. Sam Elliott also leaves a lasting impression as a biker who is much gentler than he appears. An amazing screenplay and the flawless direction of Peter Bogdanovich help to make "Mask" one of the best films of the 1980s. Terribly over-looked. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

One thing I sometimes avoid are Hollywood bio-pics. This is because rarely do the filmmakers ever allow the real story to come out but instead they embellish the crap out of it because they simply don't trust the truth nor the audience. This is definitely the case with "Mask", a film which is only very loosely based on the later years of Rocky Dennis (Eric Stoltz), a young man with a rare medical condition, Craniodiaphyseal Dysplasia. Instead of just telling his story, they sanitized much of his life and made him inspirational...something very formulaic but which also take away from the guy's humanity. As a father with two disabled daughters, I take exception to this and just wanted to know the real Rocky and his life. What we do have is a nice inspirational film...but not exactly a true portrait (especially when it comes to Rocky's mother).

The story is set in the last year or so of Rocky's life. He's in his final year at middle school and he has many of the typical problems a teen might have in addition to his medical condition. His mother (Cher) is loving and very appropriate in some ways...and a train wreck in many others.

So is it any good? Yes...very much so. Despite playing fast and loose with some of the facts (such as having Rocky NOT being legally blind like he was in real life, never mentioning his brother and much more), the film is enjoyable and will keep your interest. Stoltz is quite nice in the lead (though Cher received top billing). He seemed to be able to do quite a bit as a young actor despite being under tons of makeup and prosthetics. The makeup by Michael Westmore and Zoltan Elek was pretty amazing and earned the Oscar for this category. And, the direction by Peter Bogdonovich was also lovely. No major complaints about anything other than the film taking too many liberties with the facts.

It is a very spooky feeling to see a film based on someone you knew in real life. I honestly do not know how much artistic liberty was taken with this film as I did not know his family, but I knew Rocky Dennis as a teenager and Eric Stoltz did an absolutely fantastic job of capturing his heart and soul as well as his intelligence. I am grateful that such a remarkable person will be remembered for who he truly was.

I was relieved to find that Peter Bogdanovich's 1985 film "Mask" was in no way the ultra-depressing somber fest I envisioned it to be. Paying only vague attention to the movie when it began to air oh-so-creatively on FX one day, I quickly grew absorbed in the life of Rocky Dennis, the extremely deformed (his skull is large and mishapen due to "lionitis") teenage main character (wonderfully portrayed by Eric Stoltz) -- a very likable and easygoing guy who hardly let the rudeness that came his way affect him. Hence, most characters in the movie liked Rocky. Nobody made a freak show out of him, which was relieving and a definite plus!

I even tolerated Cher in the first half hour or so (she plays Rocky's tough, drug-struggling mother Rusty) and her motorcycle-gang pals. The biker character Bulldozer, who "doesn't like to talk", was very appealing. Sam Elliott was also quite good as a love interest of Rusty and father figure to Rocky. I enjoyed seeing Rocky interact with this special group of friends, and I grew excited with him when he planned his trip through Europe with another teenage boy. Cher's Rusty just had a strange appeal in the first part of the film; the way she didn't take any "b.s." from the principal of Rocky's school (who tried to condescendingly suggest he go to special school) was admirable and root-for worthy.

However, in the middle of the movie, when Rocky started to develop an interest in girls -- and more specifically when Rusty turned to drinking and drugs -- "Mask" took a turn for the worse. I regret to say that the Rusty character became very boring very fast, and that far too much time was spent on her. That first time I watched it, I couldn't even make it to the end of the film. It literally put me to sleep! BUT ... one day, when I noticed that "Mask" was once again playing on FX, I decided to give it another chance. I tuned in just as Rocky was going off to a camp for blind kids, and, thankfully, discovered that "Mask" lifted itself out of dullness as soon as its main character was the focus again and not his mother. I don't usually think Laura Dern is some genius actress like many seem to, however the romance portrayed between her character Diana and Stoltz' Rocky is very sweet. I especially liked the scene when Rocky taught Diana colors and textures in a camp kitchen, using a hot potato for "red" and some cotton for "billowy." Diana's parents turn out to be the ones who treat Rocky the worst in "Mask", but their discomfort IS admittedly realistic.

If you get bored by the middle, hang in there. All in all, "Mask" is a film worth watching! I haven't seen it in awhile, but I look forward to seeing it again... particularly after becoming acquainted with Jens Lekman's song 'Rocky Dennis's Farewell Song to the Blind Girl', which is an absolutely beautiful love song and a perfect companion to this film.

Definitely one of the best films made in 1985; Peter Bogdanovich's "Mask" is an engrossing character study on the life of Rocky Dennis, and the somewhat tumultuous but always loving relationship he shared with his mom Rusty. Tragic, touching, inspirational – the movie succeeds in proving the importance of maintaining a positive attitude despite life's adversities. Bogdanovich masterfully draws stunning performances from all of the principle players. With several noteworthy scenes throughout the film where Cher shines, it's no surprise she won the best actress trophy at Cannes for her role as Rusty; effectively depicting a loving mother who is incredibly strong willed, yet also lost and vulnerable. No other actress would have made the portrayal so gut wrenchingly real – it's a shame she wasn't awarded the Oscar as well. Eric Stoltz, Sam Elliott, and Laura Dern are also magnificent. The incredible acting by everyone involved really makes this film such a rewarding and worthwhile experience, with the viewer being taken on an intimate journey through the lives of every day people facing extraordinary circumstances. If possible, see the original version with the Bob Seger soundtrack – the re-release DVD contains only the Springsteen soundtrack; which one would have expected a Director's Cut edition to have both choices. Having seen the original so many times, I opted to hunt down the now out-of-print original theatrical release by Image Entertainment for my collection. Not to be missed by anyone with an interest in true life stories. Highly recommended – a 9/10.

When you watch something like this during "lockdown" I hope you realise just how privileged you really are! Here is a deformed teenager with no father, a mother whose a biker "babe" with addition to drugs and cigs and anything but a normal mother. That said, she is supportive and tries as best she knows how and if you do get through to the end, you will need the tissue box!. Eric Stoltz was great and well supported by a wonderful cast. Both Cher and Sam Elliot are well cast and a younger Laura Dern makes her contribution. I would suggest this film will leave its mark and but for frequent foul language and blasphemy (which is to be expected) I would have gone higher - WATCH!

Eric Stoltz plays Rocky Dennis, a teen afflicted with a horribly disfiguring disease. He lives with his mom, Rusty (Cher), a sometime junkie who pals around with a gang of bikers.

Between coping with his mom's antics, dealing with the prejudice he encounters and the debilitating migraines he suffers from, Rocky still manages to win over his teachers and classmates, becoming an inspiration to them.

While the story initially seems to be about Rocky, it's also about Rusty. She wants everyone to see her as the tough biker chick who can handle anyone and anything that comes her way, including Rocky's disease and the strangers who stare. This is her mask. She's really scared to death for Rocky and turns to the alcohol and drugs to help her cope.

A great film based on a true story, Mask will convince you that sometimes the most unlikely people become heroes.

Mask

If inner beauty were important Miss America would have a colonoscopy portion of the show.

That is why the deformed student in this drama is having a hard time fitting in.

Born with cranial disfigurement Rocky Dennis (Eric Stoltz) wasn't expected to survive. But with the love of his mother (Cher) and her biker gang, Rocky proved medical science wrong. And he'll do it again as his enter junior high.

While students initially react poorly to his appearance, Rocky wins them and his teachers over with his humour and intellect. However, his health and his mom's addictions undermine his scholastic achievements.

With believable performances, a touching script and remarkable make-up, this true story doesn't pander to the public to get its point of accepting others across. Hopeful, without being pretentious or exploitative, Mask is a bonafide tearjerker.

Incidentally, facial disfigurement and scientific brilliance are the leading cause of super-villainy among teenagers. Green Light

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Seriously, I did cry, but this wasn't an overly sappy film. I read in most of the comments that it was too sappy for some viewers. Yeah, you might cry, but rightfully. "Mask" is an excellent story. Rocky is a teenager who is very horribly disfigured. But he keeps his spirits up and just wants to fit in with the rest of the world. Cher plays his mother who is a biker chick. She loves him to death. And Rocky makes wonderful friends on the way through his life. It's a wonderful movie. I thought the story was very good and the actors were great. If you enjoyed movies like "Powder" or "Huntchback of Notre Dame", I think you would like this. I would highly recommend this film. Don't be afraid to cry.

9/10

If you need a dose of "take no crap from anyone", then Mask is the film for you! Cher is splendid alongside Eric Stoltz in the story of a boy with a serious facial deformity navigating his way through life, in spite of his appearance, with the constant albeit unusual support of his single mother. Leave your expected notions of a campy 80's movie at the screen; despite the film's 1985 release date, Mask is a beautiful story of self-love and acceptance with director Peter Bogdanovich able to avoid all classically cheesy 80's film clichés.

The film's tough talking, pull no punches mother Florence 'Rusty' Dennis (Cher) has a son that she is, from a distance, extremely overprotective of. Roy L.'Rocky' Dennis (Eric Stoltz) was born with craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, a sclerotic bone disorder leaving his face badly disfigured. Rocky was able to overcome his disability with a positive disposition and by using his intelligence to his advantage. Using his good sense of humor and positive outlook on life along with his mother's motorcycle companions protecting him, Rocky made friends and was a standout at school for his academic pursuits. Rusty is determined to meet every naysayer with the proof that her son can do anything any other child can do if given the chance; and she will ensure that he is given the chance. Based on a true story of overcoming prejudice and accepting the self, Mask is a beautiful film that would benefit all to see.

I had never before seen a film starring Cher, I didn't even know she had acting credits, so watching her in Mask was an interesting surprise. She mastered her role with such grace. She perfectly executed her characterization of the gruff protective mother in such a believable and endearing way that you couldn't even be mad at her for doing drugs or hiring a hooker for her son. Rusty was the only ally Rocky had that had been there with him from the beginning, making Mask a perfect edition to mother month. The Grandfather of the film reminded me of Jack Nance, and I so wish it was him. Being a big fan of David Lynch I wish he was in more things; although I was pleased to see that Laura Dern had a role. This was a good film to see at this point in my life. Still reeling from my recent breakup, I can see the clear distinction in the change of character from before Rocky became interested in love to after he had been afflicted by love. Maybe the purpose of the movie is that a mother's love is the only love you need; somehow, I doubt that's the message but that's what I'll stick to while I continue to nurse this broken heart.

I knew Rocky quite well and the movie is pure fiction in regards to the portrayal of his mother. She was a prostitute who, while Rocky and I we were in the hospital, was busted for turning tricks in Rocky's hospital bed, stealing drugs, needles, selling drugs, and stealing other patient's personal belongings. The hospital, being charitable, decided not to have her arrested; she was placed on a "guarded list" which meant that in order to see Rocky she had to be escorted by a guard who never let her out of his sight until she was escorted to the parking lot. The movie makes her out to be a concerned mother who was a saint. That is pure rubbish. She was such a "good" mother that the county considered putting Rocky in foster care. She would disappear for weeks at a time and Rocky would have to fend for himself living off the goodness of neighbours who fed him. He was a brilliant young man. He was a biker-kid, so pretty rough around the edges, but he was fun to be around and he was absolutely brilliant.

I saw this film on TV, and it really affected me, because it was so different from most of the cliche-ridden dramatic films. It didn't really fit any "genre", because the situation and characters were so different. They were truly American, bikers with a bit of bravado but underlying sensitivity and compassion, and sense of community. It makes sense that this was a true story. I thought both Stoltz and Cher did magnificent acting jobs, although Stoltz really carried the film, with his understated sense of irony and his willingness to help others, even though inflicted with such a stigma. I agree that he should have been bullied more if this was reality, yet Bogdanovich took a great risk in the superficial culture of celluloid, to devote an entire film to someone with an ugly, deformed face. Often, it was hard to look at him, and brought up questions about my own superficial judgments of people according to their appearances. I am saddened and at the same time, inspired, to hear this was a true story. Belated congratulations and thanks to all involved with this problematic, yet ultimately, encouraging, work.

An excellent film! Without Bogdanovich it would have been one of those terrible TV of the week movies. He finds the heart and soul in the story and shows his cast and crew the way. Great acting too!

This movie has moved me since it first came out in the 1980's. The

performances- particularly by Cher and Eric Stoltz as Rusty and Rocky

Dennis- are fantastic, the camera work (by the great Lazlo Kovacs) fluid

and superb, the make up won an academy award, the music perfect, and the

story, well, it's almost too good to be true. It's real life we're

watching here, and knowing that it's also a true story makes it all the

more touching and wonderful. I watched it with my boyfriend, then my

husband, and now with my children. It's a simple tale of triumph of the

spirit, but it goes deep and really stays with you if you let it. If you

haven't seen this movie yet, go out and rent it tonight, you won't be

disappointed.......

Having read several user reviews, all glowing and full of praise, I am surely the outlier here and will most likely find disapproval, but I can take it.

For some reason, the second viewing of this film wasn't nearly as powerful as the first. I feel very strongly that it should have been reduced by 30 minutes as it seemed to lag during the several biker gang sequences. I got the message very, very early that the mother, Rusty Dennis, was unconventional, hard as nails, and loved the fast and dangerous life in spite of the special needs required by her son, Rocky, who was diagnosed with a rare, disfiguring disease called craniodiaphyseal dysplasia. In spite of her love and devotion to Rocky, I still found Rusty to be a very disagreeable character for many reasons, and I am sure that I would not have liked her if I knew her in real life. Still, Cher was extremely photogenic and did an excellent job with the script that was handed to her, and Eric Stoltz was outstanding as Rocky. I was disturbed by the total waste of two great talents, Estelle Getty and Richard Dysart, as the very unremarkable grandparents. Anyone could have played those roles. For me, Sam Elliot was very one dimensional and tended to react with the same bland facial expressions again and again. Perhaps this is what the character, Gar, required, but I had trouble empathizing with both him and Rusty.

Although cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs captured the rather sterile, dusty atmosphere of Azusa, California very well, I found the soundtrack to be mostly annoying. Although I was born and raised in Central Jersey at the same time as Bruce Springsteen, for the most part, I could never appreciate his music or his singing voice, and I'm not apologizing to anyone for my opinion. For me, it was just one more disagreeable element, but, Stoltz and Kovacs saved the entire project.

I saw Mask because I like Peter Bogdanovich's films, and also it was on a subject that I identified with. I had been told so much about Mask, how moving and how great it was. And after eventually seeing it, having been behind with my movie watching, it fully lived up to expectations. Mask is a wonderful movie, very moving and Bogdanovich's second best movie after The Last Picture Show. Mask is beautiful to look at, with crisp cinematography and evergreen and autumnal images. The soundtrack is memorable and is careful not to be overpowering in key moments. The scripting is touching and honest, and the story has a subject that will resonate with anybody with a disfigurement, knows somebody with one or neither. More importantly, none of the film feels forced or in your face. Bogdanovich's direction is superb, and he sensibly focuses on mother and son's strengths and weaknesses. The two leads are superb. Whether it is her best performance or not is up for debate, but regardless Cher's performance is wonderful. That's not to dispute Eric Stoltz either, he is just heart-wrenching as he struggles with his disfigurements and faces death. Overall, Mask is such an achingly moving movie, and sadly one of the the 80s most overlooked films. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I had my doubts about this movie . I was afraid that it will be either a cheap melodrama trying too hard to pull the heartstrings. Considering that some of the movies in the 80's about people suffering from different kinds of sickness were good ("Rain man" , "My left foot") I decided to give it a shot. It was a good decision.

This movie never becomes too sentimental , too sappy or cheesy . It never tries to manipulate viewers emotions . It doesn't offer you empty optimism or pointless depression. "Mask" feels like a real life. It's bittersweet . Everything here seems natural , just like you're not watching a movie , but real life. Our hero has problems , yes , but he faces them without fear and with a bit of humor.

"Mask" balances humor and drama really well . The scene with the mirror is simple , yet very effective . This movie teaches us to treat people like Rocky just normal human beings and not to judge only by appearance. The uplifting message feels right . Sure , life is hard , but it shouldn't stop anyone from having dreams , ambitions and feelings- from living , no matter how short our life is.

Good performances from Cher , Eric Stoltz and Sam Elliott . Watch out for Steve James ("American ninja") and Andrew Robinson ("Cobra") in small episodes as doctors and for Estelle Getty ("Stop or my mom will shoot") as Cher's mother. The makeup (the title mask) is brilliant and deserved Oscar. There is some nice rock n'roll music too.

I give it 7/10.

This was a heart-warming story of a teen with a deformed face. The story chronicles his life at school, and with his biker mom and her friends.

The language in here and rough edge with Cher playing the mom all turned me off, even though the mom was soft inside. Sorry, but I don''t like hard women and Cher never appealed to me. Speaking of tough people, the obvious attempt at the making the Hell's Angels-type bikers as good-hearted softies were a little too much. Come on! It's almost as laughable as how Hollywood always portrays hookers as sweet, beautiful ladies. There are some really good-hearted Hells Angels, I suspect, but not as much as in here.

Eric Stoltz is great as the kid with the lionesque face. There are many tender moments and difficult ones to watch as people either are wonderful or cruel (school kids) to Roy 'Rocky' Dennis (Stoltz).

i saw this film recently, and it was the first time a movie has made me cry for so so long. i cried because rocky was so brave, because he never let anything get him down, despite being ridiculed by people simply because of his looks. i warmed to his unique personality immediately, and the way he showed Diane what colours were melted my heart; everybody should have a friend as considerate as him. Mask teaches an important lesson about life: it doesn't matter what a person looks like, its what is inside that counts. i only wish that rocky could have lived longer, to achieve everything he wanted to. the fact that the story is actually true makes this film all the more poignant and profoundly moving. i would urge people who haven't seen it already: rent it out, or buy it. it will soften even the hardest of hearts.

Mask is an interesting story that is nicely told with strong performances throughout. It isn't what I would call a masterpiece but it is entertaining and is worth a watch.

Without question - It was actor, Eric Stoltz' sincere portrayal of the American teen, "Rocky" Dennis (a boy whose face was grotesquely disfigured by "lionitis") who single-handedly held this seriously floundering picture together.

Yep. Without Stoltz' solid and convincing performance (along with some truly excellent make-up effects) 1985's "Mask" was just a messy, little "biker gang" soap opera where Cher chewed up the scenery, threw idiotic tantrums, and, basically, played a total b*tch at every possible opportunity.

And, speaking about the "Turks" biker gang - It really killed me how the whole lot of them were portrayed as being such good-hearted, little "softies" that they, literally, put the likes of the Boy and Girls Scouts of America to absolute shame.... Ha! Spare me!