Mystery Men (1999)

Regisseur:

Kinka Usher

Drehbuchautoren (WGA):

Bob Burden (comic book series by Dark Horse)
Neil Cuthbert (written by)

Premierendatum:

6. August 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Komödie | Fantasy

Werbezeile:

This summer expect the unexpected

Plot:

A group of inept amateur superheroes must try to save the day when a supervillian threatens to destroy a major superhero and the city.

Plot Keywords:

Based On Comic | Retirement Home | Sewing | Fork | Rajah

Filmpreise:

3 nominations

Nutzerkommentare:

True Crime Fighters, Call Them What You Will

Besetzung

Hank Azaria	...	The Blue Raja
Ben Stiller	...	Mr. Furious
William H. Macy	...	The Shoveller
Geoffrey Rush	...	Casanova Frankenstein
Janeane Garofalo	...	The Bowler
Greg Kinnear	...	Captain Amazing / Lance Hunt
Tom Waits	...	Dr. A. Heller
Paul Reubens	...	The Spleen
Claire Forlani	...	Monica the Waitress
Eddie Izzard	...	Tony P.
Kel Mitchell	...	The Invisible Boy
Wes Studi	...	The Sphinx
Lena Olin	...	Dr. Annabel Leek
Ricky Jay	...	Victor Weems
Louise Lasser	...	Violet, The Blue Raja's Mom

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for comic action violence and crude humor.

Länge:

121 Min

Produktionsland:

USA

Sprache:

Englisch

Farbe:

Farbe (DeLuxe)

Seitenverhältnis:

1.85 : 1

Tonverfahren:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Altersfreigabe:

Finland:K-10 | Iceland:LH (video rating) | UK:PG (cut) | Iceland:10 | Australia:PG | Canada:PG | France:U | Germany:12 | Ireland:PG | Singapore:PG | USA:PG-13 | Netherlands:MG6

Drehorte:

Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens - 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, California, USA

Firma:

Dark Horse Entertainment

Dies und das:

In the bar where the team celebrates after the successful run-in with Frankenstein, one camera angle shows an orange neon sign on the wall. It is the Chinese expression, "Clothing Shop".

Pannen:

Filmfehler: In one extreme close-up of The Spleen's face during the "Blame Thrower" scene, we can see pearly white teeth behind the fake mouthpiece.

Dialogzitate:

[first lines]
Dr. Heller: [offering an old lady candy at the Senior dance] Would you like something sweet?
Old Lady: [impressed] Oh!

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Verweis/Anspielung/Erwähnung in How to Make It in Hollywood Before You Make It (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Gangsters

True Crime Fighters, Call Them What You Will

Director Kinka Usher stays true to his own credo, "Play it straight and they will laugh," and with the help of a superb cast has crafted what should become the #1 cult film of all time, `Mystery Men.' When an evil villain, Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) is released from a mental institution, captures the local superhero, Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear), and threatens to take over Champion City, three wanna-be superheroes, Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller), The Shoveler (William H. Macy) and The Blue Raja (Hank Azaria) come to the rescue. Frankenstein has been joined by a myriad assortment of underworld scum, however, and has become a formidable opponent. The trio realize that help is needed, and decide to recruit; what they end up with is nothing less than the most unforgettable team of `superheroes' ever assembled in the history of the cinema. Mr. Furious has his rage; The Shoveler, his shovel; The Blue Raja flings silverware (mainly forks, and the occasional spoon, but never a knife); the Invisible Boy (Kel Mitchell) can turn invisible as long as no one is watching; the Sphinx (Wes Studi), a heavy hitter from down south, is very mysterious and can break guns in half with his mind. Maybe; the Bowler (Janeane Garofalo) can fling a ball with deadly accuracy; and The Spleen (Paul Reubens) wields flatulence that can incapacitate an entire room. This is a brilliant ensemble piece that delivers the laughs without ever becoming condescending or patronizing the audience, while playing it straight at all times. The dialogue is witty, and the performances given by Stiller, Macy, Azaria and Garofalo are exemplary. There is a number of memorable, hilarious scenes, especially the one in which they throw a pool party and barbecue to recruit, and conduct interviews with a stupefying assemblage of applicants; and another, in a bar, when the Bowler has a conversation with her long-dead father, whose skull has been implanted in her bowling ball. The funniest of all, however, has to be when the team actually attempts to rescue Captain Amazing. But these are only examples, for the entire movie is composed of one hilarious scene after another, laced with subtle humor that will keep you laughing and thinking about it for a long time. The real secret of it's success, though, is that Usher keeps it all real; the relationships between the characters are true, and the whole concept of being a `Superhero' is played as being entirely reasonable, which somehow gives a sense of credibility to the entire proceedings. In this world, the aspirations of Mr. Furious and the rest are tenable, and Usher keeps the laughs coming without ever resorting to slapstick or mere sight gags. The solid supporting cast includes Lena Olin (Dr. Annabel Leek), Eddie Izzard (Tony P.), Tom Waits (Doc Heller), Claire Forlani (Monica), Louise Lasser (The Blue Raja's mother), Jenifer Lewis (Lucille) and Pras (Tony C.). `Mystery Men' is a truly inspired movie that can be seen over and over again, with a new chuckle to be had with every viewing, guaranteed. In the immortal words of the Sphinx, `We are number one! All others are number two, or lower.' Is it an Oscar-worthy movie? Hardly; but for a good time and a lot of laughs, treat yourself to this masterwork of comedy; it's the real deal, and you won't regret it. I rate this one 10/10.