Mystery Men (1999)

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

Director:

Kinka Usher

Writers:

Neil Cuthbert, Bob Burden (comic book series)

Stars:

Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, William H. Macy

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hank Azaria	...	Blue Raja
Janeane Garofalo	...	Bowler
William H. Macy	...	Shoveler
Kel Mitchell	...	Invisible Boy
Paul Reubens	...	Spleen
Ben Stiller	...	Furious
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.

---

Plot Keywords:

male butt clench | troubled production | good versus evil | evil man | image comics | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Action | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for comic action violence and crude humor

Did You Know?

Trivia

A subtle reference to William Shatner: once, while recording lines for the video game Star Trek: Judgment Rites (1993), Shatner pronounced "sabotage" strangely and was asked twice to repeat the line. He finally blurted, "Don't tell me how to act - it sickens me!" In Mystery Men (1999), this line is repeated by Ben Stiller. Later, Janeane Garofalo says to Stiller, "You say 'sabotage', I say 'saboTAGE'," another Shatner quote from the Star Trek recording session.

---

Goofs

After the Disco Boys have driven into Casanova's castle, the camera pans to the left to show Roy following them. The shadow of the camera crew is briefly visible in the middle of the road.

---

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

There is a statement in the closing credits: "Dockers Khakis are the official khakis of Champion City."

---

Alternate Versions

PG-rated home video versions in the UK were cut by the BBFC to get a PG rating (although the UK cinema version was passed uncut with the same rating). A double ear clap was removed, as well as the (apparent) sound of a head-butt. The film was finally passed uncut with a 12 rating in January 2020.

---

Connections

References Frankenstein: Italian Style (1975)

---

Soundtracks

A Fifth of Beethoven
Written by Walter Murphy
Performed by Transmutator
Courtesy of Cleopatra Records, Inc.

User Reviews

An extremely underrated film

I thought this movie was hilarious when I first saw it and even bought it. I'm surprised that there is so much controversy over this film, because everyone did great performances, especially Ben Stiller as Mr. Furious. Quotes like "I need a compass to show me which way the wind shines." are just a small fraction of the hilarity in this film.

Grade: A+(One of my favorite comedies of all time)

Details

Official Sites:

Bob Burden Productions (Comic Book) Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 August 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mystery Men

Filming Locations:

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens - 1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$68,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,017,865, 8 August 1999

Gross USA:

$29,762,011

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$33,461,011

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