Mystery Men (1999)

Ever wonder if there was a class system in the world of superheroes? After all the big names like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, etc., who were the supporting players? The folks assigned to the less-than-stellar gigs of saving only a small part of the world? According to this intermittently successful send-up of comic book heroism, there are indeed masked heroes who struggle and toil for their moment in the super sun. Based on the Dark Horse comic book series, Mystery Men follows the travails of three B-list avengers--Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller), the Shoveler (William H. Macy), and the Blue Raja (Hank Azaria)--as they fight to make themselves known to the citizens of Champion City, quite difficult to do when the flashy Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear, never better) takes all the cool gigs and has product endorsements up the ying-yang. According to them, it's all a matter of timing--never mind that Mr. Furious never rises above a snit, or that the Blue Raja wears green. Their big break comes when Captain Amazing is abducted by the evil Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush), and it's up to this motley crew to save Champion City.

Blessed with a wondrously gifted comic cast and full of droll details, Mystery Men struggles in fits and spurts towards its climax. Transcendently witty in parts, it's also woefully sophomoric in others. Literally, this is the kind of movie in which someone gets off a brilliant line and then sits on a fork. Still, when this movie is rolling, it's gleefully on target, thanks primarily to the mordantly cocky Stiller and Janeane Garofalo as a latecomer to the superhero gang; her secret weapon is a bowling ball in which her dead father's head is encased. The comic chemistry between these two is fierce, and when you add the dryly funny Macy and the endearing Azaria (who finally gets a chance to let loose with his comic gifts), it's a hilarious joyride. Too bad that the gas tank is only half-full; this stunning cast deserves a first-rate vehicle. With Tom Waits as a weapons expert, Claire Forlani as the requisite babe, and Paul Reubens as the Spleen, the world's most flatulent superhero. --Mark Englehart Amazon.com

Love this Movie

Gotta love a Super Hero movie that doesn't take itself seriously. This is the Hancock of Super Hero movies before there was even a Hancock. December 11, 2008

Good movie, poor HD format

I think this is one of the most underrated comedies. It's very funny, but the HD fizzles big time. This version is exactly like the DVD. No vivid colors, no pop, just blah. Get the DVD version. Do not buy this HD DVD! November 25, 2008

As bad as its reputation suggests....

I decided to watch this the other night, despite its reputation as a really bad film. Well, my low expectations were met. It's an OK concept (rejected superheroes team up to gain self respect), but the execution of the film is all wrong. It might have been better (though not by much) as a sketch, not a full length feature film (and it's a relatively long film at 2 hours). It has a great cast (William H. Macy, Greg Kinnear, Geoffrey Rush, Janeane Garofalo, Hank Azaria), but here they try way too hard to make this film "hip" and "cool", and they fail, simply because the source material is tired and lame. There is only so much good actors can do when the script is chop blocking them at the knees when the refs aren't looking. Ben Stiller looks like he's channeling his Bruce Springsteen impression from his 1992 TV show. I've never been much of a fan of Stiller's, but I could tell he didn't want to do this film at all, and his displeasure shows through every frame (reportedly, he didn't want to do it, but Janeane Garofalo talked him into it. It's not surprising that this was the last project they colloborated on). I felt bad for him being stuck in this bad movie. This is one of the few real duds he's made. Janeane Garofalo's character, the Bowler, is dull, and what's with the overdone Goth makeup on Janeane? It makes her look like a troll, and considering how beautiful she really is, it's a deep insult to her. It reminds me a bit of the film The Truth about Cats and Dogs, where Michael Lehman (the director) shoots her character in shadows and darkness, making her look ugly, despite the fact that she's the prettier one. The dialogue is lame, and despite the fact it's supposed to be a "hip" parody of superhero movies, one can't help but think that the studios that financed it wanted it to be a super hero franchise. Perhaps this is why they got such high ended talent for it. Overall, it's a pretty poor film, despite a good cast and some good production design. September 29, 2008

You must lash out with every limb, like the octopus who plays the drums

Mystery Men is a tale of wannabe superheroes in the shadow of Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear), who has cleaned up Champion City so well that he needs Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) to be released from the insane asylum so he'll have someone to battle (his publicist insists that he must do something spectacular to appease his advertisers). Greg is great as the smarmy Captain with an insincere toothpaste grin (what there is of him before he gets fried in a psychofrakulater).

The sudden departure of the Captain makes room for the Mystery Men to save Champion City from the evil Casanova Frankenstein. With a great cast of character actors and comedians, you'd think this movie would be funny, but director Kinka Usher is not up to the task. Though you have Simpson's voice whiz Hank Azaria playing The Blue Raja (who hurls silverware), Ben Stiller as rageholic Mr. Furious, Janeanne Garofalo as The Bowler (with her father's skull embedded in the bowling ball)--not to mention Tom Waits, Paul Reubens, Ricky Jay, Wes Studi, and Eddie Izzard, the film has its moments, but it never lives up to its potential. Janeanne Garofalo soon grows tiresome with her usual shtick, though her dialogue with her father's skull is sometimes amusing, and one scene where she gives an impromptu speech about independent film is brilliant. Director Kinka Usher had her improvise to fill time but ended up using the footage, as it was way better than anything the writers came up with. As inept but earnest superheroes, William H. Macy is the only one who scores as The Shoveller, while the twisted genius of Paul Reubens is wasted as a rotten toothed and pustule faced character called The Spleen whose super power is flatulence.

The Shoveller: Come on, somebody do something, we need him.
The Bowler: Okay. Okay, you're a very furious man, you understand that?
Mr. Furious: No.
The Bowler: No? Well you've got a lot to be furious about, and I'll tell you why: You're not well-liked. You're uh, you're abrasive and off- putting. You try and say pithy things, but your wit is a hindrance and therefore nothing is provocative. Just mixed metaphors. Now, doesn't that make you angry? Does it infuriate you?
Mr. Furious: No.
The Bowler: Well, it should. Aren't you angry? Come on, man!
The Shoveller: Your penmanship is atrocious!
The Sphinx: You dress in the manner of a male prostitute!

Reality Bites (10th Anniversary Edition) (1994) .... Ben Stiller was yuppie Michael Grates, vying for the affections of Winona Ryder against rival slacker Ethan Hawke. Janeanne Garofalo was gal pal Vickie Miner.
There's Something About Mary (1998) .... Ben Stiller plays Ted Stroehmann opposite Carmen Diaz.
Boogie Nights (1997) .... Little Bill was played by William H. Macy.
Fargo (1996) .... William H. Macy was Jerome 'Jerry' Lundegaard.
Shine (1996) .... Geoffrey Rush played piano whiz David Helfgott as an Adult.
Quills (2000) .... Who better to portray The Marquis de Sade than Geoffrey Rush?
Wonderland (2003) .... Janeanne Garofalo was Joy Miller in this bio of John Holmes starring Val Kilmer.
The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996) .... Garofalo was Abby the Vet with a call-in radio show in this surprisingly good romcom.
Auto Focus (2002) .... Greg Kinnear played Hogan's Hero, Bob Crane, in this gritty murder mystery based on Crane's untimely death.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006) .... Greg shines as the uptight and obsessively optimistic Richard Hoover

The Sphinx (Wes Studi): You must lash out with every limb, like the octopus who plays the drums.
July 22, 2008

Mystrey Men HD-DVD

Fun movie - great price - movie came ahead of estimated delivery time, what else can you ask for. Love shopping at Amazon June 4, 2008

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