Mystery Men (1999)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Kinka Usher

Writers (WGA):

Bob Burden (comic book series by Dark Horse)
Neil Cuthbert (written by)

Release Date:

6 August 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Fantasy

Tagline:

This summer expect the unexpected

Plot:

A group of inept amateur superheroes must try to save the day when a supervillian threatens to destroy a major superhero and the city.

Plot Keywords:

Superhero | Sphinx | Bowling | Rajah | Spleen

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Hank Azaria	...	The Blue Raja
Janeane Garofalo	...	The Bowler
William H. Macy	...	The Shoveller
Kel Mitchell	...	The Invisible Boy
Paul Reubens	...	The Spleen
Ben Stiller	...	Mr. Furious
Wes Studi	...	The Sphinx
Greg Kinnear	...	Captain Amazing / Lance Hunt
Geoffrey Rush	...	Casanova Frankenstein
Lena Olin	...	Dr. Annabel Leek
Eddie Izzard	...	Tony P.
Artie Lange	...	Big Red
Pras	...	Tony C. (as Prakazrel Michel)
Claire Forlani	...	Monica
Tom Waits	...	Dr. Heller

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for comic action violence and crude humor.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:PG (cut) | Finland:K-10 | Iceland:10 | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Australia:PG | Canada:PG | France:U | Germany:12 | Ireland:PG | Singapore:PG | USA:PG-13 | Netherlands:MG6

Filming Locations:

Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens - 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, California, USA

Company:

Dark Horse Entertainment

Trivia:

When Casanova talks to the gangs about uniting to destroy Champion City, he says, "Can you dig it?", a reference to The Warriors (1979) in which the character Cyrus tries to unite New York's gangs.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the recruiting scene, the order in which the superheroes are standing in line changes from shot to shot. For example, after The Waffler auditions and walks away, he is seen still waiting in line behind Pencil Head & Ballerina Man. When the two Wonder Women begin fighting, he is no longer present.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dr. Heller: [offering an old lady candy at the Senior dance] Would you like something sweet?
Old Lady: [impressed] Oh!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Soundtrack:

The Roof Is on Fire

We quote lines from this gem all the time!

Mystery Men is one of those movies that gets funnier over time. There is a naive innocence and "niceness" to the characters. It has become part of our family "culture," and we quote the characters often. It is my favorite film of the last two years. My kids are 13 and 11 and we all three love this film. Great acting and comedy. We love Galaxy Quest and Monty Python flicks too. Okay, we're not talking intellectual here, just Family bonding!