MYSTERY MEN Reviewed by Jamie Peck
Rating: *** (out of ****) Universal / 1:58 / 1999 / PG-13 (language, comic violence, crude humor) Cast: Ben Stiller; William H. Macy; Hank Azaria; Janeane Garofalo; Geoffrey Rush; Wes Studi; Paul Ruebens; Kel Mitchell; Greg Kinnear; Claire Forlani; Eddie Izzard; Tom Waits; Lena Olin Director: Kinka Usher Screenplay: Neil Cuthbert
If you've been pining to see William H. Macy removed from his element, then "Mystery Men" is going to be your kind of movie. The "Fargo" Oscar-nominee and critically-acclaimed character actor here plays a blue-collar (and blue-jeans) crime-fighter known as The Shoveler, and seeing him dispatch disco-vamping enemies with a swift whack of his namesake weapon provides many a pinch-me-so-I-know-I'm-not-dreaming moment. Be thankful you're wide awake: Chief among the perverse pleasures of "Mystery" is witnessing him and more unexpected talents deadpan their way through a story that's all punchlines and sensory explosion.
A single member of a trio of hero-wannabes in the Gotham-like metropolis Champion City, Shoveler's team also includes Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller, radiating manic cool in stubble, spiky hair and black leather), prone to attention-getting tantrums, and The Blue Raja (Hank Azaria), a fork-flinger sporting an effete British accent and a wardrobe that looks stitched together from an elderly lady's housecoat. (It probably was.) They genuinely want to help rid their hometown of bad guys, yet always seem to fall into the shadow of the amazing Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear, perfectly utilized), Champion City's bonafide defender against evil.
With this set-up, "Mystery Men" sounds like any number of comics brought to large, lush life on the big screen - and, as every colorfully askew frame makes evident, it's source is just that (specifically, a Dark Horse publication called "Flaming Carrot"). But that the protagonists are second-rate saviors hints at vast opportunities for a wicked sense of humor, an edge that the performers, screenwriter Neil Cuthbert and debut director Kinka Usher take to the hilt. And what a hilt: A particularly amusing running gag involves Kinnear's promotional sponsorship, his NASCAR-esque jumpsuit displaying logos for Reebok, Rayovac and Pepsi.
Actually, Captain Amazing loses the latter endorsement after one too many ho-hum rescues. This puts him in a glum mood, so he demands that his publicist work to free old arch-nemesis Casanova Frankenstein (hammy Geoffrey Rush) from the local asylum to spark some deadly new conflict - only the plan backfires when he gets kidnaped by Casanova, allowing Shoveler, Mr. Furious and Blue Raja to prove their worth. First order of business: A backyard barbeque to hold auditions for new partners, where such funny rejects as Waffle Man (special power: "truth syrup") and PMS Avenger expire their moment in the spotlight.
Enter the real deals ... well, sort of: Paul "Pee-Wee Herman" Rueben's flatulent Spleen, Wes Studi's uber-enigmatic Sphinx, Kel Mitchell's affable Invisible Boy and "Mystery" MVP Janeane Garofalo as The Bowler, whose ball - containing both her dead father's skull and spirit - throws like a destructive boomerang. Once these cads come together following a shaky beginning, "Mystery Men" stands tall and proud on terra firma. Usher piles his freak show high in trappings so garish and silly that they occasionally topple under the weight, especially the messy action sequence that inaugurates the movie. But when they fly, they soar.
"Mystery Men" similarly finishes on a sloppy note, as each individual good guy gets his or her chance to shine in the run-of-the-mill climactic battle; the film dangerously courts becoming what it so far has poked a generous amount of fun at. But even with Usher's inexperience creating cluttered bookends, the long, strong midsection's mirthful mayhem and summer-flick satirizing are as irresistible as the priceless cast. Given the delightfully demented accomplishment here, a sequel that reunites these super friends and their behind-the-scenes counterparts - in some cases older, in others wiser - isn't out of the question.
© 1999 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit The Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/ "Upon hearing word of this outrage, ‘Star Wars' creator George Lucas (in the throes of developing scripts for the two remaining "Star Wars" films) quickly removed all references to an upcoming character allegedly named Stingy MacHaggis, a kilt-wearing alien who was to spend a good portion of ‘Episode II' drinking, picking fights and playing an alien musical instrument that strongly resembled a set of bagpipes. He is to be replaced by another alien character - a formless, colorless and mute creature who in no way resembles any culture or individual that ever existed or ever will exist. -AAlgar on "The Phantom Menace"'s race-stereotyping controversy
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