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The dramatic scenes are interwoven with academic commentary. What’smore,in each of the three 60-minute parts the crew tries to recreate and/oranalyse one of Leonardo’s marvels. Why are his drawings and paintings sospecial? Would his underwater-suit have worked? Or his tank, or hishang-glider?

This is one of those documentaries of which one can only hope it willappearon dvd. In the meantime, you might want to check out the BBC web sitededicated to the series.

The monsters look like they were put in the sun too long and there faceswere melted. Yuck! Don’t spend your time watching this on T.V. or video. Ifyou see it under the kids section were this movie belongs and rent someother movie.

Avoid "Mystery Monsters" Like the Plague!

2) Funny thing, I see why this flick hasn't scored too well so far, but itstill tickles my funny bone. Sort of schizophrenic, I guess. The actinglooks like a school play, the special effects are lousy-ish, butthere's a certain absurdity that makes it watchable. Maybe a contactbetween stylish devilish entities and Hollywood folks could really belike this.

One important thing in watching a movie is to become curious about howit will go on and be finished, and here a positive tension arises,because the storyline blatantly equates the devilish visitors withmovie making people. Hollywood is Hellwood.

The dolls are nice and the baddies stylish. Watching Mystery Monstersbrought up the inner four-year old me. I childishly give this one sixpoints.

Shot boxing matches would eventually in the future turn out to be themost profitable movies from the Edison Manufacturing Company. Thefootage was sold per round for $22.50 for each round, which could beviewed in a kinetoscope. Really a lot of money of course for that time.Nevertheless it became quite a success, also not in the least becauseboxing at the time was banned in some states in America. So for mostthis was basically the only legal way to ever see a boxing match atthat time.

Only one round of the match has survived and can be seen this presentday, simply because Edison and Co. didn't bother to make papernegatives of each round because only one was needed to submit forcopyright purposes.

The match was shot in Edison's Black Maria studio, so it wasn't reallya real fight. These matches also would have a prearranged ending andwinner, in order for Edison Manufacturing Company to have the insurancethat they could sell a certain amount of rounds per match. It involvesthe two professional boxers Mike Leonard (in white) and Jack Cushing(in black). Even though it wasn't an official match, that doesn't meanthat the two are going easy on each other. The bare knuckle punches areall real alright. The fight is full of hard fighting, clever hits,punches, leads, dodges, body blows and some slugging. To make it lookall the more authentic, a couple of seemingly random blokes are sittingin the background, behind the ring watching the match, as well ashaving a referee in the ring, who looks like he's ready to step betweenthe two fighters any moment.

The frame rate doesn't seem to be right, since the entire round seemsto occur in slow motion. Also the quality of the images isn't among thebest of the Edison Manufacturing Company of that time but it stilllooks good enough alright.

Mostly because of the unexpected success of boxing matches on film, itbecame commercially really attractive to make more films such as thisone, which caused that more artistic and experimental projects werepushed more to the background and became more or less a side-line forthe Edison Manufacturing Company.

So this can be seen as the first real commercially produced film.

8/10

Neil Cu

2)
When Captain Amazing (Kinnear) is kidnapped by Casanova Frankenstein (Rush) a group of superheroes combine together to create a plan. But these aren’t normal superheroes. They are individuals who are not good enough to be real superheroes. Now, the group who include such heroes as Mr. Furious (Stiller), The Shoveller (Macy) and The Blue Raja (Azaria) must put all the powers together to save everyone they know and love.

3)
In Champion City, would be superheroes like The Shoveler, The Blue Raja and Mr. Furious can’t seem to make a difference and impress either the city or its greatest superhero, Captain Amazing. However, when Captain Amazing is captured by his greatest enemy, Cassanova Frankenstein, these stumblebum heroes must join with other superhero hopefuls to save the Captain and the city.

• Ricky Jay’s character tells Captain Amazing, “I’m a publicist, not a magician.” Jay is in fact a well-known magician.
• The two police squad cars seen throughout the film are both 1968 Dodge Chargers with various embellishments.
• A subtle reference to William Shatner: once, while recording lines for the animated Star Trek series, 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.
• The name of Janeane Garofalo’s character’s father, Carmine, is also the name of Garofalo’s father.
• On Casanova Frankenstein’s release papers (which are stamped “CURED”), one entry reveals that the patient is “unpredictable in bed.”
• When Casanova talks to the gangs about uniting to destroy Champion City, he says, “Can you dig it?”, a reference to The Warriors (1979) in which the character Cyrus tries to unite New York’s gangs.
• The bowler’s skull ball was a custom ball. After the release of the movie, bowling ball manufacturer Ebonite made a less-detailed version of the skull ball as part of their Super Fun Ball line.
• One of the superheroes at the superhero audition is Buzz Burgermatic, from Home Fries (1998).
• The Blue Raja’s car, a tiny yellow vehicle with oddly placed headlights, is seen only in a glimpse as the Herkeimer Battle Jitney speeds out of the junkyard. This vehicle seems to be the same car driven by Cousin It in The Addams Family (1991).
• At one time, Danny DeVito was set to direct as well as star as The Shovler.
• 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.
• Casanova Frankenstein’s castle is heavily influenced by the works of Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi, down to details such as railings, capitals on columns, and the alcove in which Spleen and Invisible Boy cower.
• The Bowler’s stream-of-consciousness monologue in support of independent filmmaking at the conclusion of the film was originally not intended to be included in the finished print. Janeane Garofalo was instructed by director Kinka Usher to say whatever came to her mind at the time (Usher simply wanted to use up some excess film.) Usher liked her performance so much he edited it into the final print.
• Director Cameo: [Kinka Usher] as Moe. Coincidentally, Moe is the name of one of Hank Azaria’s (Blue Rajah) many different characters in "The Simpsons" (1989).
• Casanova’s long fingernails were Claire Forlani’s idea.
• 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.
• The Blue Raja’s car is a Messerschmit KR200 Kabinenroller, a three-wheeled bubble car designed by the aircraft engineer Fritz Fend and produced in the factory of the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt in the 1950s and early 1960s.
• The Not So Goodie Mob is an actual hip hop group, ‘The Goodie Mob’.
• Dr. A. Heller, when met for the second time, is making bizarre noises with objects, for eerie effect. Tom Waits, (Heller), has used the same noises in his music and poetry.
• During the pursuit of Casanova’s limo, Mr. Furious says the line “He’s either very smart or very dumb.” This is a reference to Jaws (1975), where that character of Quint says the same line during the tense fishing pole duel.
• Ben Stiller’s line “You bet your sweet bippy” was a catchphrase used by Dick Martin on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" (1967).
• The Shoveler’s inspiring egg salad speech to the team is a spoof of William Shakespeare’s St. Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V, even going as far as saying “Those of us who survive this night will wear our scars proudly,” much like Shakespeare’s “Then will he strip his sleeves and show his scars.”
• During one of the Mystery Men group salutes, they say, “Zei gazunt,” which is Yiddish, derived from the German, “Sei Gesund” or “Be Healthy” and is often used as a toast.
• The station wagon the Shoveler owns is an early American Motors Rebel.
• Casanova Frankenstein’s limo is a stretched 1978 Limited Edition Indianapolis 500 Pace Car Chevrolet Corvette.
• The Sphinx was a Golden Age hero who was the creation of Better Publishing; his real name was Ellsworth Forrester, and he first appeared in Exciting Comics #2. Had Better Publishing still been in existence at the time this movie came out, the filmmakers could have been sued for plagiarism. As it is, due to the fact that Better went out of business in the 1950s with no successor, the character is now in the public domain.
• In the bar where the team celebrates after the successful run-in with Frankenstein, one camera angle shows an orange neon sign on the wall. It is the Chinese expression, “Clothing Shop”.
• The Mystery Men were the supporting cast of an underground superhero called the Flaming Carrot, in a comic 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.
• Cee-lo Green, now famous as the singer for Gnarls Barkley, makes a brief appearance as an evil rapper.
• According to the DVD commentary, the scene where The Spleen (Paul Reubens) accidentally ignites a blast of flatulence standing by a barrel with a fire in it was a happy accident. Apparently, a crew member had tossed a plastic lighter in the barrel. It happened to explode (a small explosion, but an explosion none the less) while filming Reubens. The reactions that followed were created after the fact, capitalizing on the moment caught on film.
• When Monica asks Mr. Furious for his name, he calls himself Phoenix Dark – a reference to the classic X-Men story Dark Phoenix Saga.
• When the team are trying to come up with their name, Invisible Boy suggests The Super Dudes. Kel Mitchell, who played Invisible Boy, once worked on the show "All That" (1994), where Super Dude was a recurring character played by co-star Kenan Thompson, a super-hero whose only weakness was lactose intolerance.
• There is a subtle reference to the old slapstick gag of the watermelon-and-the-hammer – it’s when Mr. Furious, during the Sphinx’ strange training session, is wearing watermelon on his feet and proceeds to bash them (off screen) with the tack hammer he is supposed to balance on his head.
• The sign for the diner is written in Cyrillic – it makes no sense in Russian, but the sounds the letters themselves make is indeed the English word ‘diner’.
• There is a great homage to ‘Mel Brook”s Blazing Saddles (1974) in Mystery Men. In the scene where Tony P and the rest of Casanova Frankenstein’s henchmen have their guns lined up and aimed at the Mystery Men, the Sphinx appears and mentally goes down the line and cuts all of their guns in half. This is a loving remake of the scene in Blazing Saddles when Gene Wilder, as the Waco Kid, shoots all of the pistols out of the hands of the lined up bushwhackers who confront him, Sheriff Bart and the other railroad workers.
• Artie Lange, who has joked about the poor reception of films he’s acted in, considers this to be the worst movie he has made. After seeing his brief scene in the beginning of the film, his mother and sister called him from the theater to ask if he would have any more scenes because they wanted to leave.
• Cameos: Michael Bay (noted action director) and Riki Rachtman, (former host of MTV’s "Headbangers Ball" (1987)) as two of the Frat Boys. Bay asks “can we bring the brewskies?”.

• Revealing mistakes: In one extreme close-up of The Spleen’s face during the “Blame Thrower” scene, we can see pearly white teeth behind the fake mouthpiece.
• Continuity: When chasing Casanova’s Limo in the Shoveller’s car, the steering wheel sometimes has a bar in the middle, while in others it doesn’t.
• Continuity: Orientation of sandwich in The Shoveller’s hand during Egg Salad speech.

• Continuity: Orientation of Waffle Man’s griddle (holding it by the handle then the edge).
• Continuity: At the beginning when the amputee’s left prosthetic arm is taken off and thrown into the punchbowl, it changes to a right arm by the time it’s hanging on the chandelier. Then it falls and reverts back into a right. It also starts off wearing a watch, but ends up wearing jewelry when attached to the chandelier.
• Continuity: In the costume-sewing scene, The Shoveller’s measuring tape moves from the inside to the outside of his collar, and switches places throughout that scene.
• Continuity: 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.
• Continuity: Frankenstein tells Amazing that he’ll be killed tomorrow at midnight. Later (presumably the next day), Frankenstein tells Tony P. that he will be having a banquet the following night for his gangs. However, several days pass before the Mystery Men attack the Casa Casanova.
• Continuity: Time of the clock in the background of the room during Casanova’s trial.
• Continuity: After Lance Hunt reads Captain Amazing’s “letter” during Casanova’s trial, he folds it back up. However, in the next shot it is unfolded, then in the following shot when he puts the letter in his coat, it is folded up again.
• Factual errors: The Mystery Men leave their van without turning off the electromagnet, yet neither they nor their equipment is affected by it.
• Continuity: After the battle at the retirement home, Captain Amazing rips off the Pepsi emblem on his right shoulder, but throughout the rest of the movie the emblem is still there.
• Crew or equipment visible: 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.
• Continuity: The purple stuffed animal The Shoveller runs over in his driveway already has the material cut before he pulls its head off.
• Continuity: In the diner, after The Shoveller, Blue Raja, and Mr. Furious are discussing recruiting, The Shoveller and Mr. Furious extend their pinkies and thumbs, but when shown from above, they are extending their pinkies and index fingers.
• Continuity: In the Chinese bar after the limousine attack, the Bowler’s ball keeps changing position in different shots.
• Continuity: When the Sphinx clearly cuts Tony P, Tony C, and the Disco Boy’s guns in half, immediately in the next shot we see that the guns have not been cut in half, but have simply had their slides removed.
• Continuity: When the Jitney crashes through Casa Casanova gates, several of the headlights are clearly damaged. Next time you see the Jitney in the grass plaza area heading for the mansion, the headlights are all intact and working. After the Jitney crashes through the wall into the main hall, some of the headlights are damaged again (as they should be).
• Continuity: As Mr. Furious rants at the departing policemen after the initial fight, his arm is alternately holding the bag out/holding it by his side between shots.
• Continuity: During the recruiting scene, the order in which the superheroes are standing in line changes from shot to shot. For example, after The Waffler auditions and walks away, he is seen still waiting in line behind Pencil Head & Ballerina Man. When the two Wonder Women begin fighting, he is no longer present.
• Continuity: 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.
• Revealing mistakes: When the veteran’s prosthetic arm is pulled off in the first scene, you can clearly see his hand underneath it.

The story: a bunch of low-level superheroes save the day. This wasexecuted again in the mediocre, direct-to-video "The Specials" as well.But this is the other end of the spectrum: big budget (huge budget,almost $100 Million I think) studio comedy. Yes, the effects areoverblown and the huge sets and wonderful production design are a bitmuch considering the plot. But don’t think this as a stupid, specialeffects-y superhero movie–it’s a PARODY. They fight a villain namedCassanova Frankenstein, people. He has a psychofrakulator, whateverthat is (it’s a doomsday device, he’ll take over the world, yada yada.)And resident superhero Captain Amazing (a Zapp Brannigan-esque GregKinnear, with commercial-product-logos on his costume, nice touch) iskidnapped. Time for the Mystery Men: Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller, getsmad), The Shoveller (William H. Macy, beats people with shovels), TheBlue Raja (Hank Azaria, British, throws forks), The Bowler (JaneaneGarafolo, bowls), Invisible Boy (Kel Mitchell, guess what he does), TheSpleen (the great Paul Reubens, farts), and The Sphinx (Wes Studi, cutsguns in half with his mind, I am not kidding). The rest of thefantastic cast of character actors includes Geoffrey Rush as Cassanova,Lena Olin heavily edited out as Cassanova’s bride, and the one and onlyTom Waits as a crazy weapons dealer. So…with Macy, Kinnear, Olin, andRush there are four Oscar-nominees (and one winner) and Tom freakin’Waits! It’s not perfect though. It’s overlong and there are some gushesof corniness here and there (The Shoveller’s full of them).

The dialogue definitely outweighs the physical comedy, which issometimes lacking (there’s a guy who farts for his power, case closed).The dialogue is definitely a highlight, the cyclical ramblings of theSphinx, the mixed metaphors of Mr. Furious, etc. It’s downright a funnymovie, (it will almost make you forget that this was the film that let"All Star" by Smashmouth out into the world.)

Unfortunately, the film did not do as well with critics and audiencesas it should have. A sequel was originally planned (the film is in factbased on a comic book and characters from "The Flaming Carrot" comics.The Flaming Carrot was planned for the sequel I believe) but this didnot do well at the box office. It could have been a hard sell, asuperhero comedy with the guy from "There’s Something About Mary." Italso could have been the fact that it was released on the same day as"The Sixth Sense"–which ended up being the biggest hit for the monthof August–as well as "The Thomas Crown Affair." Two othermisunderstood classics were released on the same crowded weekend, oddlyenough–"Dick" and "The Iron Giant." Critics gave MM passable reviews,but it was quickly forgotten. Sadly enough, on Comedy Central’s Roastof Jerry Stiller, comedian Jeffrey Ross commented to Ben Stiller that,"I saw ‘Mystery Men’ and I fired MY agent." Ben is then seen to mouththe words, "I should have to." Don’t listen to him. Give "Mystery Men"a chance.

2) 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, becauseeveryone did great performances, especially Ben Stiller as Mr. Furious.Quotes like "I need a compass to show me which way the wind shines." arejust a small fraction of the hilarity in this film.

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

3) This movieis a lot of fun. What makes it great especially are two things: one is thestraightforward way the characters embrace the stereotypes, withdiscussionsof their costumes and superpowers. There’s an endearing earnestness to theparody that’s very appealing; the second is basic sweetness of thecharacters and the quality of the chemistry. Claire Forlani deservesparticular note as the object of Mr. Furious’s desires. There’s a boatloadof talent here. I realize some with high expectations may have beendisappointed, but this movie is a lot of fun, and kind ofsweet.

4) I could have sworn I submitted a review of this some time back. Be that asit may, MM is a terrific comedy and affectionate spoof of comic book movies,much like GALAXY QUEST spoofed sci-fi flicks. Ben Stiller shines as an ineptsuperhero with anger management issues who leads a group of equally ineptsuperheroes played by shovel-wielding William H. Macy and fork-tossing HankAzaria (I kid you not). They add some new members in the course of themovie, played by Janine Garofalo, Paul Reubens, Wes Studi and Kel (of Keenanand Kel fame), in order to face down an army of bad guys headed up by thealways delightful Geoffrey Rush. The plot is virtually identical to X-MEN,which came out the following year. I think this movie does better by theplot, which is your basic let’s-save-the-world scenario. Some money wasclearly expended on this under-appreciated enterprise. It shows in thecostumes, the sets and the CGI. Garofalo, who came late to the project, isabsolutely hysterical as a lass armed with a bowling ball containing theskull of her late and hardly lamented dad, who evidently converses with heralthough we never hear his side of the conversation. The movie will make nosense to those with no exposure to comic books or superhero movies. Foreveryone else, it is a gem. Watch out for some patchy editing in the finalshowdown.

5) Mystery Men is one of those movies that gets funnier over time. There is anaive innocence and "niceness" to the characters. It has become part ofourfamily "culture," and we quote the characters often. It is my favoritefilmof the last two years. My kids are 13 and 11 and we all three love thisfilm. Great acting and comedy.We love Galaxy Quest and Monty Python flicks too. Okay, we’re not talkingintellectual here, just Family bonding!

6) In the history of movies based on comic books, "Mystery Men" is one of themost underrated ones. This is no regular comic superhero movie! It followsthe exploits of a motley crew of well-meaning wannabes, which include Mr.Furious (played by Ben Stiller), the Bowler (Janeane Garofalo), theShoveller (William H. Macy), the Blue Rajah (Hank Azariah) and the Spleen(Paul Reubens). "Mystery Men" spoofs several aspects of superhero movieslike "Superman" or "Batman," such as the pithy sayings, and the questionsabout secret identities. Most of the superheroes aren’t billionaires likeBruce Wayne, but blue-collar types with menial jobs and neurotic home lives. So it looks as if director Kinka Usher is making the heroes into somethingthe average viewer can relate to. I found "Mystery Men" to be visuallystimulating and very funny. Even if it doesn’t turn into a franchise, it’sstill a joy to watch!

7) As a comic book reader, who still sees myself as a total kid at heart, Iadmit I might have been a bit biased towards this movie. I mean, therehasn’t been a good superhero movie out for quite some time (NOTE: BatmanForever was NOT a good superhero movie). I really wanted this film to begood, and unlike most of my recent trips to the cinema (read Blair WitchProject) I wasn’t disappointed.

Mystery Men was definitely not a high-effects, tension-filled action flick,it was a comedy. And on that basis, it was a success. It had everyone inthe small theater laughing, and got applause and laughs right through thefinal scene. Stiller and Garofolo are hilarious together, as always, andAzaria adds just the right touch of craziness. William H. Macy plays agreat straight man, while Kel Mitchell and the fart-powered Paul Rubens areadded just to keep the kiddies happy.

Though the sets are bizarre (and at times seem like ripoffs from both Batmanand Blade Runner), and some of the jokes are obvious, it is still just plainfunny. There are some lines that will catch even the most jaded vieweroff-guard, and bring tears from the belly-laughers amongus.

I definitely recommend this movie. Although not an all-time classic, it istwice as funny as the latest Austin Powers retread. The writing is good,and the cast is GREAT. If you’re worried, plan on the matinee and pay less,but either way you’ll be pleasantly surprised. I mean, who among us doesn’troot for the losers once in a while?

This movie was a brilliant concept. It was original, cleverly writtenand of high appeal to those of us who aren’t really ‘conformist’ moviepickers. Don’t get me wrong – there are some great movies that havewide appeal, but when you move into watching a movie based on "everyoneelse is watching it" – you know you’re either a tween or don’t reallyhave an opinion. This had a lovely subtle humor – despite most peopleprobably looking only at the obvious. The actors portrayed theircharacters with aplomb and I thought there was a lot more "personal"personality in this film. Has appeal for kids, as well as adults. Esp.nice to find a good movie that’s not filled with sexual references anddrug innuendos! A great film, not to be overlooked based on publicconsumption. This one is a must buy.

9) Though I can’t claim to be a comic book fanatic, I have read my share, so Iguess I’m part of the audience of this film, and I wasn’t disappointed. Itdoes run out of steam near the end, it’s almost overflowing with ideas, andit seems like Lena Olin, one of my favorite actresses, was left on thecutting room floor. Also, a little of Hank Azaria’s Blue Raja can go a longway. Still, it’s easy to forgive all of these faults when you have a filmwhich is this much fun. All the actors seem to be having a blast with theirroles, especially William H. Macy as the straight-arrow Shoveler, andJaneane Garofalo as The Bowler. And unlike some, I found the design of thecity to make the joke even funnier. I also liked how disco was the music ofchoice of the bad guys; somehow, it seemed appropriate.

10) Director Kinka Usher stays true to his own credo, "Play it straight andthey will laugh," and with the help of a superb cast has crafted what shouldbecome the #1 cult film of all time, `Mystery Men.’ When an evil villain,Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) is released from a mental institution,captures the local superhero, Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear), and threatensto take over Champion City, three wanna-be superheroes, Mr. Furious (BenStiller), The Shoveler (William H. Macy) and The Blue Raja (Hank Azaria)come to the rescue. Frankenstein has been joined by a myriad assortment ofunderworld scum, however, and has become a formidable opponent. The triorealize that help is needed, and decide to recruit; what they end up with isnothing less than the most unforgettable team of `superheroes’ everassembled in the history of the cinema. Mr. Furious has his rage; TheShoveler, his shovel; The Blue Raja flings silverware (mainly forks, and theoccasional spoon, but never a knife); the Invisible Boy (Kel Mitchell) canturn invisible as long as no one is watching; the Sphinx (Wes Studi), aheavy hitter from down south, is very mysterious and can break guns in halfwith his mind. Maybe; the Bowler (Janeane Garofalo) can fling a ball withdeadly accuracy; and The Spleen (Paul Reubens) wields flatulence that canincapacitate an entire room. This is a brilliant ensemble piece that delivers the laughs without everbecoming condescending or patronizing the audience, while playing itstraight at all times. The dialogue is witty, and the performances given byStiller, Macy, Azaria and Garofalo are exemplary. There is a number ofmemorable, hilarious scenes, especially the one in which they throw a poolparty and barbecue to recruit, and conduct interviews with a stupefyingassemblage of applicants; and another, in a bar, when the Bowler has aconversation with her long-dead father, whose skull has been implanted inher bowling ball. The funniest of all, however, has to be when the teamactually attempts to rescue Captain Amazing. But these are only examples,for the entire movie is composed of one hilarious scene after another, lacedwith subtle humor that will keep you laughing and thinking about it for along time. The real secret of it’s success, though, is that Usher keeps itall real; the relationships between the characters are true, and the wholeconcept of being a `Superhero’ is played as being entirely reasonable, whichsomehow gives a sense of credibility to the entire proceedings. In thisworld, the aspirations of Mr. Furious and the rest are tenable, and Usherkeeps the laughs coming without ever resorting to slapstick or mere sightgags. The solid supporting cast includes Lena Olin (Dr. Annabel Leek), EddieIzzard (Tony P.), Tom Waits (Doc Heller), Claire Forlani (Monica), LouiseLasser (The Blue Raja’s mother), Jenifer Lewis (Lucille) and Pras (Tony C.). `Mystery Men’ is a truly inspired movie that can be seen over and overagain, with a new chuckle to be had with every viewing, guaranteed. In theimmortal words of the Sphinx, `We are number one! All others are numbertwo, or lower.’ Is it an Oscar-worthy movie? Hardly; but for a good timeand a lot of laughs, treat yourself to this masterwork of comedy; it’s thereal deal, and you won’t regret it. I rate this one 10/10.

Jonathan Reynolds (writer)

2)
After separating from his wife, Leonard Parker (Cosby) quit the spy business and became a restaurateur. His wife refuses to speak with him, and his daughter, who changes her career more often than her clothes, has begun dating a man old enough to be Leonard’s father! On top of it all, the government has asked him to come back and save the world again. The evil Medusa Johnson (Foster) has hypnotized animals into doing her bidding, and plans to use them to take over the world! It’s up to Leonard to save the world, as only he can battle her Vegetarians and man-eating rabbits!

• Apparently Bill Cosby agreed with the bad reviews. It wasn’t the project he expected, but an actor under contract is obliged to complete the project or face legal action. Just before the film was released, Cosby appeared on several talk shows, denounced it as a terrible movie, and advised people not to waste their time or money.
• The film won three Razzie Awards: Worst Picture, Worst Actor, and Worst Screenplay. Bill Cosby requested Golden Raspberry statues made of 24-carat gold and Italian marble, which cost Fox Networks $27,000. They were presented to him on “The Fox Late Show” a few weeks after the Razzie ceremony.
• The Jane Fonda Workout that Leonard works out to was specifically made for the movie.
• A clip of this movie is on “The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made” DVD (Region 1 NTSC).
• Obba Babatundé’s film debut.
• Bill Cosby bought the television rights, to make sure the film would never appear on television.
• Victoria Rowell’s film debut.
• Despite its name, there are no prequels to this motion picture.
• The first musical notes for the opening credits are similar to that (along with the Columbia Pictures logo) of Ghost Busters (1984).
• The Latin phrase ‘Ipso Facto’ (inscribed across Leonard’s helmet) means, “By the fact itself.”

• Continuity: When Leonard is contemplating calling Allison, his dessert is on his side of the table. In the next shot, his nightcap is on his side of the table.
• Continuity: When Allison dumps the food onto Leonard’s head, he goes back to his car and the amount of food keeps increasing and decreasing between shots. Look at the large leaf of Roamine lettuce disappear and reappear as Leonard Parker talks to Frayn.
• Crew or equipment visible: When the frogs kill the agent outside of International Tuna, the lifts are seen to jump the car into the bay.

When I was a kid the adults would play his records (and Red Foxx’s, also,but that’s a story for another time) when I was supposed to be in bed, but Icould hear him when I put my ear to the heat vent. BILL COSBY, WOW, this wasgoing to be an experience I’d never forget and so it was.

I owed Mr. Cosby for this job because every other black stagehand inNorthern California was put on the payroll, too. The Local I.A.T.S.E.(International Alliance of Theatre and Stage Employees or I Am Tired ofSeeking Employment) put more black men on the call than any other movie shotin the Bay Area before or after this one. Go figure.

In the course of shooting this movie I was covered in horse manure, pigeonfeces, toxic waste, green dye, frogs, and the substances that were depositedon the floor of an adult movie theatre. Okay, I’ll explain the last one. Wehad to renovate an old porno theatre for a shot in the film. I still tellmyself that it was only Coca-Cola sticking to my boots to the floor. Iburned them anyway.

Many times we would complete a set and find out that they had cut that scenefrom the film. The script was overhauled every day and NO ONE knew what wasgoing on. Mr. Cosby was VERY unhappy. I worked 7/12s for three weeks. We cutback to 6/12s so I had the opportunity to do my laundry rather thanspending my 1/2-hour lunch break buying new clothes.

One day my fellow stagehands and I were standing around with nothing to do.We went to the Art Director and were told, "Just pretend that you’reworking." One guy said, "No, you pretend I’m working, I’m punching out andgoing home." I’ve used that line many times in my career.

The day I was cut from the crew was a glorious day. I tried to leave at thatmoment but was told I had to stay until the end of the day. That first dayoff was heaven. I had been too busy to cash my paychecks so I had a nicechunk of change. The best thing that can be said for Leonard Part 6 is thatit paid off my student loan and paid for a fabulous week in Rome. It alsosent me running back to live theatre where I’ve stayed eversince.

I caught the movie on cable and it was as bad as I thought it would be. Thebiggest laugh for me was the disclaimer from the Humane Society. My usualbeef with those disclaimers is that someone has to kill those delicioussteaks we eat on the set. This time, however, my problem was with the rainof frogs. Hundreds of frogs gave their lives for this piece of dreck. I alsothink it’s strange that the same disclaimer was shown at the end of TheCrow, but I guess actors count as much as frogs.

2) I saw this pus-filled boil on Cosby’s rump while on vacation in Florida as akid. I asked to see it – How was I to know? – I was only 6 years old. Ithink it was being shown at a theater at Universal Studios, and it had beena long, hot day of walking. Hell, I was glad just to be off my feet and outof the sun…that is, until the movie began.

I was confused from the start, thinking I must have missed a lot in thefirst 5 parts. But I thought it’s gotta get better, Bill Cosby wouldn’tallow this garbage to be shown to millions of kids like me as"entertainment" unless there was something funny in it. Then the meatpatties – I don’t remember much about the movie, I’ve left the nightmares inmy past, but I can still remember how I nearly wretched at this grisly messof a scene. It was no longer worth being in a comfy theater with AC, it wasmore like being in agony, trapped by a 6-yr. old kid’s optimism that "Mr.Huxable" would be funny! Never happened.

An utter horror of a movie!It ruined a little kid’s day, and I’m sure it ruined many others’. When Ifound out from my folks soon after that Bill Cosby himself had told peoplenot to see it, I was hurt and betrayed. I have since gotten over it, so LP6is purged from my nightmares, and I applauded Cos for removing thiscelluloid pollution from our airwaves. Redemption at last.

3) Bill Cosby wrote, produced, and starred in LEONARD PART 6. If only he haddirected it too. LP6 is easily one of the worst and dumbest movies evermade. It almost looks like the kind of home movie that someone who is almosta billionaire could make. I don’t know why Bill Cosby’s great "Fat Albert"series is never on syndication, but this movie would have been better as acartoon or with some of those characters working in the movie (like in WHOFRAMED ROGER RABBIT). I guess suggesting improvements at this point does nothelp. So if you have never seen a great genius make a fool of himself andlook like a buffoon, watch this movie.

4) Bill Cosby must have lost some kind of bet with Satan to end up making afilm as mind-meltingly dreadful as "Leonard Part 6". A stupefyinglyunfunny,self-indulgent mess of a film that will have you wanting to tare your skinoff with your fingernails just so you’ll have something else todo.

5)

You can’t help but cry.

This film is awful. I found NOTHING redeeming about it, not on a camplevel,not even on a comatose level.

You’d just expect more from the talented Bill Cosby, and wonder with alltheprojects out there, why he chose this crap to be a partof.

He should have just collected all the money and donated it to a charity –or the R & D Department over at JELLO. The money would have went to abettercause.

6) This film was made nearby where I lived in 1986. Many residents had to putup with trailers on the street and generators running into all hours of theevening. We did however, get to see Cosby shoot a scene, so that wasfun.

When it came time to see his creation, the disappointment was even greaterhaving expected at least something of fair value. The film is disjointed, asif the writer quit in the middle. The relationship between Cosby – a masterspy living in an enormous house – and his unhappy wife (who lives in theenormous house next door, which is supposed to be a funny circumstance) tooktime to develop. Then it was immediately lost in some mad-cap chase scenesin a warehouse.

There is nothing interesting about this film. There must be a story behindhow it got made. Cosby is a man of talent, but this film showednone.

7) Back in 1987, Bill Cosby was the king of comedy on television. His ’80ssitcom "The Cosby Show" was the #1 TV show in America. So one questionstillpuzzles me today. During his time away from the show, why did he produce,wrote the original story to, and star in "Leonard Part 6"? This movie istotally inept from beginning to end. No laughs. No excitement. No fun.Just85 minutes of 100% ineptitude. Forget about it!

No stars (out of four)

There are bad movies like the ones Ed wood used to make and there arebad movies like "Leonard part 6".

Now the difference between these two groups is, that when you watch EdWood movies you can laugh at the fact how serious he was. But with thissupposed to be comedy you are just dazed at the fact how shamelesslythis movie has been made relying only on the 80′s comedy icon BillCosby.

I can see how the script of this agent parody might have looked funny,with all the James Bond jokes it has, but somewhere in the makingeveryone just forgot to do their jobs properly, thus ending up withthis pile of totally unfunny crap.

As stated nothing works, special effects are bad and they probablylooked outdated the year this movie came out. Actors are bored and theydon’t even try and same can be said of director Paul Weiland.

Avoid if you can.

9) Three words sum up what’s wrong with this movie, Joe Don Baker.Serously,what the hell was that? It’s like a bad version of Dr Dolittle made byacidheads. I actually saw this movie in the theater as a child and even atthetender age of 6 asked my Mom if we could leave and began crying when wedidn’t. This movie sucks!

10) Might contain some spoilers

Whoa, where did this curiosity come from? Bill Cosby and co-star fendingoff killer lobsters with butter? Bill Cosby’s daughter doing a toplessrecital? Dr. Cosby warned people not to see this when it came out, but hespoke too late. Why didn’t Mystery Science Theater pick this one up? Mr.Cosby looks uncomfortable, if not downright constipated throughout thisfilm, which is exactly what you’ll feel like should you choose to rent it. This film is still smelling up my living room like stale dog urine. Thereis a good spy flick out for kids, and it’s called "Spy Kids". Or watch BillCosby’s Little Bill series to reassure yourself that he didn’t go mad aftermaking this film.