Knight at the Movies ARCHIVES
Child's Play:
Son of the Mask, Because of Winn-Dixie
2-16-05 Knight at the Movies column
By Richard Knight, Jr.
The real star of Son of the Mask, the running on fumes sequel to the 1994 funny Jim Carrey comedy The Mask
that has been long in coming is not the endless, ham-fisted special effects that take focus like a shrill stage
mother. Nor is it Jamie Kennedy who is called upon to fill Carrey’s rather large comedic shoes (not a chance) as
the timid hero. Rather, it is Alan Cumming, as the queer in all but name quasi-villain, Loki, the mythological God of
Mischief, who created the shape shifting mask in the first place and wants it back. If there is any style and zest to
this sequel by committee picture it is thanks to Cumming’s crack timing and ability to connect with an audience in
even the most tired of plot devices. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said of Kennedy or Traylor Howard, who
plays his wife, Alvey the baby, or the dog (either before or after being transformed by a battering ram of CGI
effects). And please note this at the next scriptwriter’s meeting: projectile urine and baby food are no longer
funny.
Maybe I’d better qualify that – projectile urine and baby food ARE still funny, apparently – if you’re in kindergarten
through grade 4 and have been having a great time at school learning all about the characters in the movie, playing
Son of the Mask games and passing around the 32 specially designed Son of the Mask valentines day cards to your
special friends. Believe it or not, the folks at New Line are selling this rather bland comedy as an educational romp
for the kiddies. The movie’s official website encourages teachers to download thoughtfully provided worksheets
with games and activities (along with the movie poster “as a reference point”) to augment the tot’s regular “social
studies and language arts curricula.” Among the objectives of this valuable learning tool are the following:
-- To explore character development, point of view and other basic storytelling elements.
-- To encourage creative expression through art, oral presentation and creative writing.
The creators of the movie, however, seem to have skipped this educational aid dreamed up by the marketing
department and gone right to their workbook, the one titled “Scripting, Casting, Shooting, Directing, Editing, and
Marketing Comedy Movies for Dummies.” Among this book are the following tenets, faithfully adhered to in Son of
the Mask:
-- When a comedic sequence lags, ramp up the special effects and for God’s sake turn the VOLUME UP TO
DISTORTION LEVELS.
-- When casting, make sure that the star of the picture has name recognition. A TV star is preferred. Someone
like that Jamie Kennedy guy who everyone’s heard of but who’s face is not all that familiar because on his show he
pulls practical jokes on people DISGUISING HIMSELF SO NO ONE WILL RECOGNIZE HIM.
But back to Cumming the picture’s unwitting secret weapon. I’m hoping that the PTA, Focus on the Family, The
Culture and Family Institute, and Margaret Spellings, the new Education Secretary fall all over themselves lining up
behind this “family” comedy and praise it to the skies like they did that torture chamber fest called The Passion of
the Christ. Because if there’s a not so subliminal message to this picture it’s to accept and love your kids FOR their
differences – whether it’s in spite of their having super powers (like Alvey, the hero and heroine’s snub-nosed
baby) or because they have super powers and also happen to be gay (like Loki). Also: one doesn’t need a mask to
have terrific fashion sense and be fabulous but if you’re not the God of Mischief and Mirth (read: queer) it might
help.
The last scene of the picture makes this implicit – there’s Loki, in the personage of Cumming, dressed head to toe
in jewel encrusted leather, hand on hip, finally being tearfully accepted by his disapproving father, Odin (Bob
Hoskins), the Norse Chief God, conveniently known as the All Father. Throughout the picture Odin has berated
Loki for always displeasing him, wasting time lolling on the beach in a leopard spotted bikini and strutting around
in a series of over the top costumes, supposedly not really trying to get back the mask. Odin has not been able to
quite articulate why Loki has disappointed him but the playful, nymphet-like Loki knows why and so do we. When
Loki finally returns the mask to his father, the effort of retrieving it at last makes Odin see how much he loves his
queer son. As the two disappear into the Cosmos, Loki, who has never needed the mask to be super special, is free
at last, with Odin’s blessing, to toss it away – along with the disguise and burden that it’s represented for him.
I do so love a movie with a positive message – especially one for the entire family like this.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Another movie for the entire family is Because of Winn-Dixie. This southern fried female variation on the
boy and his dog story has characters with names like Gloria Dump, Miss Franny, Dunlap Dewberry, Sweetie Pie
Thomas and India Opal Buloni. Opal is a lonely little girl (played by newcomer Annasophia Robb) who, along with
her preacher father (Jeff Daniels) has recently moved to the decayed Florida town of Naomi. After claiming a
stray shaggy dog one day in the Winn-Dixie grocery store (hence the mongrel’s name), she and W-D slowly bring
together the sleepy, rusty hamlet’s emotionally damaged and eccentric characters. Robb, a tiny blonde dead ringer
for Natalie Portman, is a heartbreaker, aided in no small measure by her canine companion and the presence of an
expert cast with honors going to Daniels, Cicely Tyson, Eva Marie Saint, and B.J. Hooper. Another newcomer to
pictures, rock sensation Dave Matthews, interacts beautifully with Robb while delivering some prerequisite guitar
strummin’ and singin’. This gentle, episodic drama doesn’t leave much of a mark but is great fare for Take Your
Niece or Nephew matinee day at the movies.
Son of the Mask, Because of Winn-Dixie
2-16-05 Knight at the Movies column
By Richard Knight, Jr.
The real star of Son of the Mask, the running on fumes sequel to the 1994 funny Jim Carrey comedy The Mask
that has been long in coming is not the endless, ham-fisted special effects that take focus like a shrill stage
mother. Nor is it Jamie Kennedy who is called upon to fill Carrey’s rather large comedic shoes (not a chance) as
the timid hero. Rather, it is Alan Cumming, as the queer in all but name quasi-villain, Loki, the mythological God of
Mischief, who created the shape shifting mask in the first place and wants it back. If there is any style and zest to
this sequel by committee picture it is thanks to Cumming’s crack timing and ability to connect with an audience in
even the most tired of plot devices. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said of Kennedy or Traylor Howard, who
plays his wife, Alvey the baby, or the dog (either before or after being transformed by a battering ram of CGI
effects). And please note this at the next scriptwriter’s meeting: projectile urine and baby food are no longer
funny.
Maybe I’d better qualify that – projectile urine and baby food ARE still funny, apparently – if you’re in kindergarten
through grade 4 and have been having a great time at school learning all about the characters in the movie, playing
Son of the Mask games and passing around the 32 specially designed Son of the Mask valentines day cards to your
special friends. Believe it or not, the folks at New Line are selling this rather bland comedy as an educational romp
for the kiddies. The movie’s official website encourages teachers to download thoughtfully provided worksheets
with games and activities (along with the movie poster “as a reference point”) to augment the tot’s regular “social
studies and language arts curricula.” Among the objectives of this valuable learning tool are the following:
-- To explore character development, point of view and other basic storytelling elements.
-- To encourage creative expression through art, oral presentation and creative writing.
The creators of the movie, however, seem to have skipped this educational aid dreamed up by the marketing
department and gone right to their workbook, the one titled “Scripting, Casting, Shooting, Directing, Editing, and
Marketing Comedy Movies for Dummies.” Among this book are the following tenets, faithfully adhered to in Son of
the Mask:
-- When a comedic sequence lags, ramp up the special effects and for God’s sake turn the VOLUME UP TO
DISTORTION LEVELS.
-- When casting, make sure that the star of the picture has name recognition. A TV star is preferred. Someone
like that Jamie Kennedy guy who everyone’s heard of but who’s face is not all that familiar because on his show he
pulls practical jokes on people DISGUISING HIMSELF SO NO ONE WILL RECOGNIZE HIM.
But back to Cumming the picture’s unwitting secret weapon. I’m hoping that the PTA, Focus on the Family, The
Culture and Family Institute, and Margaret Spellings, the new Education Secretary fall all over themselves lining up
behind this “family” comedy and praise it to the skies like they did that torture chamber fest called The Passion of
the Christ. Because if there’s a not so subliminal message to this picture it’s to accept and love your kids FOR their
differences – whether it’s in spite of their having super powers (like Alvey, the hero and heroine’s snub-nosed
baby) or because they have super powers and also happen to be gay (like Loki). Also: one doesn’t need a mask to
have terrific fashion sense and be fabulous but if you’re not the God of Mischief and Mirth (read: queer) it might
help.
The last scene of the picture makes this implicit – there’s Loki, in the personage of Cumming, dressed head to toe
in jewel encrusted leather, hand on hip, finally being tearfully accepted by his disapproving father, Odin (Bob
Hoskins), the Norse Chief God, conveniently known as the All Father. Throughout the picture Odin has berated
Loki for always displeasing him, wasting time lolling on the beach in a leopard spotted bikini and strutting around
in a series of over the top costumes, supposedly not really trying to get back the mask. Odin has not been able to
quite articulate why Loki has disappointed him but the playful, nymphet-like Loki knows why and so do we. When
Loki finally returns the mask to his father, the effort of retrieving it at last makes Odin see how much he loves his
queer son. As the two disappear into the Cosmos, Loki, who has never needed the mask to be super special, is free
at last, with Odin’s blessing, to toss it away – along with the disguise and burden that it’s represented for him.
I do so love a movie with a positive message – especially one for the entire family like this.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Another movie for the entire family is Because of Winn-Dixie. This southern fried female variation on the
boy and his dog story has characters with names like Gloria Dump, Miss Franny, Dunlap Dewberry, Sweetie Pie
Thomas and India Opal Buloni. Opal is a lonely little girl (played by newcomer Annasophia Robb) who, along with
her preacher father (Jeff Daniels) has recently moved to the decayed Florida town of Naomi. After claiming a
stray shaggy dog one day in the Winn-Dixie grocery store (hence the mongrel’s name), she and W-D slowly bring
together the sleepy, rusty hamlet’s emotionally damaged and eccentric characters. Robb, a tiny blonde dead ringer
for Natalie Portman, is a heartbreaker, aided in no small measure by her canine companion and the presence of an
expert cast with honors going to Daniels, Cicely Tyson, Eva Marie Saint, and B.J. Hooper. Another newcomer to
pictures, rock sensation Dave Matthews, interacts beautifully with Robb while delivering some prerequisite guitar
strummin’ and singin’. This gentle, episodic drama doesn’t leave much of a mark but is great fare for Take Your
Niece or Nephew matinee day at the movies.
Let's Hear if for the Kids!
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