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Mystery Men

Mystery Men

List Price: $9.99
Your Price: $9.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not as bad as it looks; comic book fans will love it.
Review: You'll probably either love "Mystery Men" or hate it, and there are ample reasons for both. On the "hate" side, the villains are one-dimensional and not nearly as much fun as they could be, the plot is standard-issue save-the-world stuff (except for a clever twist midway through) and some questionable editing has left this film full of some rather enormous story holes.

On the "love" side, this is a very funny film, with clever parodies and heroes who are well-realized and well-acted. As a longtime comic book fan, I had to like this movie despite its flaws.

Welcome to Champion City, home of smug superhero Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear.) The Captain's been too successful at putting away the bad guys; with no villains to fight, he's losing his lucrative corporate sponsorship deals. So he arranges to have archfield Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush, not so much reading the script as eating it) let loose from prison. What C.A. doesn't expect is that his nemesis will get the better of him, leaving Champion City helpless against his latest nefarious (and ridiculously complex) plan.

Enter Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller,) The Shoveler (William H. Macy,) and The Blue Raja (Hank Azaria,) three hapless losers who want to join the hero game. When they accidentally learn of Captain Amazing's abduction, they must recruit a band of equally inept heroes-- wide-eyed rookie Kel Mitchell, delightfully sarcastic Janeane Garofalo, stone-faced Wes Studi and generally icky Paul Reubens-- to save their city from destruction.

Despite the general silliness, there's plenty to enjoy here. No convention of the comics, from poorly concealed secret identities to dynamic superhero banter, is left unmocked. The phantasmagoric sets are great eye candy, even as they poke fun at other films of the genre. The cast is a joy to watch, especially Macy, who gives the Shoveler a shining, blue-collar nobility. Writer Neil Cuthbert, plucked from the world of independent film, makes the best of his ragged plot by giving the heroes a surpring amount of depth and humanity.

The DVD edition of "Mystery Men" promises deleted scenes that may help explain some parts of the film (like why one supposedly key villain shows up in two scenes and then vanishes for the rest of the film.) You'll probably want to rent this film before you buy it, just in case. Me, I wanted to see a sequel the moment the credits started to roll.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: this movie is terrible
Review: The title of my review pretty much sums it up. There were a total of about two amusing parts in the entire movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best Comedy of 1999
Review: Remember Men in Black, that hilarious well-written comedy from 1997, with its outstanding cast? That was my favorite comedy of 1997 (favorite movie, too... I couldn't stand Titanic.) Mind you, I liked Austin Powers too.

Now, in 1999, Mystery Men is a well-written comedy, with an even more outstanding cast than MiB! Yes, the humor does get a bit immature at times (sitting on the fork, The Spleen's flatulence), but those bits go by briefly. I loved Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, but MM was even funnier. It's really too bad that Austin 2 has become part of our pop culture, but MM hasn't- many of the lines in it are worthy cath phrases/quotes.

Six of the seven Mystery Men are very likeable, with the interactions between them being the bulk of the laughs. I thought The Spleen wasn't very funny, though (at least the flatulence doesn't have realistic sounds). Still, best comedy of 1999 for sure, this movie never goes more than 2 minutes without a laugh (I'm serious... I used a stopwatch!)

Hooray for the Blue Raja!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Funny Funny and More Funny
Review: If you want to laugh out loud, get this movie. If you want to laugh 'til you cry, get this movie. If you want to...okay you get the picture. Funny stuff.

You may find yourself coming up with superhero names for your friends and family ala The Shoveler and Mr. Furious after you see this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "We are number one. All others are number two or lower."
Review: I think this is one of those movies that will be deathly boring to some and hilarious to others. The comedy is more tounge-in-cheek that of the gross-out or pratfall variety. It comes down to whatever appeals to you. I found it hilarious... especially the line I used as the subject header. Destined to become a cult-classic.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Absolutely Wonderful
Review: This is probably my favorite movie of 1999, and one of the best comedies in recent memory. A thoroughly ridiculous, absurd movie!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's simple=AmaZing graphics..AmaZing movie!
Review: This a very good movie.After a well thought out observance I think the actors gave a gallant effort with a script that was a little..iffy.One note-worty performance was from Kel Mitchel of "All That" fame{show} being that he is not even 20yrs.old.It would really help if you are a big comic book fan but you really do not have to be one to enjoy this film.It is a great edition to my DVD collection.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Turkey of the Year 1999
Review: This makes WILD WILD WEST look like a masterpiece. God! A superhero wannabe spoof sounded like a great idea, but, oh dear. The movie starts off amiably enough with a slapstick fight scene, and our wannabes try to muscle in with Captain Amazing, a corporate-sponsored superhero(this gives the filmmakers a chance to advertise . . .). But after then, the jokes are so lame and this movie is done with such glumness that the cast look positively embarassed and depressed throughout. Any laughs engendered by this turkey are at it rather than with it. However it gets two stars as it is such chronic trash it is somehow entertaining, a bit like HOWARD THE DUCK from 1986(remember THAT! ). And to think LAWRENCE GORDON, the man behind EXECUTIVE DECISION and the DIE HARD movies produced this nonsense. I suppose in a few years it'll become a cult classic!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not That Great
Review: I went to the theater expecting this to be a funny movie. But it was pretty dumb with only a few funny parts.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: No Mystery As To Why It's Brilliant
Review: In recent years, there have been certain films that act as a divining rod between those who get the proverbial "joke" and those who "don't." Tim Burton's largely underappreciated "Mars Attacks!" serves as an example. Now, we have "Mystery Men," quite possibly the best comic-book movie adaptation since the first "Batman" and certainly a comedy worthy of the box office returns that a lesser movie like "There's Something About Mary" received. Unfortunately, it didn't have that kind of random-chance luck. Running neck-and-neck with "Magnolia" for Best Ensemble Cast of 1999, "Mystery Men" fires one-liners and subtle puns faster than an AK-47, telling the story about some less-than-super superheroes. Every performance in the film is nothing short of hysterical; Hank Azaria darn near steals the show as the fork-wielding Blue Raja. Paul Reubens, as the Spleen, is top drawer, which we haven't seen from him since the first Pee-Wee Herman movie and William H. Macy's facial expressions are worth the price of the film. His henpecked Shoveler is the closest thing this film has to a straight man... which is still far off. Not to mention Ben Stiller in rare form as Mr. Furious, the very definition of "all bark, no bite" and Janeane Garofalo in a less sardonic role than we're used to as the revenge-minded Bowler. Are you excited yet? If not, don't even bother seeing it; you clearly just "don't get it." For those of you that know why you should be excited, go out and get "Mystery Men." I dare you not to hurt yourself laughing.


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