Rating: Summary: Give it a chance. Review: After all these negative reviews I was expecting to see the total flop, something barely watchable - like The Avengers - and the only reason I rented it was that the other option on the New Releases shelf was Patriot (it's Moscow, not LA). And now I am looking for the DVD.No, I was not roaring with laughter all these 2 hours but the happy grin has appeared on the 2nd minute and I still wear it. Mystery Men is one of the films you either "buy" from the first moment till the last or just shrug it off, regretting whatever you've spent to see that nonsense. Ordinary guys (and the girl) in weird outfits fighting the equally freakishly attired baddies had already made their appearance in this season's Galaxy Quest, and I never thought that another bunch of guys (and the girl) could be even more hilarious but...here they are! There are many sorts of humor in this film and some of the jokes can make you flinch, but I think that's intentional - do we expect the endearing denizens of American freakdom to fire off something sleek every time? How are the misfits supposed to joke? In fact, they look so authentic I really believe all the "superheroes" at The Shoveler's backyard party were taken there by the studio's bus from their annual, monthly or daily convention somewhere in vicinity of the movie's set. Ben Stiller portrays the big city loser, the screaming neurotic, who prefers to think that these fits of rage is his "superpower". Show me a more hilarious and loving satire in this year's releases. No, don't waste your time trying. William H.Macy, sober white guy in interracial marriage, unable to forget he is the shovel-wielding virtuoso. His loving but so tired black wife, exasperated by the husband's unwillingness ...not to kick his drug habit - as we have seen in so many films - but to lose that stupid shovel! The overdue for marriage Blue Raja with all his mannerisms and heart of gold, the "wisdom of Orient" guru Sphinx, who can dissolve in the air only half a gun and speaks in crappy riddles, the tough-talking bowler girl...What a team! The casting would be perfect if the film's budget and Mr.Willis' schedule would allow Bruce to participate as the Captain Amazing. No offense intended, but the characters' situation echoes the actors' current status in today's cinema, and the action flicks' icon would have been the perfect superstar crimebuster. Greg Kinnear is good but he belongs to the other guys' echelon, so the great gap between them is less believable. And what a delightful and chucklingly unexpected array of the bad guys and ladies! Suzukis from the East, the college team, the gangstas and Disco Boys. Wow! Casanova Frankenstein in his first asylum appearance looks exactly like Howard Stern. Is this intentional? The movie's design made me gasp in childish awe and giggle at the little quirky details of the "near future" - like the road signs in Hindu and Japanese with English analogs in much smaller letters, not vice versa. So the film is just breathtaking for anyone who is willing to plunge there headfirst, leaving the brooding behind to linger in the critics' unappreciating opuses. "The season's weakest offering", huh? Comparing to what? To the yawningly predictable X-men? To the harebrained Charlie's Angels? I am happy the studio is willing to take the risks and provide us with a very welcome break from all that overhyped stuff. Rent, see, buy, enjoy!
Rating: Summary: So ridiculous it's an instant CLASSIC! Review: I have NO idea what I was expecting when I saw 'Mystery Men' in the theaters last year, but I KNOW I wasn't expecting it to be flat-out hilarious...but that is exactly what this movie is. I don't think that ANYONE took this movie seriously--and I am pretty sure that was the idea all along by the producers. The plot and storyline is so outlandish that it wasn't SUPPOSED to be anything but a ridiculous comedy from the outset. C'Mon! With so-called Superheros like, 'The Shoveler' and 'The Blue Raja' and let's not forget the flatulating wonder that is Pee Wee Herman's character 'The Spleen'. When I caught sight of our Main Superhero, Captain Amazing, a TRUE Superhero with 'REAL' powers (although we never really get to see what they are) and noticed he had sold advertising on his 'suit' I nearly fainted with laughter. Continuous laughs from beginning to end...I particularly enjoyed the Superhero 'Try-Outs' where we get to see such potential heros as 'The Pencil' (I erase crime), 'The Waffler' using, you guessed it, an honest-to-goodness waffle maker and MY personal favorite, 'The PMS Avenger' (she only works 3 weeks out of the month...you GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?!?!). Oh, and don't expect Captain Amazing to come to the rescue here, folks. He meets an odd but absolutely hilarious moment in the movie where he is rendered, shall we say, less than able to help out. I am completely lost at the bad reviews of this movie. Maybe those who didn't enjoy it were expecting a serious Superhero movie... in THAT case it reeked--and BAD...but since I am 100% CERTAIN it was a comedy that pokes fun at the whole idea of Superheros, I thought it was full of BIG laughs all the way through. Don't take MY word for it, see it for yourself.
Rating: Summary: it's no mystery that it's a great movie Review: I think one reason this is a great movie is because it's a superhero movie,just like unbreakable. the super hero's powers are LOL and they're such pathetic heroes. one guys power is to fart. the way one of the characters talks is hilarious.(I will not spoil who by saying the name.) In conclusion this movie is the best movie ever...
Rating: Summary: Good for a chuckle, little else Review: The best thing I can say about "Mystery Men" is that I did not injure myself getting it out of my DVD player. It has good direction and set design, and decent performances, but far, far too few funny bits to support it's running time. Perhaps if you watch the movie in 30 minute segments it won't be so bad but if you do it all in one sitting you will be bored. There are definitely some entertaining parts but they are buried under lots of dull set-up. A good movie for a lazy Sunday afternoon where there is not so much pressure to get all of one's entertainment from "Mystery Men" alone.
Rating: Summary: Must Be Seen At Least Three Times Review: Some movies, whether intentionally or not, were just meant to be watched several times. I believe the popular term is "cult film" and Mystery Men is just such an example. The first time I watched it was not unlike the first time I watched The Three Amigos--I snickered a few times, then walked away wondering why such a heavy hitting cast of comics made such a "mediocre" movie. But the more I watched it, the more I laughed and discovered truly funny elements that just sort of slipped by the first time around. Mystery Men is also refreshing in the sense that most of the humor, in spite of its PG-13 rating, is crude-free (I actually let my 6 and 9-year-old watch it). Jim Carey fans, however, will probably be disappointed by the lack of slap-stick (read stupid) humor that seems to dominate most recent comedies. One reviewer dismissed Mystery Men as a "bomb" after renting it, but I'm fairly certain that if he just made himself watch it one or two more times, he'd begin to appreciate at least some of it. Here's a test: if you still laugh after watching movies like Raising Arizona, This Is Spinal Tap, The Three Amigos, or What About Bob? five or six times, get Mystery Men. It gets better with repeat viewing.
Rating: Summary: Not the worst movie I've ever seen.... Review: ...but close. Sorry to all those people who found this an entertaining movie, but I thought it was a big pile of steaming poo. Saying that, I have watched it twice. It was better the second time around because I expected to find the film rubbish, and so was pleasantly surprised at a few points. It's a real shame though, because when I saw the trailers in the cinema for this movie, I thought "I gotta get that, it's going to be hilarious". It promised so much, and delivered next to nothing in return. You could buy worse, but not much.
Rating: Summary: I want two hours of my life back... Review: Ah, my first 1 star review. I had the displeasure of renting Mystery Men recently, and was mildly surprised to see it as "Your Recommendation" when I fired up Amazon today. I had to put in my two cents. Woe for a script that so debases a good cast! I hope William H. Macy is okay, feeling he had to take a part like this. He has about five scenes to himself, and they are all the same: proud statement of self-purpose, self-doubt, self-affirmation, proud statement of self-purpose. I did read that the actors knew during filming that they were participating in a bomb. It is conceivable that it looked good on paper (or on a DVD cover--heck, I rented it after all) but just did not work when actually attempted. Mystery Men, to its credit, gives satire the old college try. It's like watching a kid in Little League who isn't very good at baseball, but is doing his darndest to succeed...you root for them, hoping for a breakthrough. But the movie just strikes out...it isn't satire, much less good satire. It's just a bad comic book brought to humiliating life. To put it succintly, I felt less intelligent after watching Mystery Men. I even tried watching the excerpts on the DVD, hoping they just left the funny parts on the cutting room floor. Do I need to tell you what I found?
Rating: Summary: I Loved It. Review: This underrated flick is fun and entertaining. An amusing attack on comic book cliques, probably not for everyone.
Rating: Summary: If you don't like this movie, this movie won't like you. Review: Strange that people who don't like this movie always seem to use the words "stupid", "brainless" or "insults your intelligence" in their reviews. People I know who use these words and phrases to describe something usually have a hard time telling the difference between serious statements and sarcasm. How ironic that studies have shown that the appreciation for satire is directly related to IQ. Mystery Men is a joyride for comic book fans who enjoy satire. I do realize that this is a limited patronage to draw upon, but this is the obvious target audience for this movie. Others will, more or less, be disappointed. The sheer lunacy of the characters are a delight to watch as they bumble through their half-hazardly schemed plan to save Champion Citys' resident hero, Captain Amazing. In order to do this, they must first enlist the aid of other would-be heros, as well as a mentor who pretensiles wisdom by throwing out silly lines like this reviews title. Our heros are far from perfect however, as they botch the rescue attempt, but are still able to save the day for Champion City in an action variation of the "Inspector Clouseau" style that is so missed in movies since Peter Sellers untimely death. This is very much worth the rental, and if you get into "British comedy" moods on occasion, it's worth buying as well...
Rating: Summary: Love it or hate it? Review: Wow, I never thought there would be such polarized opinions of this film! As a person who abstains from alcohol completely and was not of a low IQ when I saw this movie in the theater, maybe I should be surprised I loved it so much judging by some of the reviews. My favorite thing about the movie was how all of the fake superheroes took themselves so seriously; the movie was very clever almost all the time. There is only one scene I would edit out, which was just lowbrow as it gets, and that's the scene with the skunk. It is a very strange movie, and if you're looking for a normal movie, you will probably not like it. If you're in one of those Art Film moods, though... rent the movie. I took my age 55+ parents to see the movie. They laughed out loud. I took some friends in their mid-20s, and one of them liked it and the other two didn't even crack a smile. They say that they can divide people into two groups: those who love Pachelbel's Canon and those who hate it. It's the same with this movie. But if you like the Monty Python movies, Excalibur, Spaceballs, To Be or Not To Be, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Seventh Seal, Wings of Desire and Far Away, So Close; you have similar film tastes with this reviewer and you might just like this odd, irreverent little film. All others might want to stay away.
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