The Movie

Rubberface is a made-for-television movie from 1983. It has a short runtime of forty-eight minutes. The film was not originally titled Rubberface, but Introducing... Janet. The title of the movie was changed for home video release after actor Jim Carrey became a huge success. On that note, Carrey is not the primary focus of the story. He plays a vital role, but it is really actress Adah Glassbourg that the movie is about. As an overall film, it is a below average comedy/drama, and if you miss it, you won't be missing out on much.

The story is about Janet Taylor (Glassbourg). Janet is a young girl in high school. She is slightly overweight, unattractive, and not very popular. She does not like herself and uses comedy as a defense mechanism. Everyone at school thinks she is funny, because she makes a complete ass of herself to put smiles on everyone's face. Regardless, she never feels like she fits in anywhere or with anyone. Her mother does not help with the matter. She is news reporter with a self-centered attitude that she pushes on her daughter to be beautiful and successful.

Janet's life changes, for the better, when she is given her final assignment in class. She is to complete the phrase "why people..." and write an essay that supports it. Janet decides to solve the riddle of "why people laugh". It is a question on her mind, as she is good at making people laugh, but not fitting in. While at a comedy club looking for answers, she meets an energetic dishwasher, Tony Maroni (Carrey). Tony is a wannabe comedian, who has the looks, the expression, and the attitude to succeed. The problem is that his jokes suck.

Tony wants to participate in a "battle of the bands" for standup comics and Janet helps him write better material. At the same time, the two develop a friendship and Janet not only helps Tony be funnier, but he helps her feel good about herself.

What works for the movie are the acting and the characters. The characters feel genuine and Glassbourg gives a good performance that helps shape the dramatic overtone of the story. Carrey also fits into his role well and gives a likeable character. The problem is that he is not very funny. Typical Carrey films have him acting outrageous, stealing the spotlight with his hilarious physical/slapstick comedy. In Rubberface, he never achieves the comical tone he is well known for. Instead, he plays a small star to Glassbourg. And the fact of the matter is Glassbourg is not funny either.

Overall, Rubberface offers a semi-mediocre movie that is interesting to see what Jim Carrey was like before his golden days. Plus there are a few decent laughs throughout the story and the chemistry the leading performers share is good. However, despite the good qualities, the movie just is not all that entertaining.

The DVD

Video:
This release is given in its original television presentation of 1.33:1 full frame color. The quality is not very good. The picture looks worn with substantial dirt and visual defects.

Audio:
The audio in this release is in English 2.0 Dolby digital stereo. The quality is average that is comparable to most TV on DVD releases. There are also subtitles in English and Spanish, and support for closed captioning.

Extras:
There are no extras included with this release.

Final Thoughts:
Rubberface is a short made-for-TV movie that offers a below average flick. The movie stars Jim Carrey and he is the biggest advertisement to sell the film. The problem is that Carrey does not have a huge role and he does not get anywhere near the hilarious baseline he set in films like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Instead, this pre-Carrey golden-years movie is a dry-in-humor story that is probably not worth your time.