Son of the Mask

As if the years-too-late notion of making a sequel to The Mask wasn't a bad enough idea in itself, this kiddie-targeted comedy is a transparently minimal effort featuring jokes and pivotal plot points that are grossly inappropriate for children. TV prankster Jamie Kennedy phones in a whiney performance as a stereotypically irresponsible, immature husband who discovers the mask that in 1994 turned a mild-mannered Jim Carrey into a rubber-bodied, green-skinned lunatic straight out of a Tex Avery cartoon. While Carrey's elastic face and bouncing-off-the-walls insanity rendered special effects almost unnecessary, when Kennedy puts on the titular headgear, he disappears under an inch of expressionless green latex and a plastic pompadour (and his “Mask” character isn't funny or screwball charismatic--he's just an obnoxious bore). For what it's worth, the plot finds Kennedy impregnating his wife while possessed by the mask, after which she gives birth to a troublemaking baby that is half-human, half-Mask. If that sounds more like a horror movie than a family film to you, then you're obviously not an employee of New Line Cinema. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Lawrence Guterman, actor Jamie Kennedy, and writer Lance Khazei, 19 deleted scenes with optional filmmaker commentary (36 min.), a 16-minute on-the-set featurette, the 16-minute featurette “Chow Bella” on pampered pooches, a “Creating Son of the Mask” featurette about the computer graphics (15 min.), two short storyboard sequences (5 min.), three photo galleries, and trailers. Bottom line: a lot of extras for a forgettable film.] (R. Blackwelder)