Son of the Mask and Because of Winn-Dixie
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 Valentine's 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 Web site 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.
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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 ( newcomer Annasophia Robb ) who, along with her preacher father ( Jeff Daniels ) has 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.
