SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: SON OF THE MASK

"SON OF THE MASK"
(2005) (Jamie Kennedy, Alan Cumming) (PG)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Mild	Minor	Heavy	*Moderate	Heavy

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Moderate	None	Mild	Mild	Minor

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Moderate	Minor	Moderate	Moderate	Heavy

QUICK TAKE:: Comedy/Action: An aspiring cartoonist and young father runs into trouble when he finds the mask of Loki, the Norse God of Mischief.

PLOT:

Tim Avery (JAMIE KENNEDY) works a menial job for a cartoon development company, but aspires to creating his own animated series. Though his wife Tonya (TRAYLOR HOWARD) wants to start a family, he wants to pursue his career first, which frustrates her and causes tension in the marriage.

One night, Tim's "best friend," his Jack Russell terrier Otis, digs up the ancient and powerful Mask of Loki, which grants the wearer all sorts of antic, shape-shifting powers, as it also transforms his personality, from shy to aggressive. Whether it is Otis or Tim wearing the mask, they become tremendously confident and sexually voracious. While wearing the mask, Tim performs numerous versions (Vegas-style, hip-hop, Country-Western) of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You," and later that night, inspired by the false courage of the mask, he impregnates Tonya.

The resulting child, Alvey (LIAM & RYAN FALCONER), possesses powers conferred by the mask -- he can imitate behavior he sees on TV, blow up his head like a balloon, fight off evil forces, and most importantly, torment his father, who is left alone to care for him while mom goes on a business trip.

Another father-son relationship is also in trouble. Loki (ALAN CUMMING) is looking for his lost mask and is pushed to recover it by his father, Odin (BOB HOSKINS), the apparently always-angry Norse god of war, death, and poetry. Though he is loudly proud of his other sons, Odin thinks Loki is a failure, and so the son tries extra-hard to please him at the same time that he resents him.

Their strained relationship inverts the one developing between Alvey and Tim, who is afraid of his son's powers. When Tim realizes that the mask might help him impress his boss, Daniel (STEVEN WRIGHT) and so get the chance to create his own cartoon series, he pays more attention to his son and his dog, in order to get hold of the mask. In turn, Loki kidnaps Alvey to force Tim to turn over the mask.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: If they are entertained by rudimentary bathroom humor and cartoonish violence, they might. Fans of the first film will be disappointed by the sequel's lack of imagination.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG: For action, crude and suggestive humor and language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: JAMIE KENNEDY plays an inept and at-first disinterested workaholic father. He displays erratic immaturity with his wife and child, and at work. While wearing the mask, he is obnoxious (dances with scantily clad women); without it, he is self-absorbed, outwitted by Loki, and usually a step behind his infant's scheming.
ALAN CUMMING plays Loki, the god of mischief, able to change shape (including turning his fists into large gun assemblies). He causes violent mayhem wherever he goes.
LIAM & RYAN FALCONER play Alvey, Tim's mischievous baby. He dances to old vaudeville routines, blows up his head like a balloon while his mother doesn't quite notice, tortures the dog and physically pounds and pees on his father.
TRAYLOR HOWARD plays Tonya, Tim's supposedly sensible wife, troubled by his indifference to the child and easily distracted by his occasional displays of affection.
BOB HOSKINS plays Odin, the burly, blustery Norse god of war; he yells at his son Loki and calls him a failure.
KAL PENN plays Tim's coworker, Jorge. He is goofy and childlike.; ALAN CUMMING plays Loki, the god of mischief, able to change shape (including turning his fists into large gun assemblies). He causes violent mayhem wherever he goes.
LIAM & RYAN FALCONER play Alvey, Tim's mischievous baby. He dances to old vaudeville routines, blows up his head like a balloon while his mother doesn't quite notice, tortures the dog and physically pounds and pees on his father.
TRAYLOR HOWARD plays Tonya, Tim's supposedly sensible wife, troubled by his indifference to the child and easily distracted by his occasional displays of affection.
BOB HOSKINS plays Odin, the burly, blustery Norse god of war; he yells at his son Loki and calls him a failure.
KAL PENN plays Tim's coworker, Jorge. He is goofy and childlike.; LIAM & RYAN FALCONER play Alvey, Tim's mischievous baby. He dances to old vaudeville routines, blows up his head like a balloon while his mother doesn't quite notice, tortures the dog and physically pounds and pees on his father.
TRAYLOR HOWARD plays Tonya, Tim's supposedly sensible wife, troubled by his indifference to the child and easily distracted by his occasional displays of affection.
BOB HOSKINS plays Odin, the burly, blustery Norse god of war; he yells at his son Loki and calls him a failure.
KAL PENN plays Tim's coworker, Jorge. He is goofy and childlike.; TRAYLOR HOWARD plays Tonya, Tim's supposedly sensible wife, troubled by his indifference to the child and easily distracted by his occasional displays of affection.
BOB HOSKINS plays Odin, the burly, blustery Norse god of war; he yells at his son Loki and calls him a failure.
KAL PENN plays Tim's coworker, Jorge. He is goofy and childlike.; BOB HOSKINS plays Odin, the burly, blustery Norse god of war; he yells at his son Loki and calls him a failure.
KAL PENN plays Tim's coworker, Jorge. He is goofy and childlike.; KAL PENN plays Tim's coworker, Jorge. He is goofy and childlike.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this comedy that's been rated PG. Profanity consists of a handful of minor expletives, while other colorful phrases are also uttered. Some sexually related/suggestive dialogue is present, as is some sexual behavior (sex is implied by a married couple giggling over a dark screen, multiple references are made to pregnancy and birth and male characters act lasciviously toward female ones), while some women are seen in skimpy attire.

Violence consists of repeated images of guns and explosions, as well as cartoonish beatings of bodies and faces. Some stormy night scenes may be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while some drink (or behave as if drunk under the influence of a magical mask), while various instances of crude humor and bad attitudes are also present.

Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: The mask affects its wearers -- Tim and his dog -- by making them appear drunk or drugged. They behave badly, showing lascivious interest in female characters, assaulting other characters, and spinning around like wild dervishes.
At a nightclub, background characters hold drinks.
While under the mask's influence, Otis the dog romances a neighbor dog over dinner and drinks.

BLOOD/GORE: Alvey poops, farts, and urinates repeatedly in various scenes, including on Tim's face when he's trying to change him.
Alvey engages in green projectile vomiting (from the back seat and all over the car, spraying Tim and windshield), to emulate Linda Blair in "The Exorcist. "

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: For those concerned with magic and other such supernatural powers, the film contains such material.
The mask affects its wearers -- Tim and his dog -- by making them appear drunk or drugged, and they behave badly, including showing lascivious interest in female characters and assaulting others.
The camera shoots a couple of the female dancers from behind as they lean down with their butts in the air.
Alvey beats up Otis the dog, swinging him around the room so the dog smashes into walls, then throws the dog out the window.
Under the influence of the mask, Tim is rude.
Loki talks back to ("Why can't you stop lecturing me for one minute?"), whines at ("Why can't you just love me for who I am?"), and tries to fool his father, Odin.
Loki pretends to be boys scouts and salesmen (vacuum cleaners, for instance), in order to sneak into women's homes looking for Alvey.
In an effort to frighten his father, Alvey spins his head around and vomits like Linda Blair in The Exorcist ("My son is the devil!" screams Tim).
Loki sneaks into Alvey's bedroom at night; the neighbor lady shines her flashlight in the window, thinking he's Tim.
Loki kidnaps Alvey.
Otis the dog, while under the influence of the mask, bites someone's crotch.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: The following scenes as well as some listed under "Violence" may be unsettling, suspenseful or maybe even scary to the youngest of viewers, but probably not to older kids.
The film opens with a stormy night, including lightning and thunder.
Otis the dog's transformations (twice) into a very toothy, monstrous-looking dog might be frightening.
Tim's transformations (twice) into the Mask involve his body contorting and jerking, then spinning as if out of control.
Alvey blows his head up like a balloon, then deflates to his regular size.
In an effort to frighten his father, Alvey spins his head around and vomits like Linda Blair in The Exorcist ("My son is the devil!" screams Tim).
Several characters scream loudly, supposedly in humor.
At Tim's office, his boss keeps animated figures, including skeletons, hanging on hooks and on shelves.
Loki turns the neighbor lady's head into a giant nose, because she is "nosy."

GUNS/WEAPONS: Loki's hands/arms repeatedly turn into arsenals of assorted guns, automatic weapons as well as some sort of explosive-shooting device (this copies the image in the original film with Jim Carrey).
Loki wields a giant axe, and later, a hammer, smashing the sidewalk around Tim.
Loki throws an oversized hand grenade at Tim and Alvey; the baby puts up a shield.
When wearing the mask, Otis' teeth are very sharp and large.
Otis the dog imagines putting a bomb in Alvey's diaper.
Otis the dog tries to give Alvey a firecracker disguised as a rattle; Alvey gives it back disguised as a bone and it blows up the dog.
Otis the dog wields scissors.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Crappiest piece of crap in crap town," "Hasta la vista, baby," "Screwing with my mind," "I think my dog ate it," "You idiot," "Don't be a knucklehead," "Don't freak out," "He's the freakin' god of mischief," "I'm the god of friggin' mischief," "Dads are overrated," "Kick his can, honey!" (pulling out huge guns) "Say hello to my little friends!" "Come on you little devil!" (Tim to Odin) and "Now hold on just a minute Grizzly Adams."
In an early scene, Tim and Tonya's friends' kids hit each other and make a ruckus.
Alvey disrespects Tim, his father, tricking him, beating him up, and listening in on his conversations.
Alvey imitates the TV, including the Woody Woodpecker laugh and a dancing frog singing the "Michigan Rag."
Alvey watches "Transformers" on TV, and sees he can transform his own body.
When Tim tries to prove to a neighbor that Alvey can change shape and sing and dance, Alvey won't perform, deliberately embarrassing his father.

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): Some mildly scary music accompanies the storm at the film's start.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): A song has the lyric, "I want you baby," while another states "Shake it!" while some girls in skimpy costumes dance.

PROFANITY: At least 3 craps, 1 damn, 1 hell and 1 use of "Good God."

SEX/NUDITY: Afraid of having a baby, Tim fantasizes that Tonya is pregnant and gives birth to multiple babies; these pop out of her quickly and crazily while doctors and nurses catch them and Tim is horrified.
The mask affects its wearers -- Tim and his dog -- by making them appear drunk or drugged, and they behave badly, including showing lascivious interest in female characters.
At the nightclub, Tim as the Mask ogles young women, rips open his shirt, and dances wildly with skimpily dressed young women on stage, while one in a skimpy costume sells cigarettes.
The camera shoots a couple of the female dancers from behind as they lean down with their butts in the air.
A song has the lyric, "I want you baby," while another states "Shake it!" while some girls in skimpy costumes dance.
At home, Tim as the Mask comes into his and Tonya's darkened bedroom; while the screen is black, she asks, "What's gotten into you?" and he says, "Let's find out," suggesting they have sex, in order to conceive Alvey while Tim is wearing the mask.
While Tonya is pregnant, she and Tim visit the doctor and get an ultrasound; Tim caresses and looks at her pregnant belly.
While under the mask's influence, Otis the dog romances a neighbor dog over dinner and drinks.
In one disguise, Loki's suddenly overweight butt crack appears in frame.
Some questions are raised concerning Alvey's father's identity -- Loki calls him a "chip off the old block," thinking that because he's born of the Mask, he's his son; Tim obviously believes the child is his.
Tonya and Tim are in bed with Alvey, but all you see are their naked feet entwined.
We see that Tonya is pregnant again, presumably without the help of the mask.

SMOKING: At a nightclub, some characters may be smoking in the background, while a girl in a skimpy costume sells cigarettes.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: Tonya is upset that Tim won't agree to start a family.
Tonya is upset that Tim appears to have lost the baby.
Loki and his father Odin argue several times.
Alvey decides, after watching a TV show, to trick Tim into thinking he's crazy.
Otis the dog is jealous of the baby and schemes to remove it from the house.
Loki kidnaps Alvey.
Loki suggests at film's end that he wants to get Odin and his mother "back together," and Odin says no.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: For those concerned with magic and other such supernatural powers, the film contains such material.
The overt theme is that parents should love and accept their children for "who they are."
Children should not abuse their parents or their pets to get what they want.

VIOLENCE: In an early scene, Tim and Tonya's friends' kids hit each other and make a ruckus.
Loki shoots at Tim repeatedly in various scenes, with cartoonish excess.
Tim and Otis the dog's transformations look violently spastic (in various scenes).
Loki sucks up a lady with a vacuum cleaner ("This is a terrible demonstration," she cries).
The baby runs through a door and leaves one of those cut-out baby shapes.
Otis the dog tries to give Alvey a firecracker disguised as a rattle; Alvey gives it back disguised as a bone and it blows up the dog.
Alvey and Otis the dog fight violently (at one point swinging the dog by the tail so he hits all the walls in the room, smashing furniture, etc. and then blows the dog up after it surrenders with a white flag -- this sequence is very violent, though all cartoonish).
Otis the dog imagines putting a bomb in Alvey's diaper, shooting him out of a cannon, spinning him in a ceiling fan, and tarring and feathering him. Alvey turns all this around and does it to the dog, including sending him through one of those laundry wringers, flattening him (but both are okay afterwards).
Loki, Tim, and Alvey fight violently, using guns, electricity, explosives, and garbage dumpsters (Alvey works magic to slam Loki between them). They look charred at times (in a cartoon fashion, but are otherwise okay later).
Loki wields a giant axe, and later, a hammer, smashing the sidewalk around Tim.
Loki throws an oversized hand grenade at Tim and Alvey; and the baby puts up a shield.
Alvey and Loki both can stretch their limbs to play "Super-Twister" -- their bodies contort here.
Various bodies are slammed into a brick wall (in a "splat" cartoon fashion).
There's a boxing match between Tim as the Mask and Loki.
Otis the dog, while under the influence of the mask, bites someone's crotch.

Reviewed February 12, 2005 / Posted February 18, 2005

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