The Mask / Son of the Mask (Bromantic Comedies)

THE MASK: When a no-account bank clerk discovers a curious wooden mask he finds it has some interesting properties; to wit, the mask magnifies the wearer's personality to superhuman proportions--oddly, others seem to find this attractive. The no-longer-nebbischy clerk enjoys his new life considerably, but when he seduces the girlfriend of a powerful gangster, complications result. Academy Award Nominations: Best Visual Effects.

SON OF THE MASK: Billed as the sequel to the hit 1994 film THE MASK--which featured an unforgettably cartoonish performance by Jim Carrey--Larry Guterman's SON OF THE MASK is another energetic movie that blends special effects, action, and comedy to create an admirable entry to the genre. This time around, the star of the film is Jamie Kennedy (MALIBU'S MOST WANTED), who plays Tim Avery, a young husband with a fear of fatherhood. Unfortunately, he is about to become just that, alongside his excited wife Tonya (Traylor Howard). What makes an already bad situation worse is Tim's eventual realization that his son was conceived under the powers of the eternal Mask of Loki, which has turned his son into an uncontrollable monster. Then there's the arrival of the actual Loki (Alan Cumming), an evil figure who has come to reclaim his mask and win the approval of his overly critical father, Odin (Bob Hoskins). As Tim battles against Loki and tries to return his son to normalcy, he learns what being a good father is all about. Featuring stellar special effects, standout performances (most notably by Kennedy and Cumming), and lewd gags, SON OF THE MASK is ultimately a celebration of fatherhood--albeit in a very supernatural way.