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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.

With a different director, this coulda been a contender. It is a flawed masterpiece (that's right, I said the word 'masterpiece' in conjunction with this film). Despite some dodgy editing alongside a director known for making commercials (and it shows!), it actually has many ingenious concepts. The idea that Champion City's most successful superhero is obsessed with his own celebrity and is therefore portrayed as a bad guy ties in perfectly with the anti-capitalist themes in the film. The problems arise when the style of comedy reaches juvenile level, and though at times that brand of humour is funny there is perhaps a little too much of it. There are, however, many hilarious moments, some of which are incredibly subtle for such an 'in your face' production. For example, when Captain Amazing is complaining to his agent about losing his pepsi endorsement he talks about what it means to him, in his heart, and he promptly hits his chest where his heart would be only to hear the hollow sound of his suit's exterior. Pure anti-capitalism! Finally, a mention of the cast. The film has a wonderful cast: Ben Stiller, Bill Macy, Hank Azaria, Greg Kinnear, Geoffrey Rush, Jeanne Garofalo, Eddie Izzard, Paul (Pee-wee Herman) Reubens and, best of all, the deep-voiced singing legend that is Tom Waits. So, a masterpiece? a silly but funny superhero spoof? or a superhero spoof that is unsure what it really wants to be? It is rather open to interpretation but one thing is for sure, it's funny!

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

I'd have to say the movie turned out to be a little better than I had expected. But, maybe that's not saying much since I didn't expect a great deal to begin with. Independent of my expectations, Mystery Men turned out to be fairly entertaining about half-way through the film (finally) and truly fun in the last 20 minutes. For me, the first half was a bit slow and I struggled to get into it.

If I had to complain about one thing, it would probably be the degree of predictability in Mystery Men (maybe it should have been called Predictable Men?). But, if I had to praise one thing, it would be the portrayal of the off-beat characters and all their flaws that "normal" heroes don't have in the movies these days.

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

So in the metropolis known as Champion city one hero stands up to evildoers, putting a triumphant end to criminal activity while the population swoons at his every act. His name is Captain Amazing(Greg Kinear)...but he's not alone. On the sidelines are Mr. Furious, The Shoveler and The Blue Raja. 3 misfit superheroes played by Ben Stiller, William H. Macy and Hank Azaria. They try their damnedest to follow Captain Amazing's example and help in all the crime fighting. But when Captain Amazing is captured by the villain Casanova Frankenstein(Geoffrey Rush) it's up to the three of them to find and rescue him, recruiting help along the way, rounding out their team with The Bowler(Janeane Garofalo), The Spleen(Paul Reubens), Invisible Boy(Kel Mitchell), and the Sphinx(Wes Studi).

This seemed like a hysterical premise for a movie and I was stoked back in 1999 to see it. As I recall I liked it but was maybe a little let down given my expectations. Apparently though I was alone in even that amount of praise. I remember at the time this movie getting a lot of flak, I had a couple of friends that out and out hated it. Maybe it was just unrealistic expectations from everybody given the film's stellar cast. Maybe the fact that it takes so many visual cue's from the Batman franchise(Burton and Schumacher alike), when people still had a bad taste in their mouth from 'Batman & Robin.' Maybe it's because superhero movies at that time were few and far between, so the references were just flying over people's heads...maybe if it had been released just a few years later things would've been different. Or maybe...just maybe it wasn't everyone's cup of tea. But it's my understanding that this film is finally starting to develop something of a cult following and I can see why.

I just watched this movie again, more than ten years later and I loved every minute of it. What many might have considered to be dumb in it's original run is actually a very clever commentary on superhero conventions. Out characters are gifted with ridiculous powers and skills that in no way should amount to any kind of heroics, and yet somehow they do...an extreme take on the superheros we're actually meant to take seriously. They poke fun at secret identities and costumes...these guys are just as concerned with allying their super persona with coherent themed branding so they can be recognizable to potential fans.

The movie is a parody on a genre that hadn't quite gotten its footing in the mainstream yet, and I'm sure that was its real downfall. Quite frankly with the A-list cast it should've been more financially successful regardless of the script, I just don't think many people quite knew what to make of it. If you were one of the many who was disappointed or in some way put off by this film back '99 I would recommend giving it a second shot. I never really hated it in the first place but my rating has definitely gone up and I've discovered a whole new appreciation for it. Beyond the plot which I've focused on in this review it is also quite well acted and directed and has some really stellar visuals in it...quite a feat of art direction as a matter of fact.

The scale of bad movies is so vast it is sometimes difficult to keep a clear perspective. But I must say this film must be one of the worst, if not THE worst movie I ever saw. I bet even the Star Wars Christmas Special is hardly worse than this.

What is truly enraging is that someone (or something) authorized to spend 65m$ on this crap. AND lots of big name actors (Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, William H. Macy, Janeane Garofalo, Paul Reubens, Greg Kinnear, Geoffrey Rush, Eddie Izzard, Claire Forlani, Tom Waits, Ricky Jay and Lena Olin) committed to this 'project'. Why? Can someone explain that to me. It must be some sort of large scale blackmail operation where they had some incriminating stuff on all these actors, no-one in their right mind would willingly want to be in this film if they read the script.

Everything is terrible: the plot, the VFX are sh1t, the production design has horrendous colors and everything looks plastic and cardboard. The acting is so awful all the razzies handed out in the history of the razzies would still not be able to cover it. It is supposed to be a comedy, but there is NOTHING funny in this movie, nada. You probably don't believe me. Heck I thought 54.000 people gave it a 6/10 on IMDb, it must be okay at least. Well it's not. The film lasts an incredibly long 2 hours during which you will feel like you're dying. I literally got a headache from this film. Some of these scenes you can't begin to describe. It's an insult to the art of filmmaking. I kept staring at the screen in disbelief! I wonder if kids would like this but I wouldn't recommend showing it to them. I'm sure it will cause some sort of long term brain damage.

I challenge you to see it. It's not one of those 'it's so bad it's good' films. It's just bad through and through. There are no redeeming qualities, nothing. Look, if you seen it and liked it, leave me a PM and explain it to me. I really would like to know what there is to like. You've been warned! Save 2 precious hours of your life and enjoy your time on this planet instead of p1ssing it away on sh1t that should never have been.

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.

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

As a Stiller, Macy and Garafalo fan, I found this movie totally disasterous. There was an occasionally decent gag, moment or fraction of a moment from time to time during the film, but all of that was overwhelmed by the sense that a lot of things did not go as planned here. If I was drawn in cartoon form in the theater, there would have been a thought bubble over my head with only this: "Huh?"

There are plenty of times in movie history when the cast is clearly having more fun than the audience ... Cannonball Run, Mars Attacks, "Rat Pack" films. This one at times was embarrassing enough to make me wish I actually was watching "Cannonball." Those fart jokes? Speaking as someone who's normally a fan of fart humor, these ones fell flat. I've already written much more about this than it deserves. I'm hesitant to believe that anyone who's seen this movie can look in the mirror and honestly tell themselves it was funny. It seems like some people here on this site are giving Mystery Men credit for simply trying to be funny and having some cool actors.

Quite simply, this film is a mess.

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!

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

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!