"Nystery Men" is an unpretentious little flick with a lot in it's favor. A good cast, some quirky dialog, and a director who knows when to just let his cast have a good time all add up to a fun time.
"Mystery Men" is not a genre flick in the usual sense, nor is it a Ben Stiller vehicle. It is more like "The Mask" except it relies on the ensemble instead of a central star. This has likely contributed to the movie's relative obscurity, and the broad dislike by a number of its viewers. You have to be willing to geek out a bit, and watch a goofy comedic ensemble at work to appreciate "Mystery Men".
That said, a few things do not work. The love story between Ben Stiller's self conscious hero and Claire Forlani's waitress simply doesn't seem to play. Kel Mitchel is simply adequate, and though I find him hilarious, it's hard to separate the scatological (or methalogical, if you prefer) The Spleem from Paul Reuben's personal life.
All in all, our motley team of untalented superheros play delightfully off of each other, and entertain more than they bore. Watch for a classic parody of every pep talk in all of film from William H Macy. It's brief, it's funny, and it is perfectly delivered, and contains the heart of "Mystery Men"
"Mystery Men" is not a genre flick in the usual sense, nor is it a Ben Stiller vehicle. It is more like "The Mask" except it relies on the ensemble instead of a central star. This has likely contributed to the movie's relative obscurity, and the broad dislike by a number of its viewers. You have to be willing to geek out a bit, and watch a goofy comedic ensemble at work to appreciate "Mystery Men".
That said, a few things do not work. The love story between Ben Stiller's self conscious hero and Claire Forlani's waitress simply doesn't seem to play. Kel Mitchel is simply adequate, and though I find him hilarious, it's hard to separate the scatological (or methalogical, if you prefer) The Spleem from Paul Reuben's personal life.
All in all, our motley team of untalented superheros play delightfully off of each other, and entertain more than they bore. Watch for a classic parody of every pep talk in all of film from William H Macy. It's brief, it's funny, and it is perfectly delivered, and contains the heart of "Mystery Men"