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 (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:

This summer expect the unexpected

---

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:

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, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$29,655,590, 3 October 1999

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 two Wonder Women who fight have black and red hair, eerily paralleling the storyline in the Wonder Woman comics where the black-haired Princess Diana is forced to give up the title (and costume) of Wonder Woman to the red-haired Amazon Artemis.

---

Goofs

When The Bowler first arrives at the tryouts, she removes her ball from her bag and kicks it away. Immediately after it is back at her side.

---

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.

---

Alternate Versions

UK video version is cut to get a PG rating. A double ear clap is removed, as well as the sound of a head-butt. The UK cinema version was uncut with the same rating.

---

Connections

Referenced in Pushing Daisies: Smell of Success (2007)

---

Soundtracks

The Mystery Men Mantra
Written by Mark Mothersbaugh
Performed by Mark Mothersbaugh
With additional vocals by Terry Bradford, Wil Wheaton Jr. (as Wil Wheaton), Nancye Ferguson

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)