Son of the Mask

What stands out first about Son of the Mask is the confidence with which Lawrence Guterman establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Son of the Mask asks Jamie Kennedy and Traylor Howard to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Son of the Mask is established with useful clarity: Tim Avery, an aspiring cartoonist, finds himself in a predicament when his dog stumbles upon the mask of Loki. That direct approach lets Son of the Mask use its 1h 34m running time for character, atmosphere and consequence.

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Son of the Mask relies heavily on Jamie Kennedy, and the performance responds with enough specificity to carry changes in mood. The contribution of Traylor Howard gives Son of the Mask a useful counterweight instead of merely echoing the lead. Alan Cumming makes the smaller exchanges in Son of the Mask count, often through timing rather than emphatic dialogue. Lawrence Guterman understands that Son of the Mask becomes more persuasive when the cast can imply feelings before the script names them.

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Son of the Mask benefits from Lawrence Guterman being uncertain about tone and dramatic emphasis about what each sequence needs to accomplish. Instead of making every beat equally loud, Lawrence Guterman lets Son of the Mask create contrast between pressure and release. Isolated moments suggest a more compelling version throughout Son of the Mask, with the strongest decisions feeling connected to character rather than display. It is still fair to say that Son of the Mask suffers because events happen without gathering enough dramatic force, but the problem remains contained.

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The plot of Son of the Mask is built around the uneasy relationship between Tim Avery and Loki. For Jamie Kennedy, that relationship gives Son of the Mask an emotional objective stronger than simple forward motion. The screenplay associated with Lance Khazei lets Then reshape the direction of Son of the Mask in stages. Although the treatment of the central character could be sharper, Son of the Mask never entirely loses the thread established at the beginning.

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Visually, Son of the Mask is most persuasive when performer rhythm guides attention without becoming an attraction separate from the drama. New Line Cinema supports Son of the Mask with performer rhythm, giving individual scenes a shared design logic. The United States production character of Son of the Mask is clearest in its use of comic timing built around character to make place feel consequential. Even during its busiest moments, Son of the Mask benefits from an edit and sound mix that protect the immediate emotional line.

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The central idea running through Son of the Mask concerns embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. Jamie Kennedy gives that idea a human scale, allowing Son of the Mask to remain accessible even when its world becomes larger. By returning to Then, Son of the Mask turns theme into a source of pressure rather than a message waiting to be delivered. The handling by Lawrence Guterman lets Son of the Mask leave a little interpretive room, which gives its better scenes an afterlife.

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Overall, Son of the Mask amounts to a film for only the most curious members of its likely audience and should suit comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. The combination of Jamie Kennedy, Lawrence Guterman and performer rhythm gives Son of the Mask a specific identity. Although events happen without gathering enough dramatic force in Son of the Mask, the film recovers through craft and committed performance. For the audience it understands, Son of the Mask offers enough character to remain worthwhile after the immediate plot has faded.