Mystery Men

1999
PG-13
2h 1m

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

71K

YOUR RATING

Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo, William H. Macy, Paul Reubens, Ben Stiller, Kel Mitchell, and Wes Studi in Mystery Men (1999)

Theatrical Trailer from Universal Pictures

Play trailer2:25

3 Videos

99+ Photos

Parody Quirky Comedy Superhero Action Comedy Fantasy Sci-Fi

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

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

71K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 3 nominations

Trivia
Tom Waits' odd hand gestures when explaining the psychofrakulator were the result of him writing his dialogue on his fingers and reading the words as he went along.

Goofs
Pencil Head's costume appears to have the initials "PM" on it. This seems to suggest his original name was "Pencil Man".

Quotes
The Shoveller: We've got a blind date with destiny... and it looks like she's ordered the lobster.

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
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Sixth Sense/Mystery Men/The Thomas Crown Affair/Bowfinger/Dick (1999)

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 reviews498

Review

Featured review

9/10

Ahead of its time

This movie puts the hero in superhero. A trio of friends have, for years, taken up crime fighting under the guises of The Shoveler, Captain Furious and The Blue Rajah. This, despite the fact that there is a resident superhero known as Captain Amazing. With the release of Casanova Frankenstein, the cities most feared super villain, and the subsequent disappearance of Amazing, it is up to this rag-tag trio to put together a group of people to defeat Frankenstein.

This movie has so many great actors in it, I find it utterly crazy that it was not bigger. This is a great movie based off a comic before Marvel stuck up their giant tent pole. Not that I am mad at Marvel, not in the least. If you are looking for a movie with superheros, humor and so many quotable lines, then look no further.