Mystery Men (1999) User Reviews

Lightweight, Goofy & Fun

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 3 November 2006]

This was different, that's for sure. Just look at the cast! Talk about oddballs.

William H. Macy and Ben Stiller were the stars, although a bunch of actors almost share the spotlight, in this farce about superhero-wannabees. The most outrageous was played by Paul Reubens of "Pee Wee Herman" fame.

There is lots of humor, garish colors and no lulls. It's a pretty entertaining, lightweight comedy with nothing but goofy characters, all of whom want to be heroes a la Superman, Batman, Spiderman, you name. They have talents in strange areas, however, that the real heroes don't (and don't want to!). It's silly, but you know that going on.

It's also a film you can watch in installments and not really miss any continuity. It's a long movie for one so hectic, so taking a break here and there is okay. The language was tame so kids could enjoy this, too. In fact, I don't recall any swearing in here, except the guy in the theater next to me who kept uttering, "What a dumb, f---ing movie." I thought it was fun two hours but I'd rather watch it on DVD and take a few breaks.

"He who questions training, only trains himself at asking questions."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 29 October 2016]

I enjoy a good parody flick every now and then, and this would have been better if they kept the dopey juvenile stuff out of it. Paul Reubens in the cast with his gimmick was just asking for trouble; I was waiting for the zits on his face to move around like Marty Feldman's hump in "Young Frankenstein" and that didn't happen, so there was an opportunity missed. Hank Azaria as The Blue Raja and William H. Macy as the Shoveler were about the best the picture had to offer as they played their parts both ways, serious and funny.

For old time TV and movie fans, let me pose a question - didn't the man under the Sphinx mask look like it might have been an aged Jay Silverheels? I know, he was long gone by the time this film came out, but that's the reaction I had. So I checked out Wes Studi's photo gallery here on IMDb and one can notice the resemblance.

The thing that really surprised me in the story was how the evil Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) rigged up that vaporizer to reduce Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear) to ashes, and he stayed dead! What!!?? That's not supposed to happen! Super-hero deaths are never supposed to be as certain as death and taxes, so I was shocked that no one thought of a way to reanimate his remains. Maybe in a sequel?

Well, I don't know. I thought this would be a little better than it turned out to be, but I do appreciate some of the more clever gimmicks like Raja's silverware dexterity and the super-hero tryout routine. Seeing Louise Lasser as Raja's Mom once again was kind of neat too, doing a senior citizen rendition of Her Mary Hartman character. I guess if you're on the fence about watching this one, I'd have to say, 'What the fork, just do it'.

A spoof on superhero movies

[The-Sarkologist · 6/10 · 17 October 2013]

The year is 1999 and the place is Champion City and all of the super villains are either dead or behind bars, so in a city over run with super heroes, there is no work. So the greatest super hero, Captain Amazing, decides to manipulate a few things to keep his sponsorship, and releases Cassanova Frankinstein. Unfortunately Cassanova gets the better of him and kills him so it is up to a hopeless trio: the Blue Rajah, The Shovel, and Mr Furious, to get him back. Unfortunately they are hopeless so they recruit some more, landing up with the Invisible Man, the Spleen, and the Bowler's daughter. Then the Sphinx, a mysterious figure, turns up to train them.

This movie, which is actually based on a comic series of the same name, is a farce of super hero movies. The mad inventor emphasises that all of his inventions are non-lethal, the Blue Rajah throws spoons and forks, but not knives, the Shovel is married with kids and his wife tries to tell him that maybe the superhero business is not cut out for him, and nobody finds Mr Furious threatening, at all.

It is a cute little movie and deals with these mystery men's right of ascension. Now that Captain Amazing is dead, a new lot of super heroes are needed, and unfortunately all they have are these guys. The Blue Rajah lives with his mother and Mr Furious is trying too hard to be something that he is not. In the end, when Mr Furious comes to terms with who he really is, a guy named Roy, then he becomes Mr Furious.

This is a pretty cool movie, and I do recommend it, but it is not one that stands out so much that one would want to see it again and again. I guess there is a little criticism here, but in the end any comment that it would want to make, simply falls down into a pool of laughs and weirdness. It may be weird, but it is not the weird that makes me interested in the movie.

An extremely underrated film

[holme-1 · 21 June 2002]

I thought this movie was hilarious when I first saw it and even bought it. I'm surprised that there is so much controversy over this film, because everyone did great performances, especially Ben Stiller as Mr. Furious. Quotes like "I need a compass to show me which way the wind shines." are just a small fraction of the hilarity in this film.

Grade: A+(One of my favorite comedies of all time)

Ahead of its Time

[view_and_review · 7/10 · 23 April 2020]

This movie was positively silly yet so funny. In fact, I'd say that "Mystery Men" was ahead of its time. With the glut of comic book movies in theaters today "Mystery Men" would've fit right in. It's more in line with something like "Kick-Ass," but its so apropo.

Ahead of its time.

[torrascotia · 6/10 · 12 October 2018]

Looking at some of the reviews on here its clear that this movie did not find the audience it deserved at the time. In 1999 many people were simply not quite ready to understand a superhero movie which was based more or less in reality and was a send up of the genre. Anyone expecting a run of the mill superheroes with superpowers movie would be disappointed. However this is a much smarter movie in which we have average guys with alot of heart but zero abilities who try to fight crime with hilariously incompetent results. They are more likely to hurt each other than any criminals. These heroes dont have cool names, cool costumes and don't even have cool pretend powers. Another huge disappointment for the average comic book hero fan as whats the point if they cant do anything we cant? Watching this movie post Megamind, Deadpool, Watchmen and Kickass this movie makes total sense. What also seems to make sense is that every one of those movies, all seem to have borrowed heavily from Mystery Men. What you do get is a fantastic cast, laugh out jokes, crazy set pieces, many quotable lines all wrapped up in a fairly family friendly package. Think of this as a live action Megamind or PG version of Kickass. The story is quite straight forward but it does still make fun of the usual comic book tropes in a fresh way. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed any of the movies I compared Mystery Men to, you will wonder why you had previously let this one slip by and also just how many of the current crop of "original" and "smarter" comic book movies have ripped off Mystery Men? Deserves to be seen.

Great Star Power for a Great Comedy Film

[FilmFanInTheHouse · 7/10 · 31 March 2008]

Mystery Men (1999, Dir. Kinka Usher)

When Captain Amazing is kidnapped by Casanova Frankenstein a group of superheroes combine together to create a plan. But these aren't normal superheroes. They are individuals who are not good enough to be real superheroes. Now, the group who include such heroes as Mr. Furious, The Shoveller and The Blue Raja must put all the powers together to save everyone they know and love.

The film 'Mystery Men' has one of the best combination of cast in a comedy film. The films contains amazing talent from the likes of Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, William H. Macy, Geoffrey Rush and Eddie Izzard. And thats only a few of the talented names whose comedic performances appear in the film. The movie is not your typical superhero movie and really gives some wonderful created characters. The action is based more on the characters comedic powers, but is still very entertaining. As well as having fun characters and a good story, the film also provides beautiful sets and a wonderful disco soundtrack. 'Mystery Men' is one of those comedy films which just don't get much recognition and must be watched.

"Hey Dad, I'm going to my room with three strange men." - Invisible Boy (Kel Mitchell)

How could such a wonderful cast make such a godawful movie?

[bobkublawi · 1/10 · 12 February 2004]

Ben Stiller, Geoffrey Rush, William H. Macy----wow, what a cast you're thinking, right? Well, this vaunted and talented cast managed to make, quite possibly, one of the most disappointing movies ever. This movie tries, and fails, to be funny in so many ways. There is not one funny line in this movie---not one. No sight gag or line drew even a snicker. This was the longest hour and a half of my life. Stay away from this one. Far away.

Ahead of its time

[acedj · 9/10 · 4 November 2019]

This movie puts the hero in superhero. A trio of friends have, for years, taken up crime fighting under the guises of The Shoveler, Captain Furious and The Blue Rajah. This, despite the fact that there is a resident superhero known as Captain Amazing. With the release of Casanova Frankenstein, the cities most feared super villain, and the subsequent disappearance of Amazing, it is up to this rag-tag trio to put together a group of people to defeat Frankenstein.

This movie has so many great actors in it, I find it utterly crazy that it was not bigger. This is a great movie based off a comic before Marvel stuck up their giant tent pole. Not that I am mad at Marvel, not in the least. If you are looking for a movie with superheros, humor and so many quotable lines, then look no further.

Underrated little geek out

[erikharrison · 7/10 · 18 December 2005]

"Nystery Men" is an unpretentious little flick with a lot in it's favor. A good cast, some quirky dialog, and a director who knows when to just let his cast have a good time all add up to a fun time.

"Mystery Men" is not a genre flick in the usual sense, nor is it a Ben Stiller vehicle. It is more like "The Mask" except it relies on the ensemble instead of a central star. This has likely contributed to the movie's relative obscurity, and the broad dislike by a number of its viewers. You have to be willing to geek out a bit, and watch a goofy comedic ensemble at work to appreciate "Mystery Men".

That said, a few things do not work. The love story between Ben Stiller's self conscious hero and Claire Forlani's waitress simply doesn't seem to play. Kel Mitchel is simply adequate, and though I find him hilarious, it's hard to separate the scatological (or methalogical, if you prefer) The Spleem from Paul Reuben's personal life.

All in all, our motley team of untalented superheros play delightfully off of each other, and entertain more than they bore. Watch for a classic parody of every pep talk in all of film from William H Macy. It's brief, it's funny, and it is perfectly delivered, and contains the heart of "Mystery Men"

I expected better....

[LillyCat · 3/10 · 5 August 1999]

I thought Mystery Men was an almost complete disappointment. It just wasn't funny enough to make up for how BAD it was. Even Paul Reubens was annoyingly bad. I mean, a character called "The Spleen" who farts a lot? Give me a break. The only people I know who would find this funny are 5 year old boys. What a waste of time..

Extremely Underrated

[schadenfreude714 · 9/10 · 17 March 2005]

I saw "Mystery Men" on my birthday in 1999 while I was away on vacation. When I came back home, I went to see it again. Keep in mind, I was twelve, but at that time it was the coolest movie ever. I even collected the ultra-rare action figures (I have them all except for the Bowler, which is the hardest to find. They made Mr. Furious, The Shoveler, The Blue Raja, The Spleen and Captain Amazing, in case your wondering. There IS a William H. Macy action figure in existence!). I've watched it many times over the years and it still remains a favorite of mine, due mostly to fond childhood memories. It's not a perfect movie, but it definitely deserves another look and perhaps a cult following.

The story: a bunch of low-level superheroes save the day. This was executed again in the mediocre, direct-to-video "The Specials" as well. But this is the other end of the spectrum: big budget (huge budget, almost $100 Million I think) studio comedy. Yes, the effects are overblown and the huge sets and wonderful production design are a bit much considering the plot. But don't think this as a stupid, special effects-y superhero movie--it's a PARODY. They fight a villain named Cassanova Frankenstein, people. He has a psychofrakulator, whatever that is (it's a doomsday device, he'll take over the world, yada yada.) And resident superhero Captain Amazing (a Zapp Brannigan-esque Greg Kinnear, with commercial-product-logos on his costume, nice touch) is kidnapped. Time for the Mystery Men: Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller, gets mad), The Shoveller (William H. Macy, beats people with shovels), The Blue Raja (Hank Azaria, British, throws forks), The Bowler (Janeane Garafolo, bowls), Invisible Boy (Kel Mitchell, guess what he does), The Spleen (the great Paul Reubens, farts), and The Sphinx (Wes Studi, cuts guns in half with his mind, I am not kidding). The rest of the fantastic cast of character actors includes Geoffrey Rush as Cassanova, Lena Olin heavily edited out as Cassanova's bride, and the one and only Tom Waits as a crazy weapons dealer. So...with Macy, Kinnear, Olin, and Rush there are four Oscar-nominees (and one winner) and Tom freakin' Waits! It's not perfect though. It's overlong and there are some gushes of corniness here and there (The Shoveller's full of them).

The dialogue definitely outweighs the physical comedy, which is sometimes lacking (there's a guy who farts for his power, case closed). The dialogue is definitely a highlight, the cyclical ramblings of the Sphinx, the mixed metaphors of Mr. Furious, etc. It's downright a funny movie, (it will almost make you forget that this was the film that let "All Star" by Smashmouth out into the world.)

Unfortunately, the film did not do as well with critics and audiences as it should have. A sequel was originally planned (the film is in fact based on a comic book and characters from "The Flaming Carrot" comics. The Flaming Carrot was planned for the sequel I believe) but this did not do well at the box office. It could have been a hard sell, a superhero comedy with the guy from "There's Something About Mary." It also could have been the fact that it was released on the same day as "The Sixth Sense"--which ended up being the biggest hit for the month of August--as well as "The Thomas Crown Affair." Two other misunderstood classics were released on the same crowded weekend, oddly enough--"Dick" and "The Iron Giant." Critics gave MM passable reviews, but it was quickly forgotten. Sadly enough, on Comedy Central's Roast of Jerry Stiller, comedian Jeffrey Ross commented to Ben Stiller that, "I saw 'Mystery Men' and I fired MY agent." Ben is then seen to mouth the words, "I should have to." Don't listen to him. Give "Mystery Men" a chance.

Some very funny writing

[okcomputer69 · 7/10 · 1 August 2005]

I really didn't expect much from this movie, but it wasn't bad; actually it was quite good. This movie contained a couple of the funniest bits of writing I have ever seen from a motion picture. Now am not saying this is one of the funniest movies of all time, but I laughed pretty hard at some parts. "The police ruled my father's death a suicide. They said he fell down an elevator shaft. Onto some bullets". Now this movie is not for everybody, its mostly stupid humor like Zoolander or Dodgeball; so if you hated these movies I would probably recommend you to steer clear. Overall it was an enjoyable movie, about a group of superhero wannabes, who end up becoming real heroes in the end. It's a vastly overrated comedy that many people probably haven't seen yet, because like me before viewing it expected it to be utter garbage. After viewing this film, I finally understand why this movie was able to assemble such a superstar cast which includes Ben Stiller, William H. Macy, Hank Azaria, and even that kid from Good Burger. It's because Mystery Man is full of excellent comedic writing period 7 out of 10. A very big surprise.

Is there a rating lower than one?

[marcus40mast · 1/10 · 27 July 2002]

I don't like to critisise movies totally. I always try and find something good in a movie yet this defied me in watching Mystery Men. I sat there for what seemed like ages whilst failing to be entertained by any aspect of this film, not helped by my family watching it because I had said it was supposed to be really funny and their reaction was less than pleased.

There was not one single part of this film that entertained me in any way and I was genuinely disappointed in the fact that such a cast could produce such a terrible film. William H Macy, who i consider one of the most underrated actors of our time, and the rest of the cast looked like they were really trying to make something good out of this film, yet they failed for an inexplicable reason.

Maybe it was the script, or the jokes or the general idea of the film but it just did not work in any way, it tried to rip off many aspects of the superhero genre in an intelligent way, but failed.

Overall I have to say that watching this film was one of the most painful experiences of my movie loving life and if you ever come across a copy of this film i urge you to take the tape and burn it to prevent others from watching it. Believe me, it's for their on good.

The Lord be praised! From time to time somebody remembers that a movie has to be entertaining!

[film-29 · 11 June 2003]

If you think movies and art in general must also educate and moralize, well, it takes us to a more complex issue and I'm willing to discuss it some other time. That said, I'll cast the first stone: Is William Shakespeare educating, moralizing or just plain entertaining? But today, I'm here to celebrate this extremely funny movie. The actors brought together make a `super squad', especially the three original members of the `super team'. Ben Stiller is superb and his character `Mr. Furious' is hilarious. In fact, everyone performs his or her role perfectly. The cinematography, locations, effects, costumes, make-up, music…everything in this movie is very well done and finely achieved. This movie also casts a beautiful actress, the waitress (Claire Forlani), who -- lo and behold! -- can act as well; and a great villain, Casanova Frankenstein (Geofrey Rush).

There's a hero, `The Shovel' (William H. Macy) who knows he's gifted but has taken numerous blows over the past twelve years, as his wife makes very clear whenever she has the opportunity. There's an Englishman from India, (the talented Hank Azaria) who throws his mother's silverware (to be precise he's a fork-thrower) There is an invisible man, who can become invisible only when nobody looks at him (himself included). There's an accursed young man who farts the enemy unconscious. There's a brave heroin, Baby Bowler (Janeane Garofalo) , whose devastating arm is a translucent bowling-ball that holds her father's skull, and when she's not throwing it against Casanova Frankenstein's evil forces, she quarrels with his father's skull, that of an anti-Communist, anti-gay autocratic and very bad tempered cantankerous old man. There are two possible outputs when one brings all of these unrealities together: One possibility is that of ending up with a ludicrous and altogether regrettable piece of junk. The other, that of this present case, one can achieve one of the funniest and most amazing pictures made in years.

Under a different director, this would have been awesome.

[adam_lytle · 7/10 · 21 November 2000]

I love the concept for Mystery Men. The loser superhero is a concept just waiting to be properly handled. Unfortunately Mystery Men doesn't do it, which is a damn shame considering the stellar cast. Ben Stiller is perfect as the amazingly ineffective Mr. Furious, William H. Macy could act a phone-book, Wes Studie is brilliant as the Mystery Men mentor The Sphinx, and Janeane Garofolo is always a pleasure to watch. (Unfortunately, the only disappointing performance is from Paul Reubens, who I've always thought of as rather talented.)

There's some great dialogue in Mystery Men, and some great performances, but its not enough to rescue the movie from the Director's misconceptions. He seemed to think he was making Batman Forever. The art design of the film really fights with its ironic nature.

If you're a comic book fan, I recommend renting this movie, if you can find it for cheap.

If you're looking for a good superhero parody, check your local listings for the cartoon 'The Tick', it spoofs comic book heroes better than Mystery Men did.

surprisingly good

[bloodybjorn · 7/10 · 18 August 2014]

I just finished watching mystery men, and must say i liked it very much. Don't expect 'kick-ass' action but its more light and funny. I know the movie is out since 1999 but i never saw it when it came out, strange really but found the movie here on IMDb and read some good reviews about it so it made me curious. i know this is not really a review but just have to write 10 lines to get this online. so don't expect any blood or a lot of special effects just a refreshing new kind of simple but still funny 'super'hero movie it just different then the other stuff we are use too! the acting was real good but don't expect some super twist or stuff like that. So go and rent the movie or see it online you may like it if your in to something new.

7/10 good

Silliness Prevails

[mjw2305 · 7/10 · 14 October 2007]

Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear) has always kept Champion City safe from the evil bad guys, keeping a band of wannabe super heroes in the shadows; but when Captain Amazing is captured by his arch nemesis Cassanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) its finally time for The Blue Raja (Hank Azaria), The Shoveller (William H. Macy), Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller) and more to step foreword and save the day.

Mystery Men is littered with truly ridiculous characters, each with their own spin on the superhero as we know it and they all perform brilliantly to make this film a very crazy and very funny ride.

7/10 it's very silly and great fun

Dire. Avoid at all costs.

[Sarah P · 1/10 · 6 January 2000]

What a waste of a great cast, and plot that could have been very funny. I'd give it a minus rating if I could. It's the first time I've walked out of a film, I couldn't face another hour. It didn't even look as if the cast were enjoying themselves, which can make a poor film bearable.

Great fun

[bdiebold · 9/10 · 4 July 2002]

This movie is a lot of fun. What makes it great especially are two things: one is the straightforward way the characters embrace the stereotypes, with discussions of their costumes and superpowers. There's an endearing earnestness to the parody that's very appealing; the second is basic sweetness of the characters and the quality of the chemistry. Claire Forlani deserves particular note as the object of Mr. Furious's desires. There's a boatload of talent here. I realize some with high expectations may have been disappointed, but this movie is a lot of fun, and kind of sweet.

An entertaining superhero parody.

[Benjamin-M-Weilert · 6/10 · 19 May 2019]

Goofy and crass at times (as most Ben Stiller movies are), but still an entertaining parody of the superhero genre.

They spent US$70,000,000 on this rotter??

[Matthew Chong · 1/10 · 27 August 2002]

Great cast of talent, huge budget, good possibilities for satire/parody/dumbfun... instead, we have this irritating provocation. I'm a couch potato type who can watch most things on screen/TV, be it Hindi comedy, Islamic prayers, Hong Kong "God of Shaolin Soccer/Gamblers/CashPig/Stockbroker/Pretentiousness", party political broadcasts, Michael Bay films... A B-film at best, the terrible waste of the comedic and acting talent, and their apprant willingness to allow themselves to crawl at such a level, is topped by the alleged budget for this failure. I watched this 'movie' on HBO with an open mind, never having heard of it previously, and set time aside based on the synopsis and the big name stars it featured. I was so p***ed off with deciding to persist to the end of the show that I actually watched an episode of "Walker Texas Ranger" and appreciated its better quality. 5/10 if it was a low-budget straight-to-video no-name cable movie. 0/10 for the enormous consumption of the Earth's resources it actually is.

A Hoot!

[poetbard · 8/10 · 21 August 2005]

Forget depth of meaning, leave your logic at the door, and have a great time with this maniacally funny, totally absurdist, ultra-campy live-action "cartoon". MYSTERY MEN is a send-up of every superhero flick you've ever seen, but its unlikely super-wannabes are so interesting, varied, and well-cast that they are memorable characters in their own right. Dark humor, downright silliness, bona fide action, and even a touching moment or two, combine to make this comic fantasy about lovable losers a true winner. The comedic talents of the actors playing the Mystery Men -- including one Mystery Woman -- are a perfect foil for Wes Studi as what can only be described as a bargain-basement Yoda, and Geoffrey Rush as one of the most off-the-wall (and bizarrely charming) villains ever to walk off the pages of a Dark Horse comic book and onto the big screen. Get ready to laugh, cheer, and say "huh?" more than once.... enjoy!

Good "stupid" movie...

[duke33 · 7/10 · 25 August 2000]

A lot of the user comments i have seen on the IMDB for this movie don't really do it justice. First of all, let me just say that this movie is not to be taken seriously. It's supposed to be a fun, yet stupid movie, that doesn't require one to think, only to enjoy it. If you watch this movie with the intent to see a masterpiece in either filmmaking or in humour, then you will be sorely disappointed. Yet, if you want to just watch a goofy movie with some talented actors/actresses, and some good catch-phrases, then you will enjoy it.

You will be Mr. (or Mrs/Miss) Furious after being subjected to this rubbish

[bendoverjunk · 1/10 · 20 September 2009]

I am on holiday in the Philippines with a very limited number of channels available. Mystery Men just came on. I thought great, a film, and its got Ben Stiller in it, so it must be half decent. After all, I have enjoyed a lot of his other films, including Night at the Museum and The Heartbreak Kid. However this is the not just his worst film ever, it is the worst film ever, period. I'm not sure what this film is trying to be, satire, parody, comedy, but it fails on all levels. I'm guessing Ben Stiller didn't even bother looking at the script, or else he wouldn't have agreed to put his name to this cr@p. It has nothing to offer at all. Anyone who's given this a good review must be mad, or 10 years old. It annoyed me so much, I just registered on IMDb just so I could add this comment!