# Mystery Men (1999)

### reviewed by
David Sunga

    MYSTERY MEN (1999)

    Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 4.0)
    ********************************
    Key to rating system:
    2.0 stars - Debatable
    2.5 stars - Some people may like it
    3.0 stars - I liked it
    3.5 stars - I am biased in favor of the movie
    4.0 stars - I felt the movie's impact personally or it stood out
    *********************************
    A Movie Review by David Sunga

    Directed by: Kinka Usher

    Written by: Neil Cuthbert

Starring: William H. Macy, Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Hank Azaria, Paul Reubens, Kel Mitchell, Greg Kinnear, Geoffrey Rush, Wes Studi, Claire Forlani

Synopsis: In this superhero spoof a team of seven inept wannabe heroes get their chance to save "Champion City" when too-perfect resident superhero Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear) is captured by a mad scientist (Geoffrey Rush). The bumbling "heroes" are: Mr. Furious, The Shoveler, The Bowler, The Blue Raja, The Spleen, Invisible Boy, and The Sphinx, played by Ben Stiller, William H. Macy, Janeane Garofalo, Hank Azaria, Paul Reubens, Kel Mitchell, and Wes Studi, respectively.

Mr. Furious is powered by "boundless rage." The Shoveler is a master at shoveling. The Bowler argues with her father's skull, which is embedded in a magical bowling ball. The Blue Raja wears entirely green clothing and is a master at throwing forks. The Spleen was cursed by an old Gypsy woman to become a creature of pure flatulence. Invisible Boy thinks he's invisible when no one is looking. And the Sphinx spouts awful puns.

Opinion: The heroes know where the bad guy lives. The bad guy knows where the heroes hang out. From then it's just a matter of try, try, again, assaulting the bad guy's lair throughout a number of bungled battles. Guess who wins the last battle after the obligatory girlfriend capture? Sometimes going overboard, MYSTERY MEN has fun with itself, satirizing the superhero genre enough to keep the audience either snickering or groaning throughout the film.

    Reviewed by David Sunga
    August 8, 1999

Copyright © 1999 by David Sunga This review and others like it can be found at THE CRITIC ZOO: http://www.criticzoo.com email: zookeeper@criticzoo.com

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