Mystery Men (1999)

[RyanSz 3140]

A superhero movie that was very loosely based on a small team from the Flaming Carrot comic books, this movie is crazy. With Hank Azaria as a fork throwing who for no reason speaks with a British accent, Ben Stiller as a guy who gets easily annoyed, and Paul Rubens as a guy with super farts. This movie has funny moments, but is more weird than anything else, with gangs of disco dancers and frat boys, Greg Kinnear as a corporate superhero, and the fact that this movie is more known for the song by Smash Mouth, it would make for a great episode.

[sillstaw 414]

Greg Kinnear as a corporate superhero

 

I actually like the idea of a superhero sponsored by corporations. You know, besides how all the superhero battles in the latest movies seem to start a small distance away from whoever paid the most money for product placement (like the aliens in "The Avengers" crashing just away from a Farmers Insurance office).

 

But from what little I remember of this movie, it does seem like a huge missed opportunity.

[seanotron 2307]

There are a lot of things I liked about this movie, like all of Tom Waits non-lethal weaponry & Wes Studi's character that spoke entirely in cliches. I just think it's a bit miscast.

[RyanSz 3140]

Well having just finished rewatching it, I was amazed when in the first three minutes, Tom Waits was giving an elderly woman what appeared to be a vial of drugs at a retirement home party. Then there are the sets that are a mix of Chinese slums and Detroit with a little bit of Gotham City thrown in.

 

I would actually have liked to see more of Kinnear as Capt. Amazing as he seemed to be really having fun with it. And let's not forget that there are cameos from Michael Bay and Riki Rachtman as members of the Frat Boys, Cee Lo Green as a member of the "Not-So-Goodie Mob," Dana Gould in a quick bit as squeegee man, and Dane Cook as the Waffler which even back then showed how he draws out his jokes way beyond the point of being humorous.

[thestray 361]

Hm. I feel like this one is a little too self-aware to pick apart. It knows it's being crazy the whole time. I tend to feel that way about most comedy suggestions though, so I don't know.

[imhatch 271]

movie rules sorry haters

[RobM 66]

Hm. I feel like this one is a little too self-aware to pick apart. It knows it's being crazy the whole time. I tend to feel that way about most comedy suggestions though, so I don't know.

Yeah, it's more of a satire of comic books and comic book movies, released years before the real boom of comic book movies in the 00's.

[jarrycanada 2483]

I like this movie, I agree with imhatch. Nothing against you Ryan Sz, just that I enjoyed this movie and watch it like a sucker everytime it's on. BTW the Sphinx I feel steals the film. Wes Studi is great in this movie and how could anyone not like the Shoveler. and don't even get me started about Tom Waits, how cool is that. I love tom waits.

 

Do you hate this movie or does this movie hate you LOL- having a good time here. just having fun with you all.

[RyanSz 3140]

Oh I love the movie too and own the damn thing, like the vast majority of my recommendations, but I'm aware enough to realize it would make for a good episode. Ben Stiller looks like he wanted to be anywhere else but on that movie and Pee Wee Herman was happy to just have a job. Janene Garafallo, Wes Studi, and William H. Macy were truly having a great time playing their roles. Tom Waits is always a treat but you can never tell if it's him acting or if he just took a hallucinogenic before each of his scenes in every movie he's done.

[jarrycanada 2483]

Do you own this on dvd, or does it own you...hehe, was this movie before or after Janene Garafallo struggle with alcohol addiction. Tom also had a drinking problem for a number of years. he talked about it on Dave Letterman.

 

I agree they should do this movie, in the sense that they do once in a awhile do review good movies. My last movie was Punisher War Zone. I broke and downloaded it on itunes and I was expecting a bad film but got a good movie instead, plus a great podcast. I like this show it's sorta like a book club for movies. after not so joyful noise i take back what I said and agree with you. I got no joy out of Joyful noise.

 

CHEERS

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

I remember watching this movie and being confused as to whether the city they were in was supposed to be New York, or Tokyo.

[RyanSz 3140]

Well I had the same question about the city and the people. At one point the girl that Ben Stiller has a crush on was wearing a regular waitress outfit and then all of a sudden she is wearing kimonos. I think they were going for what DC was doing where their cities were a mix of cultures/styles ans weren't easy to determine where they were.

[seanotron 2307]

I remember watching this movie and being confused as to whether the city they were in was supposed to be New York, or Tokyo.

 

I think they call it 'Champion City'.

[thestray 361]

Oh I love the movie too and own the damn thing, like the vast majority of my recommendations, but I'm aware enough to realize it would make for a good episode.

 

I'm not really sold on this one because there doesn't seem to be much to talk about besides all the crazy things that are meant to be crazy. I don't know what makes it an HDTGM movie any more than any other comedy that also has lots of crazy things happening in it. Like, lots of crazy nonsensical things happen in Zoolander, or Dumb & Dumber, or Wayne's World, etc etc. Is it just that Mystery Men wasn't a hit? Or that you felt the comedy fell a little flat? I thought it was an okay movie. But not horrible. And not any more absurd than comedies that have been successful.

 

I'm not dismissing it as a nomination, I just think comedies are kind of a harder sell, to me they kind of have to be flagrantly awful and unfunny (The Love Guru), otherwise why not just nominate every comedy that's not been great?

[RyanSz 3140]

Zoolander is an example of the craziness that worked because it was overtly absurd with gas fights and model hitmen, and for the most part it worked in Mystery Men. I nominated in on how bonkers crazy it was while still trying to play it with a straight face. It's like if you sat someone down and said watch any Sly Stallone movie from the mid 80s to mid 90s and they didnt know what they were watching. There you have a guy playing it straight but being overtly absurd for the most part (Cobra, Tango & Cash). This had that same feel to me at various points before bouncing back to a Zoolander-esque style.

[PhillipMedoc 648]

Tom Waits is always a treat but you can never tell if it's him acting or if he just took a hallucinogenic before each of his scenes in every movie he's done.

Just pointing out that "Tom Waits" is a character that Tom Waits plays. It does get kinda meta when he's in movies, though.

 

Is this worth watching again? I don't remember anything about this movie (pain pills #yolo) except being excited for Paul Reubens appearing in something. It's criminal how much that dude was shamed for spanking it at a porno.

 

Damn, now I want a sandwich.

[thestray 361]

Zoolander is an example of the craziness that worked because it was overtly absurd with gas fights and model hitmen, and for the most part it worked in Mystery Men. I nominated in on how bonkers crazy it was while still trying to play it with a straight face. It's like if you sat someone down and said watch any Sly Stallone movie from the mid 80s to mid 90s and they didnt know what they were watching. There you have a guy playing it straight but being overtly absurd for the most part (Cobra, Tango & Cash). This had that same feel to me at various points before bouncing back to a Zoolander-esque style.

 

It's a comedy though, so I don't feel like it's that out of the ordinary that they tried to play absurdity with a straight face. I chalk that up to them trying to ape the tone of the type of wold they're satirizing, because that's sorta the joke, it's an absurd take on superheroes. I can see how tonally it wasn't working consistently, but that seems a little too nuanced of a critique for the movie to be begging for a HDTGM episode.

 

I'm more of a fan of them doing films that are unintentionally crazy/bad by a large margin. This film just seems like a mediocre comedy to me, it's not remarkably awful, it's not so bad it's good, it's not taking itself seriously yet being absurd, it's just kinda okay to me. I don't know, what makes a good HDTGM is so subjective.

 

Not trying to be argumentative, movies are fun to talk about!

[thestray 361]

All that being said, if they did this movie it's not like I would complain. When I really think about it I'd probably enjoy them talking about any movie good or bad, they're just a fun bunch to listen to.

[ocean_machine 56]

Huh, I thought this movie was generally well-liked. I've always liked it.

[BagguhMcGuirk 104]

Incase anybody is interested, I just noticed they recently added this to Netflix instant.

[imhatch 271]

Incase anybody is interested, I just noticed they recently added this to Netflix instant.

dooooooooooope

[RobM 66]

It's also probably worth noting that Paul and June know Ben Stiller. Ben produces Burning Love through his production company, who also signed a development deal with Human Giant years ago. Stiller was also on Night of 140 Tweets, the charity event Paul and Rob Huebel organized.

[RyanSz 3140]

Talk about a great guest to have for the episode then.

[denimgremlin 1179]

It's also probably worth noting that Paul and June know Ben Stiller. Ben produces Burning Love through his production company, who also signed a development deal with Human Giant years ago. Stiller was also on Night of 140 Tweets, the charity event Paul and Rob Huebel organized.

 

i think you nailed it right there. they're not gonna shit on ben stiller, and if they wanted to there's better movies to choose, the fockers series for example, plus i just watched this again last night, it's not bad at all, it's clearly trying to be weird and absurd on purpose, the worst thing you can say about it is that it has that same fucking smash mouth song that was in every movie in 1999

[stellamarch16 5]

It was meant to be a spoof of superhero movies and I feel it was certainly better that the Scary Movie series and the other spoof movies we have had in recent times.