Mystery Men (1999)
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60% of critics liked it
(103 reviews) -
52% of users liked it
(120,041 ratings)
Can seven not-so-superheroes save a city of the future? Based on the comic book series created by Bob Burden, Mystery Men is set in the teeming metropolis of Champion City, where noble superhero Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear) keeps the peace and sees that justice is done. When Captain Amazing… More Can seven not-so-superheroes save a city of the future? Based on the comic book series created by Bob Burden, Mystery Men is set in the teeming metropolis of Champion City, where noble superhero Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear) keeps the peace and sees that justice is done. When Captain Amazing mysteriously disappears, his archenemy Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) sees his opportunity to seize power and bend the city to his evil will, with his associate Dr. Annabel Leek (Lena Olin) at his side. However, Casanova will not succeed without a fight, as the The Mystery Men leap into action. The Mystery Men are not your ordinary Men of Steel; in fact, they're barely superheroes at all. Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller) has one gift: throwing tantrums. Blue Raja (Hank Azaria) is a deadly hand with spoons and forks (but not knives). Shoveler (William H. Macy) can dig with superior speed and force. The Bowler (Janeane Garafalo) rolls the ball with superhuman precision. Spleen (Paul Reubens) has a gaseous problem that he's turned into a weapon against evildoers. Invisible Boy (Kel Mitchell) is convinced he can become invisible at will, but he hasn't actually done it yet. And The Sphinx (Wes Studi) does have an unusual power: he can cut metal objects with his mind. Aided by addled gadget master Dr. Heller (Tom Waits), the Mystery Men make their move against Casanova and Annabel, who feel just threatened enough to make things personal by kidnapping Mr. Furious' girlfriend Monica (Claire Forlani). Mystery Men marked the feature directorial debut of Kinka Usher, who previously directed such ads as the Taco Bell talking chihuahua and the Dairy Association's "Got Milk?" ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Kinka Usher
- Written By
- Neil Cuthbert
- Genres
- Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Jul 22, 1999 Wide
- Studio
- Universal Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
The characters have been designed to make fun of themselves, disguising the craft of writer Neil Cuthbert and director Kinka Usher in getting us to laugh at them.
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Derek Adams, Time Out
Usher's amiable spoof of superhero movies takes a brave stab at rewriting the mythology from the inside out, with lots of witty, mildly subversive stuff.
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Steve Murray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mystery Men is like its hapless heroes. It's a wannabe that has the best intentions -- including a pronounced anti-gun stance -- but none of the knack it takes to save the day, or itself.
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Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle
This bunch achieves peaks of sublime nuttiness.
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Simon Houpt, Globe and Mail
Surprisingly, this spoof's heart is genuinely warm.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Ben Stiller
as Mr. Furious
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Hank Azaria
as Blue Raja
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William H. Macy
as Shoveler
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Paul Reubens
as Spleen
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Janeane Garofalo
as The Bowler
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Kel Mitchell
as Invisible Boy
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Wes Studi
as The Sphinx
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Greg Kinnear
as Captain Amazing
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Geoffrey Rush
as Casanova Frankenstein
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Claire Forlani
as Monica
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Tom Waits
as Dr. Heller
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Eddie Izzard
as Tony Pompadour
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Lena Olin
as Dr. Annabel Leek
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Ricky Jay
as Vic Weems
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Louise Lasser
as Violet
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Sung Kang
as Susie
- Artie Lange
- Pras



