Mystery Men (1999)

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

Director:

Kinka Usher

Writers:

Neil Cuthbert, Bob Burden

Stars:

Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, William H. Macy

3 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

In order to generate more endorsement revenue, Champion City's resident superhero Captain Amazing arranges for the release of supervillian 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 posessed bowling ball-hurling Bowler, the flatulent Spleen, the only-when-nobody's-looking Invisible Boy, the mysterious Sphinx, and the perpetually-angry Mr. Furious.

---

Plot Keywords:

superhero | sphinx | bowling | rajah | spleen | 

---

Taglines:

We're not your classic heroes, we're the other guys.

---

Genres:

Action | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for comic action violence and crude humor

Details

Official Sites:

Bob Burden Productions (Comic Book) Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 August 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hombres misteriosos

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£42,290 (UK) (24 December 1999)

Gross:

£822,925 (UK) (7 January 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Golar Productions, Dark Horse Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Mystery Men were the supporting cast of an underground superhero comic book called the Flaming Carrot. Mr. Furious and the Shoveler were the only ones from the comic to make it into the movie. Captain Amazing was created as a replacement for the Flaming Carrot, who was felt to be too bizarre to bring to the silver screen.

---

Goofs

During the recruiting scene, there is a string of square patio lanterns hanging behind the heroes (seen especially during the part with Buckethead). It disappears when they are interviewing the PMS Avenger, and when the Wonder Women are fighting.

---

Quotes

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

---

Crazy Credits

Dockers Khakis are the official khakis of Champion City.

---

Connections

References ¡Three Amigos! (1986)

---

Soundtracks

"Sometimes"
Written by Michael Franti
Performed by Michael Franti & Spearhead

User Reviews

Great fun

This movie is a lot of fun. What makes it great especially are two things: one is the straightforward way the characters embrace the stereotypes, with discussions of their costumes and superpowers. There's an endearing earnestness to the parody that's very appealing; the second is basic sweetness of the characters and the quality of the chemistry. Claire Forlani deserves particular note as the object of Mr. Furious's desires. There's a boatload of talent here. I realize some with high expectations may have been disappointed, but this movie is a lot of fun, and kind of sweet.