Mystery Men
While nearly anything would pale after seeing the phenomenally affecting Blair Witch Project, the inconsistent but often hilarious Mystery Men has a number of things going for it.
1) No competition. South Park is thus far the only consistently amusing movie to be released this year, and it's no longer in theatres.
2) A killer premise. A bunch of B-list super heroes with dubious talents (shoveling, slinging cutlery, bowling) try to supplant Captain Amazing as the city's last defense against evil.
3) Bill Macy. Along with Kevin Spacey and Johnny Depp, Macy is one of the few actors who I'd pay $7 to watch nap and scratch himself on film. He was the best thing about Fargo, made the otherwise bland A Civil Action watchable, and his straightfaced delivery makes his role as The Shoveler a deadpan riot. Not to dis the other members of the film, but this one is all about Bill.
4) Still, Ben Stiller is far funnier than most people give him credit for. As the hair-trigger Mr. Furious, Stiller makes his character's non-super powers completely silly and overblown. Sound and fury signifying nothing, etc. Comedy.
5) My deep and abiding crush on Janeane Garofalo shows no signs of waning. Her take on The Bowler is rife with the kind of sardonic one-liners which make my heart go pitter-pat.
6) Paul Reuben, aka Pee Wee Herman. He's criminally underused here, but enough flashes of his unique, twisted comic genius break through to make his post-masturbatory cinematic comeback welcome.
7) Greg Kinnear. The golden boy plays Captain Amazing with just the right blend of opportunistic insecurity (his crime fighting exploits are sponsored by Pepsi and other brands which he prominently displays on his battle outfit) and bumbling foolishness.
8) Superhero auditions. When trying to bolster their feeble ranks, the Mystery Men elicit the help of local wannabe crimefighters and rate them on their less-than impressive powers. Kudos for Ballerina Man and PMS woman.
9) Evil disco. The enemy force is comprised of platformed-heeled, satin-wearing Bee Gee worshippers who reach for their holsters and then lift their guns to the air in a Travolta Saturday Night Live salute. Excellent.
10) The limo attack. Midway through the film, the merry band of vigilantes mount a salvo against the evil Casanova Frankenstein, a scene which builds to a howling crescendo of retribution in which very little Actually Happens.
11) Tom Waits. Are you kidding me? Any film which has the savvy and ability to recruit rock's most grizzled genius to play an arms dealer who only traffics in non-lethal weaponry automatically gets a thumbs-up from me.
In a way, Mystery Men is funnier in concept than execution. All the reasons listed above should be enough to get you to the theatre (I was sold on 2 and 11 alone), but it's odd - unlike most Hollywood movies, Mystery Men has too many ideas for its own good. Shoveling satire, slapstick, witticisms and fart jokes at you in equal measure, it's almost funnier in retrospect, once you've had time to absorb the jokes. Similar in tone to Men in Black, Mystery Men could have used some of that film's judicious editing. While I was never flat-out bored, the film lags between gags, trying to develop characters which are inherently caricatures and therefore need no further development. With a 90 minute running time and greater focus, this could have been a five star winner. Still, Mystery Men is recommended for its great concept, colorful visual style, flashes of superb satire and goofy, lighthearted tone.
- Jared O'Connor
MOVIES
All Content © 1997, 1998, 1999 Jared O'Connor and Michael Baker