Mystery Team

Not sure why some people hate the movie so much. Of course this isn't a family film and the movie is not to be taken so seriously. I suppose that a movie can't please everyone. I for one am a fan of Derrick Comedy and this was good time spent. I hadn't laughed from a movie as much as I have after watching this one. Although I did feel that one of the main three characters was left out, it actually portrayed what the character's personality was. The first couple of minutes didn't make the movie seem that great, but as the story progresses, it gets better. As for the plot itself, it's not what makes the movie good. This movie is a comedy, and for what comedies do, it was spot on. In the end it's going to be up to you to decide whether you like it or not, but I for one recommend it. Maybe it's because of all the hours I've been awake so far, but I was laughing the whole way through.

I enjoyed the ultra-low budget "Mystery Team" a whole lot, just like I enjoyed the equally low budget comedy "The Foot Fist Way." The concept is a great one--three grown men who used to be a locally famous mystery solving team when they were kids (like Mystery Incorporated or the Hardy Boys) but who never grew out of it. The jokes and the story are funny, but the premise isn't set up early enough in the story. It seems to me like a whole opening segment is missing--one that showed the Mystery Team as children solving at least one kiddie mystery and becoming famous for it. The refer to this history quite frequently, but it's never explicitly shown or explained. If you didn't already know (by reading a synopsis or the box) then you might be a bit lost the first half hour or so.

But still, a pretty amazing job for a zero-budget comedy.

UPDATE: I just watched the DVD with the commentary and learned that just such an opening sequence as I described above was filmed--one that showed the Mystery Team as kids, wearing the same clothes and everything. The Derrik people explained that "it just didn't work." Now I'm even more disappointed! It's even worse that this CRUCIAL SEQUENCE did indeed exist, and they actually edited it out! That's right--they purposely edited out the set-up to the high-concept joke that is the basis for the entire story! It's tantamount to editing out the first 30 minutes of "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" because you don't think it's all that important to show the audience that he was a wacky guy who time traveled from the sixties. (he's still funny, right?)

Mystery Team would have made TWICE as much money ($10k?) if they had included the set up to their hour and a half joke. Coulda been a "10" instead of a "7." What an f up!

'Mystery Team' is a quirky little marvel. A concept that makes much more sense as a 10-minute comedy sketch is stretched into a 90-minute feature film and only really has one joke, but somehow it works.

That speaks to the talent of creative minds behind the project. They manage to take a marginally funny idea that becomes stale rather quickly, and somehow, they will this whole vehicle to keep trudging forward. Like MacGyver rigging up the device he needs out of whatever is laying around, the guys from Derrick Comedy enthusiastically squeeze the last drop out of everything at their disposal and get the job done.

The plot: three best friends work as detectives, calling themselves The Mystery team. For a hefty fee of a dime, the group will take on any case that comes their way, which is typically limited to the petty misdeeds of seven-year-olds. The team's exploits were charming when they were also seven, but they're now high school seniors, and their behavior makes them outcasts among their peers (but greatly amusing to movie viewers).

That's the primary joke of the movie-these kids are too old for this stuff. They're awkward and immature. They still think girls are icky. There isn't much to the bit, but the filmmakers have an advanced sense of when to smartly weave in secondary story elements and hilarious supporting characters to keep things entertaining. All the actors appear very aware of what movie they're in. They play their parts without an ounce of self-doubt and just the right level of cheesiness.

It becomes apparent very quickly that while the movie is dumb, it's made by smart people. It leans into its own absurdity. The actors are playing 18-year-olds but look 25 and act like they're seven. The Mystery Team members behave as if they're in a G movie despite all the debauchery from everything and everyone around them being decidedly hard R.

The silly, small-scale hijinks is given reason to become a full-length movie when a sad little girl asks The Mystery Team to solve her parents' murder, and they find themselves involved for the first time in a very adult case. Relying on their usual tactics and disguises, they manage to make impressive progress on the mystery, despite looking ridiculous every step of the way.

That's part of the brilliance of this movie. It's ridiculous because the characters are ridiculous, and it knows that. Many of jokes don't land because they aren't meant to. They're meant to emphasize how goofy and awkward these wannabe detectives are in every human interaction.

It's obvious from watching this film that the creative team members were capable of more. Glover became a superstar and the other members of Derrick Comedy all found their niche in writing or performing. Many of the supporting actors also landed more lucrative roles in movies or TV.

This is by no means a classic. The stars may look back on this and cringe, but they shouldn't. It's a better movie than most will give it credit for, and it's the one that will live on as what was a sign of greater things to come for this talented ensemble.

man, after the DVD came out the rating here went way down, I don't think many people who saw this movie knew anything about Derrick Comedy or just missed the point of it all together.

this isn't a family movie, the R rating should tell you that from the get go. It's a movie about 3 losers who have been solving mysteries since they were kids, but get thrown into reality when they decide to take on the ridiculous case of solving a murder. The three guys from Derrick Comedy are hysterical..every line they say is so silly and ridiculous..and the antics they get into...you'll either be amused by it or totally hate it.

Also, this movie is very similar to what you see in Derrick Comedy's skits. That same humor and silliness in the skits is in this movie...

you'll either love it or hate it. as a fan of the guys of Derrick Comedy I thought it was hilarious and just enjoyed it for what it was; but I think some people might miss the boat on this one.

Went into this film with zero knowledge of DERRICK comedy (the name reminds me of a famous German TV detective series) or the movie. Well, I must say I laughed more during this film than any other comedy I've seen this year. The dialog and deadpan delivery coupled with a truly clever script result in some genuine hilarity.

For the uninitiated, like myself, the following might help you decide whether this is something you'd like to watch. The film centers around three young (high school senior) "detectives" who've been solving various mysteries (disappearing kitty, stolen lunch, etc.) for a dime a pop throughout their childhood, when they are suddenly thrust into the midst of an honest to goodness real crime investigation. The plot is motivated by a basic fish out of water storyline, whereupon the three chaps stumble around in the adult world mostly unaware of what is going on around them, which makes for some genuinely funny situations.

The lead actors are affable and quickly pull the audience to their side. Unfortunately the supporting cast provides uneven performances, and the entire movie has a "homemade" feel to it. That doesn't begrudge the film's strengths though, carried by the three principals and the comic situations and dialog, which are presented and delivered perfectly. Considering the minimal budget with which they must have worked, one can look past the deficiencies.

I gave the movie 8 stars because I laughed an awful lot, and that's what a comedy is supposed to do, make one laugh. This also reminded me of the Broken Lizard comedy team and Super Troopers. Hopefully the DERRICK team will be able to sustain the momentum and keep making movies as funny as this one, with a better supporting cast and more sure handed direction, which could easily get them atop the current comedy heap.