Roy (Ben Stiller), Jeffrey (Hank Azaria), and Eddie (William H. Macy) are three friends who moonlight as superheroes Mr. Furious, Blue Raja, and The Shoveler in the metropolis of Champion City. The trio are fairly inept when it comes to crime fighting and are often overshadowed by the Arrogant and much more popular Captain Amazing (Greg Kinear). However when Amazing arranges for the release of supervillain Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) so he can boost his image by having a more credible threat the plan backfires with Amazing becoming captured putting the city in danger that only the titular Mystery Men can stop.
Loosely based on the comic book series Flaming Carrot Comics by Bob Burden, the movie is a contemporary spoof of the superhero genre (with Joel Schumacher's Batman films serving as the main source of inspiration). The movie features a large number of comic actors including Including Paul Rebens, Janeane Garofalo, and Kel Mitchell having prominent roles. The movie is very loosely structured as much of the dialogue was improvised, and while not every joke lands and the movie does feel over stretched in some areas Mystery Men is still a superior example of the superhero comedy subgenre.
The cast have genuine chemistry and there's an obvious amount of love for the superhero genre on display. The scenes where Roy, Jeffrey, and Eddie converse at an all night diner are a lot of fun as they point out foibles in the Champion City superhero scene (including a trope involving glasses that is very funny). The superhero personas created by the lovable losers are also quite funny with Mr. Furious being a sort of inept and powerless Hulk, and Blue Raja scoring a lot of laughs from his confusing hero name that involves a turban, forks, and yet not much of the color blue. But easilly the best performances are Wes Studi as The Sphinx and Janeane Garofalo as The Bolwer. Wes Studi has a lot of fun playing an over the top parody of Mentor figures like Yoda, Splinter, Or Stick with cryptic dialogue that sounds deep but is more like a string of non sensical metaphors and similes only tangentially related to the situation. Garofalo is also quite good as The Bowler who scores a number of laughs talking to her bowling ball that houses her deceased father's skull and soul that only she can talk to and her timing and improv is pitch perfect.
Despite the positives that are on display in the film, there are some drawbacks. Because of the loose improv heavy structure of the movie, some actors don't work as well as others. Paul Reubens is better known for his work as Pee-Wee Herman and known for visual gags and prop jokes and he unfortunately doesn't adapt well to the improv based structure playing flatulence based hero The Spleen. Kel Mitchell fares a bit better playing The Invisible Boy (whose explanation for his powers is one of the funniest in the movie), but Kel much like Reubens isn't primarily known for improv and doesn't have many standout comic moments (though admitedly he does better than Reubens). The movie was directed by commercial director Kinka Usher (who directed a number of Taco Bell's popular Chihuahua commercials throughout the 90s) and he has a good grasp of comedy and pacing, but it's clear he didn't have experience in reining in such a large group of comic actors which leads to some issues with pacing. It's a shame Kinka Usher left the industry to return to commercial work because he seems like he could've refined his craft, but unfortunately that's how it worked out.
Mystery Men is a flawed movie, but it's also a very funny and good natured comedy. The movie's affectionate ribbing of the superhero genre is never mean spirited and the cast deliver genuinely engaging performances (even if some actors struggle with the structure of the movie). Despite some hiccups this movie is a lot of fun and can be enjoyed by almost anyone.
Loosely based on the comic book series Flaming Carrot Comics by Bob Burden, the movie is a contemporary spoof of the superhero genre (with Joel Schumacher's Batman films serving as the main source of inspiration). The movie features a large number of comic actors including Including Paul Rebens, Janeane Garofalo, and Kel Mitchell having prominent roles. The movie is very loosely structured as much of the dialogue was improvised, and while not every joke lands and the movie does feel over stretched in some areas Mystery Men is still a superior example of the superhero comedy subgenre.
The cast have genuine chemistry and there's an obvious amount of love for the superhero genre on display. The scenes where Roy, Jeffrey, and Eddie converse at an all night diner are a lot of fun as they point out foibles in the Champion City superhero scene (including a trope involving glasses that is very funny). The superhero personas created by the lovable losers are also quite funny with Mr. Furious being a sort of inept and powerless Hulk, and Blue Raja scoring a lot of laughs from his confusing hero name that involves a turban, forks, and yet not much of the color blue. But easilly the best performances are Wes Studi as The Sphinx and Janeane Garofalo as The Bolwer. Wes Studi has a lot of fun playing an over the top parody of Mentor figures like Yoda, Splinter, Or Stick with cryptic dialogue that sounds deep but is more like a string of non sensical metaphors and similes only tangentially related to the situation. Garofalo is also quite good as The Bowler who scores a number of laughs talking to her bowling ball that houses her deceased father's skull and soul that only she can talk to and her timing and improv is pitch perfect.
Despite the positives that are on display in the film, there are some drawbacks. Because of the loose improv heavy structure of the movie, some actors don't work as well as others. Paul Reubens is better known for his work as Pee-Wee Herman and known for visual gags and prop jokes and he unfortunately doesn't adapt well to the improv based structure playing flatulence based hero The Spleen. Kel Mitchell fares a bit better playing The Invisible Boy (whose explanation for his powers is one of the funniest in the movie), but Kel much like Reubens isn't primarily known for improv and doesn't have many standout comic moments (though admitedly he does better than Reubens). The movie was directed by commercial director Kinka Usher (who directed a number of Taco Bell's popular Chihuahua commercials throughout the 90s) and he has a good grasp of comedy and pacing, but it's clear he didn't have experience in reining in such a large group of comic actors which leads to some issues with pacing. It's a shame Kinka Usher left the industry to return to commercial work because he seems like he could've refined his craft, but unfortunately that's how it worked out.
Mystery Men is a flawed movie, but it's also a very funny and good natured comedy. The movie's affectionate ribbing of the superhero genre is never mean spirited and the cast deliver genuinely engaging performances (even if some actors struggle with the structure of the movie). Despite some hiccups this movie is a lot of fun and can be enjoyed by almost anyone.