Mystery Men (1999)
67%RT Audience Score: 57%
Awards & Nominations: 3 nominations
Absurd characters and quirky gags are brought to life by a talented cast, providing this superhero spoof with lots of laughs
Mystery Men” is a superhero movie that’s not quite super, but it’s definitely a fun ride. With a cast that includes Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo, and Ben Stiller, you know you’re in for some laughs. The characters are a bit ridiculous, but that’s part of the charm. The humor is definitely on the potty side, but hey, sometimes you just need a good fart joke. Overall, “Mystery Men” is a quirky and enjoyable movie that’s perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Production Company(ies)
BRON Studios, Bron Creative MACRO
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Universal City, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for comic action violence and crude humor
Year of Release
1999
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 0m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 6, 1999 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 18, 2005
Genre(s)
Fantasy/Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo, William H Macy, Kel Mitchell, Paul Reubens, Ben Stiller, Greg Kinnear, Geoffrey Rush, Lena Olin, Eddie Izzard, directed by Kinka Usher, written by Bob Burden, Neil Cuthbert, Fantasy, Comedy, Action, PG-13, Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Mike Richardson, produced by Universal Pictures, $29.8M box office, reviewed by Nell Minow, Lisa Alspector, Derek Adams, Steve Murray, Jonathan Romney, Bob Graham, John Lui, Betty Jo Tucker, Tim Brayton, Michael Dequina, Rob Gonsalves, C Alec B., superhero spoof, Champion City, Captain Amazing, Casanova Frankenstein, silverware hurling, bowling, shovel skills, incompetent invisibility, deadly flatulence, Burton-esque view, underbelly of a city, self-aware abuse of the genre, tongue-in-cheek demeanor, All Star by Smash Mouth, Dane Cook cameo, dark humor, misfits, special powers, above average comedic cast, innocent, playfulness, lost gem, guilty pleasure, cult film, visual design, Blade Runner, Schumacher’s Batman films
Worldwide gross: $33,461,011
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $60,063,448
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,256
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 6,549,994
US/Canada gross: $29,762,011
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $53,423,640
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,043
US/Canada opening weekend: $10,017,865
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $17,982,347
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 707
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $68,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $122,061,896
Production budget ranking: 302
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $65,730,331
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$127,728,779
ROI to date (est.): -68%
ROI ranking: 1,793
Janeane Garofalo – The Bowler
William H. Macy – The Shoveller
Kel Mitchell – The Invisible Boy
Paul Reubens – The Spleen
Ben Stiller – Mr. Furious
Director(s)
Kinka Usher
Writer(s)
Bob Burden, Neil Cuthbert
Producer(s)
Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Mike Richardson
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (103) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (63) | Rotten (40)
Witty comic-book story is edgy, with lots of potty humor.
December 26, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
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.
July 15, 2010
Lisa Alspector
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
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.
June 24, 2006
Derek Adams
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
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.
February 21, 2004
Steve Murray
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TOP CRITIC
A desperately hit-and-miss affair.
December 2, 2002
Jonathan Romney
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
This bunch achieves peaks of sublime nuttiness.
June 18, 2002 | Rating: 4/4
Bob Graham
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
A story that sparkles with emotional warmth, strong jokes and great performances from Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo, Lena Olin, Eddie Izzard, Greg Kinnear, William Macy, Geoffrey Rush and Ben Stiller.
April 2, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
John Lui
The Straits Times (Singapore)
Even with its super cast, the slow-moving ‘Mystery Men’ falters in its attempt to spoof comic book heroes.
September 29, 2012
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
It is good that the film has charm, for after a certain point it doesn’t necessarily have anything else.
May 7, 2012 | Rating: 6/10
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy
Fails to come up with worthy gags and one-liners for the able cast.
November 16, 2009 | Rating: 2/4
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com
An instant cult comedy that doesn’t walk or talk like anything else out there.
August 25, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com
How many laughs can you get out of a handful of one-joke characters? Well, if your ensemble contains the talents of Janeane Garofalo, William H. Macy, Hank Azaria and Ben Stiller, the answer is: a lot.
July 14, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound…
Plot
In order to generate more endorsement revenue, Champion City’s resident superhero Captain Amazing arranges for the release of super villain Casanova Frankenstein, only to be captured by him. The city’s fate rests in the hands of seven loser superhero wannabes: the fork-flinging Blue Rajah, the shovel-wielding Shoveler, the possessed bowling ball-hurling Bowler, the flatulent Spleen, the only-when-nobody’s-looking Invisible Boy, the mysterious Sphinx, and the perpetually-angry Mr. Furious.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features a talented cast including Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, William H. Macy, and Paul Reubens.
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