Mystery Men by John Sylva Rating: B
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The horror genre was spoofed in 1996's Scream. The "mob" genre was spoofed in 1998's Mafia! Virtually every genre has been spoofed at one time or another, but what about the comic book/super hero genre? Don't worry, the Mystery Men are here! Mystery Men, the directorial debut of Kinka Usher, who has directed the talking Taco Bell Chihuahua ads, among other television commercials, features one of the best ensemble casts every assembled featuring a handful of today's most talented and popular stars. The premise is great, original- too bad screenplay writer Neil Cuthbert had to screw up what could have been the year's best comedy.
Welcome to Champion City, ala Batman's "Gotham City", a high tech, futuristic town, which has been under the guard of the heroic Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear), who bares exact resemblance to the city's wealthiest man, Lance Harbor, but no one can figure out who Captain Amazing is. Lance Harbor wears glasses, Captain Amazing doesn't. I wonder who Captain Amazing could be? This clever gag comes from Batman as well, as Bruce Wayne, who is a billionaire, and also Batman, had the identical looks of the caped crusader, and the same voice, but Gotham City could never figure out who Batman was.
Meanwhile, at the city's cuckoo hospital, Dr. Cassanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) is released, after he is declared "cured." (He tried to destroy Champion City.) Frankenstein takes Captain Amazing hostage, taking away the city's protection, as a part of his plan to destroy Champion City. Hearing of Captain Amazing's disappearance, three wannabe super heroes, Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller), Blue Raja (Hank Azaria), and The Shoveler (William H. Macy), decide they must retain Captain Amazing, but not without help from the city's other talented super heroes. The Bowler (Janeane Garofalo), The Spleen (Paul "Pee Wee Herman" Reubens), and Invisible Boy (Kel Mitchell) jump on board the talented group that plans to save the Champion City.
With the "ticking time bomb of fury" Mr. Furious, the shoveling talents of The Shoveler, the bowling ball with The Bowler's father's head encased that has a mind of its own, the flaming flatulence from The Spleen, the capability to disappear when no ones looking by Invisible Boy, and the spoon and fork wielding Blue Raja, The Mystery Men are prepared to do what is needed to carry out their difficult task. Doing so will require paying a visit to Dr. Heller (Tom Waits), who will supply the misfit super heroes with weapons, and also The Sphinx (Wes Studi), who will guide them in the use of their powers, and working as a team, ala Professor X, who teaches a team of mutants how to use their powers in the comic X-Men.
The film starts off on a good note, with the wise cracking Greg Kinnear doing what he does best, comedy, and when the new super heroes, who The Shoveler calls "the other guys", first meet. From here, Mystery Men turns more into the genre of film it is spoofing, with only a few gags pulled here and there, creating a lighter super hero/action movie than the regulars, such as 1997's Batman and Robin, but Mystery Men's clever sequences are washed out by the time this 122 minute film's credits roll.
Mystery Men, one of three particularly clever, comedic films released this summer (Dick is the other one), doesn't live up to hype, or the wonderful cast, but I recommend it, as when gags are pulled, they are hilarious, and every cast member and character, excluding Invisible Boy, adds their share to this fun movie. Most laughs come from The Spleen, whose voice does become an annoyance at times, but his flaming flatulence is funny enough to cancel out any negative thoughts that might have come to mind during the film.
Janeane Garofalo, one of today's funniest actresses, is great in her underwritten role, and takes the two dimensional character that the screenplay gives her, and turns it into three. I can always count on Garafalo to bring me laughs, whether it be her performance as the outrageously rude Heather Mooney in 1997's Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, are watching her talk to her dad's skull here in Mystery Men, Garofalo always delivers. Garofalo, who also up showed Uma Thurman in 1996's The Truth About Cats And Dogs, has around ten movies coming out in the next year, so make note of each and everyone of them, and seek them out immediately.
William H. Macy, who steals the show in virtually every movie he is a part of (1998's Pleasantville and Psycho), is given some acting competition here in Mystery Men, with Garafalo, Stiller, and Rush making it impossible for him to steal Mystery Men, but he still gives a solid, hilarious performance, as he delivers one liners such as "God gave me a gift. I shovel well," every few moments.
Geoffrey Rush, one of my personal favorite actors, brightens up with Mystery Men, after performing in two of 1998s darker films that were in the running for Best Picture at the Oscars, Shakespeare in Love and Elizabeth. Rush isn't given enough to do with the screenplay, creating a villain which isn't so villainous, but Rush does what he can.
The talented Ben Stiller is great here, especially in the sequence in which the Mystery Men attack Frankenstein's limo, and shows Hollywood the great talent that he has, which he is only marginally able to show in 1998's There's Something About Mary, which has a weak screenplay that doesn't give Stiller enough to do. Stiller's character isn't even threatening here in Mystery Men, which makes the film funnier when Stiller unleashes his power- extreme anger. Mr. Furious takes himself extremely seriously, but comes off as a joke. I mean what is he going to do? Yell at you?
Mr. Furious isn't the least threatening character though, that title would go to Invisible Boy, who is always tagging along, but hardly says anything or does anything. Kel Mitchell, a Nickolodeon star that is popular among young children, is given nothing do do with the screenplay, therefore making it impossible to judge his performance. Seeing him perform on Nickelodeon's "All That", I know he is a talented actor, and deserves better roles than Invisible Boy.
Last but not least is Blue Raja, who delivers an abundance of laughs, while he throws his forks and spoons rapidly, not for one second coming off intimidating. The relationship between Blue Raja and the other characters, including his confused mother, is downright hilarious. At one point, Blue Raja's mother tells him, "I wanted to save these for your wedding day," as she hands him silverware for his journey against Frankenstein.
Mystery Men doesn't take itself seriously, but the characters do, and that's what makes Mystery Men worth admission price. Luckily, the film isn't just another "summer movie," it's a funny, fun, and satisfying motion picture. The outstanding visuals had me in awe for the entire running time, as the vibrant Champion City bursts with color and brightness, creating an environment that makes the viewer want to reside there. Mystery Men had potential to be a cult classic, but like many potentially wonderful movies, this one has a major flaw, the screenplay. Kinka Usher's direction is fun, fast, and smart, with in your face camera angles, and quick transition from scene to scene. The cast is what powers Mystery Men the most, as the performers out perform the screenplay, making the best of their roles. Hopefully, Mystery Men will be a path to an entire saga of Mystery Men films. Heck- It would be a lot better than 100 Batmans, eh?
The Bottom Line- It will remain a "mystery" why the screenplay went so wrong, but the brilliant visuals and a hip cast make Mystery Men a fun experience.
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