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 (creator: comic book series)

Stars:

Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, 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 Michel	...	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 supervillain Casanova Frankenstein, only to be captured by him. The city's fate rests in the hands of seven loser superhero wannabes: the spoon-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.

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Plot Keywords:

superhero | spleen | sphinx | bowling | rajah | 

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Taglines:

Universal Pictures presents a new league of heroes that step to a different beat.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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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:

$10,017,865 (USA) (6 August 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

According to Janeane Garofalo, the Bowler's bowling ball was about 30 pounds.

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Goofs

In the Chinese bar after the limousine attack, the Bowler's ball keeps changing position in different shots.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

Dockers Khakis are the official khakis of Champion City.

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Connections

References Saturday Night Fever (1977)

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Soundtracks

Hello Dolly
Written by Jerry Herman
Performed by Petula Clark
Courtesy of GNP Crescendo Records, Inc.
By Arrangement with Celebrity Licensing Inc.

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.