Comic books don't usually make for the best films. The strengths of the comic book fabulous superpowers, formidable villains and evolving plotlines often come off as silly and campy when transferred to the big screen. Try watching any of the Superman movies, and you'll see what I mean. Only Tim Burton's Batman has been able to capture the brio of the comic book, and to see what Joel Schumacher did with the last two sequels shows how elusive that can be. Bob Burden's comic creations, known as the Mystery Men, are not your typical superheroes, though. Rather than follow the rules, they deconstruct the genre with decidedly sub-par powers and an assortment of very odd villains to battle. This mixture of silliness and irony provides much better source material for the new movie Mystery Men.
Mr. Furious, The Shoveler, and the Blue Raja are three regular guys who spice up their otherwise dull existence by fighting evil. We first meet them as they battle a group of villains who have inexplicably chosen to rob a nursing home (used dentures and prosthetic limbs being hot items on the black market, I suppose). But our three heroes aren't terribly effective. The Blue Raja (Hank Azaria), "master of flatware," throws forks but often misses and hits his compatriots. The Shoveler (William H. Macy, best known for his star turn in Fargo) has a similar problem with his "power." And Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller, the star of last year's There's Something About Mary) spends more time threatening to get angry than actually doing anything about it. It's up to Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear, in a great comic performance), a "real" superhero, to save the day.
Discouraged over their lack of success, our three protagonists retreat to a local diner, but Captain Amazing isn't much happier. He's found out he's lost his Pepsi endorsement and may lose other sponsors as well. The problem? He's just too good: he's jailed all the real supervillains, so he doesn't get the publicity he once did. The solution? Free Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush), one of the strangest bad guys of them all.
Well, you can probably figure out the rest on your own. Springing Casanova Frankenstein from jail backfires when Captain Amazing is captured, and it's up to our fearless trio to free him. Along the way, they pick up four other compatriots for their assault on C.F.'s lair. There's also a pathetic attempt at a love story that should've been shelved, though it does give the beautiful Claire Forlani more screen time.
The nicest thing about Mystery Men is the comic chemistry shared by William H. Macy, Ben Stiller, and Hank Azaria. Their combination of friendship and competitiveness is wonderfully silly and pretty much irresistible. And their comic timing isn't bad either. Azaria's obsession with forks ("you couldn't throw knives once in a while," Furious fumes) is fabulous, and Macy has a wonderful dead-pan delivery. In arguing why Lance Hunt, local billionaire, can't be Captain Amazing, he intones assuredly, "Lance Hunt wears glasses; Captain Amazing doesn't."
Another strength of the film is its look. Early references to Blade Runner and City of Lost Children made me nervous that Mystery Men was constructing its visual style by ripping off better movies. As the movie goes on, however, it finds a nice campy mix of comic book, disco, and detritus. All of the mystery men are outfitted in "homemade" gear that both celebrates and deconstructs the superhero myth (The Shoveler wears a miner's outfit while The Blue Raja has an ill-fitting turban and robe). And the villains are dressed in gloriously campy disco gear. Perfect for a flick that's not taking itself too seriously.
Unfortunately, the movie isn't as funny as it could be. The minor characters don't measure up, for one. Paul Reuben's The Spleen is on-screen only to provide a series of very lame fart jokes, and Kel Mitchell's Invisible Man is sorely underutilized, though he does lead to my favorite joke of the film. Furthermore, certain situations that should be hilarious often feel limp. A pool party that's an excuse to interview prospective superheroes drowns in obvious one-liners and lame visual jokes.
Even worse, the direction and cinematography sometimes get in the way. Director Kinka Usher, known for his cutting-edge commercials, is obsessed with close-ups which confuse the action sequences and detract from the cast's chemistry. And when Geoffrey Rush proclaims, "To the disco room!" the framing obscures Rush's fabulous John Travolta parody.
In the end, though, the movie has enough silliness to save the day. While the movie could've been funnier and the plot is predictable, particularly if you've seen the preview, it's a solid comedy with an enjoyable vibe and lots of laughs.
J Robert Parks
Would-be super-heroes in the fictional Champion City are a dime a
dozen, and Mystery Men offers the adventures of the most absurd
collection of caped-crusaders that the big screen has seen to date. Among
them are Mr.Furious (Ben Stiller), The Shoveler (William H. Macy), The
Blue Raja (Hank Azaria), The Bowler (Janeane Garofalo), The Invisible Boy
(Kel Mitchell) and The Spleen (Paul Reubens) whose superbly stupid superpower
is a potent toot. When the resident, actual super-hero Captain Amazing
(Greg Kinnear) is captured by his nefarious nemesis Casanova Frankenstein
(Geoffrey Rush), this band of bumbling heroes sets out to rescue their
inspiration and protect the city from dubious yet evil plans. Zany capers
ensue, along with the requisite sight gags, witty banter, and a collection
of classic disco numbers.
Unfortunately, the acumen and absurd comedic fun never quite reaches
the level that this amusing premise promises. A movie this whimsical and
eclectic might have been better in the hands of directors like Tim Burton
(Edward Scissorhands) or the Coen Brothers (The Big Lebowski)
who specialize in such quirky fare---especially with such a promising,
talented cast as this one. Instead, we have a standard story of sad-sacks
rising to the occasion in a wonderfully bizarre but unbelievable plot that
leaves nothing to the imagination. As a satire of the super-hero genre
Mystery Men works fine, but like its clumsy super-heroes themselves,
this film lacks real superpower. With more chuckles than genuine guffaws,
Mystery Men is neither an utter disappointment nor a complete success
for closeted super-heroes everywhere.
Steven S. Baldwin 8/25/99
