MYSTERY MEN review

Hey there everyone, Harry here. That’s right, the boy with no taste. The Will Rogers of Film Reviewing! (‘he never met a movie he didn’t like’)

Before I begin my MYSTERY MAN review, I just want to set a few things on the record for you bashers out there.

First of all, these reviews are not so much a ‘guideline for your movie-going life’, instead they are merely my experiences with said films.

In otherwords, you choose to see what movies you feel like. You can hate or love those films, or even merely like it. Or you can choose not to see it at all, like me and RUNAWAY BRIDE, I don’t like Richard Gere.

Now sure... That’s cheating you out of a bad review, but one of the reasons I created this site was to help guide me through the choices of films we are presented with. On average I see 2 movies a day in theaters, and 4 a day when DVD and VIDEO are included. Some days I’ll see 6 films in theaters, and on some strange rare occasions I’ve seen even more.

I guarantee you I do not ‘like’ all of them. Movies that just don’t entertain me or that really leave me feeling blah and not wanting to write about film. I just choose not to write up. Why? Because for me, mediocre film is the ingredient for cynicism. A disease that seems to affect a lot of film critics.

When I walk into a theater there is usually one single reason I’m walking in. To be entertained, to have a good time. The site helps in a large degree, it prepares my expectations and I usually know what type of film I’m getting myself into. As a result, a movie like LAKE PLACID worked on me because I knew it was a comedy and not a monster movie, though the advertising people marketed it as a monster movie.

I’ve spoken with a lot of people that hated LAKE PLACID cause it wasn’t scary, and how the audience was laughing at the movie, so it must be bad.

Well, that’s kinda what the movie was supposed to do, at least that’s my opinion. The movie is a dry wit smart ass flick with the same smarts as ALLY MACBEAL but with an additional giant crocodile.

Also, another belief I have as a filmgoer is that opinions on films change over time. I try to capture the instant feeling and emotion I have walking out of a movie theater. The feelings and thoughts I had while sitting there.

These are MY thoughts and MY feelings, you will definitely feel differently to some degree.

With some reviewers I get the feeling they love to trash a film, with me... It’s a painful act. To out and out hate a film it has to fail on numerous points that somehow offend my sensibilities. I can not condemn a movie simply because the last 20 minutes suck or the first 20 minutes suck, or these 4 characters suck. Because maybe in all that mess there is something that really got me. For example... Let’s look at MYSTERY MEN

The film is flawed, it is not a perfect diamond. In fact it’s not a diamond at all. It’s more of a fire agate. A semi precious jewel with some gorgeous colors and worth possessing, but it is not an heirloom stone to be preserved for all time.

I’m going to go through ALL the problems this movie had for me, but at the end I still really enjoyed the film.

Here we go:

While I enjoyed Greg Kinnear’s performance as Captain Amazing, I felt his casting was a bit off kilter. You see, for me this film is ultimately about first string vs second string. It’s a superhero telling of the Bad New Bears or Mighty Duck stories but with grownups. This is a superhero Goonie movie, and in this story Captain Amazing is supposed to represent the first stringer. Well... At a certain level you can’t help but feel that Kinnear is also a second stringer. I would have loved it if they had been able to cast George Clooney in this role to sort of poke fun at his experience as an A-List superhero. George is now an A-List star, and would have brought that difference into a brighter light. As it is, I’d pay to see a William H Macy movie 10 times before paying to see a Greg Kinnear movie. For me, with the notable exception of AS GOOD AS IT GETS, Kinnear has never managed to erase the memory that “Hey, it’s that TALK SOUP guy!” and in this movie, I still get that idea.

Casanova Frankenstein is ultimately a lame super-villain. Now I can understand if this is the point, but he’s supposed to be an A-list Villain. He’s a Victor Von Doom a Kingpin. Instead he comes across as a low rent Paste Pot Pete. I wanted to have a bit of fear for my heroes, the Mystery Men (and a Woman). I wanted to believe they truly could not win, and dramatically I was never really afraid of Casanova Frankenstein.

Of course this is a comedy... But still, that does not completely wash away it’s responsibility to adhere to the rules of dramatic storytelling. Gozer from GHOSTBUSTERS, David Warner in TIME BANDITS, Stripe from GREMLINS, Boris Karloff in the Corman THE RAVEN and Vincent Price in THEATRE OF BLOOD are some great examples of this.

While we are indeed laughing, the story is at it’s heart a film about heroes and villains. And for me, this movie isn’t a spoof in the AUSTIN POWERS variety. It’s attempting to be a bit more ambitious than that. We needed to see more arbitrary evil unleashed by Casanova Frankenstein. Perhaps his character could literally be a ‘Casanova Frankenstein’. A character so obsessed with not only ruling the world but wooing the women in it, that he captures and kills people solely to graft their more attractive parts to replace his less than attractive ones. I don’t know. He just needed to be more evil. As Dr Evil put it... “He’s the diet coke of evil”

Then you have the terrible subplot of Claire Forlani and Ben Stiller and their burgeoning love. UGH. Cut every frame out. Those scenes grind the movie to a screeching halt everytime they turn to it. It’s like speedbumps in a parking lot.... They slow you down and piss you off. Now, I adore Claire... Love her to death, but her character is completely expendable in this film. She is not only not integral to the plotline, she a hindrance to it. Perhaps if Ben Stiller had only shared a couple of glances with her, an emotional rise in the score.... An understated less is more subtext of a crush would be better.

Now... I suppose to a lot of people that would be enough grounds to say, “This movie sucks!” BUT, it’s not enough for me, because the movie succeeds gloriously with it’s heroes.

Each and every one of them is a gleaming opal or agate. Lots of color and filled with promise.

William H Macy aka The Shoveler is simply an action figure and a hero after my own heart. Drawn with the very same wide inked heroic looks of the best Jack Kirby stoic heroics... The Shoveler is the hero of the film. His Stan Lee / Mr Rogers speeches are fantastic, and the emotion and resolute determination in Bill Macy’s eyes is simply fantastic. In this man’s eyes lies the soul of Humphrey Bogart. If there is a man today that personifies the less than perfect man that proves the worth of humanity, it is Bill Macy.

From his work in FARGO I grew an appreciation for him, in PLEASANTVILLE he began to make me truly love his work but really it’s his Shoveler that cemented my love for this actor that film will turn into a star. Macy cries out to be the lead in a film noir or western. I would love to see Macy hit it big. And as the Shoveler he elicits those feelings of a regular joe that dreams of more.

He’s better than shoveling the mere earth beneath us. His shovel is destined for greater digging. His shovel is meant to turn over the root of evil and make room for the oak of goodness. “daddy! I wanna be the Shoveler when I grow up just like him!” the kid in me cried out.

Janeane Garofalo as The Bowler is just perfect. I never really saw Garofalo’s television work, but instead I was introduced to her in TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND DOGS and I’ve been a fan ever since. I don’t want to spoil an ounce of the surprise her character has in store for viewers, but I’ll tell you this. Garofalo steals much of this movie. Her line, “There’s not enough beer in the world” has been the line I’ve been waiting to hear my whole life, but have, thankfully, only now heard in a theater. The way she holds herself, the backstory of her character.... It’s perfect. Her sarcasm is beautiful. And that bowling ball is the most coolest spiffy bowling accessory I have ever laid eyes on. Me wanty it badly. Though I must say I also want it to generate that same electro-magnety sound it hums with in the film. It’s kinda like a light saber. It has to go, “wooooooaaa wuuuuuuuuoooooooa” or else it ain’t a light saber.

Hank Azaria as The Blue Raja was a character I felt going in would disappoint me. Only because I’ve felt often in Azaria’s career that he seems to overplay his moments. But here as the limey fork flinger, he just shines like freshly cleaned silverware. His faux effete British accent brings back memories of David Niven, possibly the greatest effete British accented hero, that I truly love as an actor. Like I’m convinced that Peter Parker went and saw a lot of Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn films as a kid, I am also convinced that The Blue Raja was addicted to the work of David Niven.... It really shows. The moments between his mum and him are really touching. You really see a son who wants to prove his worth in this world. This character simply works very well for me.

Paul Reubens as The Spleen. A superhero with farts. I was ready to groan at each and every moment of his character, but suddenly it dawned on me. Why not? I mean, we’ve seen super powers manifest themselves out of just about every other orifice, why not the anus. Paul is bizarre what with his lisp and acne (or is it warts) that blanket his face and his stringy unconditioned hair. He reminds me of a friend I will not mention publicly, but he knows who he is. I bet anything that Howard Stern is mighty upset that his FARTMAN movie isn’t seeing the light of day, but Paul Reubens’ Spleen is. The coolest thing would have been if at the box office when you bought your ticket if they had a good ol fashioned SMELL-O-VISION card ala POLYESTER. Scratch and sniff every time his finger is pulled. Fun for the whole family!

Next is Wes Studi as The Sphinx. An ultimately self-important terribly mysterious super-hero fond of fortune cookie pontificators. And if you don’t like the sound of ‘fortune cookie pontificators’ then just steer clear of the movie all together, because for me... A character that speaks entirely with dialogue with the same ponderous self important drivel of a fortune cookie and delivered with the complete and earnest stone face of Wes Studi... well gosh begone, what’s wrong with ya. I mean... it’s cool.

Then lastly there is Kel Mitchell as Invisible Boy. From the trailer I had decided I would gripe about this character as being completely unnecessary for the plot... BUT, I can’t. Kel represents the fresh dream of putting on a mask, doing good and having adventures. He hasn’t been laughed at yet. He hasn’t had a fist up-side his face yet. And when what happens to him happens to him. My heart swelled. I mean... wow. What a moment. Genuine warm fuzzies.

Then on top of all of those wonderful characters (and there are more still that I haven’t mentioned like Tom Waits and Eddie Izzard) you have the glorious rendering of Champion City. While being very over built it isn’t overbuilt to the grotesque nonsensical nature of the BATMAN & ROBIN Gotham City. There is still an inherent logic to the make up of the city. There is an elegance and a beauty to it that made we go, “Wow”. POP really deserves a damn lot of clapping for these few shots because they really set up the universe that all of this was taking place in.

And there’s Stephen Warbeck’s score, with additional music by Shirley Walker that just sings way out loud with noble themes and give the characters a sense of purpose and nobility that works... That help define them. Very fine score here.

That, my friends, is why even though the film has flaws, isn’t perfect, it’s still worthy of possessing. The love of imperfect objects, creations and people is at it’s very heart the fabric of what we geeks love and embrace. We see beauty in things other people look down upon. This film is charming, it has some wonderful performances and it is worthy of a viewing or two. Because it isn’t CASABLANCA or even ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD isn’t a reason to lean your head back and point Donald Sutherland style.

I really like this film and I’m not making any bones about it. This movie is a film about doing the things the conventional world tells you, you couldn’t do and succeed. Something I’m a bit accustomed with. Be it because I’m fat or don’t have a college degree. I’m a quite a bit less than perfect, but I do have a sense of worth and a determination to ‘get the job done’. It’s about that never say die spirit that keeps ya going when ya know it’s hopeless. And ultimately at the end, that’s what makes a hero. And that’s what this film is about.