"There's no use waiting for the cavalry, because as of this moment, the cavalry is us."-Eddie, A.K.A. The Shoveler, Mystery Men
Something Niche.Blogspot.com presents...
Stranger Sinema
Come one, come all to a midway of the most bizarre in pictures! Journey into the unknown through the deepest depths of celluloid film! Bear witness to some of the most unique and peculiar stories and characters! Dive into a rabbit hole a leave behind your mundane world for a glimpse into the upside-down world...of Stranger Sinema!
Welcome back, Young and Young-at-Heart explorers, to Stranger Sinema! The show on Something Niche where we take a deep dive into the strange world of cult cinema, discovering the most madcap, bizarre, or just strangely obscure parts of the film world!
Today, as we start our shopping for the Holiday Season, we will be venturing into the one genre that Hollywood hasn't been able to get over for more than 20 years at this point: the superhero movie! Yeah, it may seem a bit strange that we are starting out the Holidays with this particular genre, but truthfully, who didn't want to be a superhero as a kid? And I'm pretty sure that new action figure or playset of our favorite superhero was one of the first things you wrote on your Christmas Lists back then!
Well, Young and Young-at-Heart explorers, today's topic isn't exactly your run-of-the-mill Bruce Wayne or Peter Parker story-at least, not for the most part. After all, this is Stranger Sinema after all, so it'd only make sense that the heroes of today's living comic book would be ones that go against the grain!
Our topic today is Mystery Men, an affectionate parody and deconstruction of the genre that focuses on a group of amateurs with unimpressive powers and cheesy gimmicks who get thrown into a challenge against impossible odds when a beloved (but secretly, narcissistic and pompous) professional suddenly disappears. It's a film that's more or less the superhero genre's answer to Ghostbusters, much like how our last topic Evolution was Ghostbusters for the alien invasion subgenre!
Mystery Men is a film that takes the more ridiculous elements of superheroes and cranks them up to 11 in order to create a more unique take on the typical superhero flick. One that came out during an unusual time for the genre; where it had started to become the butt of multiple jokes thanks to various commercial and critical failures, but just before it once again became highly commodified once again before slowly losing steam again in recent years.
And perhaps it's the fact that audiences have become so familiar with the tropes of the superhero genre that has caused this initial commercial flop to experience a resurgence during the Internet Age!
So, please turn your attention to that shadow in the sky! Is it a bird? A Plane? No, it's the burgeoning cult classic that is Mystery Men!
Suiting Up
Mystery Men's story begins in Champion City, a flashy metropolis that bears a striking resemblance to the toyetic take on Gotham City present in Joel Schumacher's much-maligned Batman duology from a few years prior. A gang of cartoonishly-dressed thugs crash a lavish party and start causing havoc, only for our main trio of unlikely heroes to rush in and try to save the day-huge emphasis on try.
Although the movie's main group of heroes starts to grow large as the film progresses, we start out with three down-on-their-luck blue collar boys who do possess superhuman abilities, but have unimpressive methods of utilizing them. The de-facto leader of the group is Roy, A.K.A. Mr. Furious (played by none other than Ben Stiller himself!), a 30-something bachelor who possesses superhuman strength, but can only utilize it properly when angered (hence his superhero name). Roy is aided by his two best friends; Jeffrey, A.K.A. Blue Rajah (Hank Azaria), a burnout with superhuman reflexes who squats with his elderly mother and attacks with a series of silverware while speaking in a faux British accent, and my personal favorite of the bunch, Eddie, A.K.A. The Shoveler (William H. Macy), a middle-aged quarry worker and family man with superhuman agility who makes his day job a part of his gimmick.
Roy and his buddies are trying desperately to make a name for themselves as amateur superheroes, but their lame gimmicks and lack of complex skills cause them to consistently be upstaged by the Superman-inspired Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear), who ends up doing so once again when he crashes the party and takes the glory from the underachieving trio. However, despite his obvious bravado and respect amongst the entire population, behind the scenes, Captain Amazing is anything but. He is in reality an insecure corporate lapdog who's sponsors (many of who he even displays on his suit!) have begun to dry up, on account of him being too good at his job.
Thus, in a desperate attempt to maintain relevance, Captain Amazing-as his civilian identity of billionaire lawyer Lance Hunt (another familiar superhero trope!)-convinces the public to release supervillain Cassanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) from captivity. Unfortunately, upon his release, Cassanova Frankenstein immediately betrays Captain Amazing, kidnapping him and hatching a plan to bring the city to its knees with his "Psycho-Frankulator" machine.
After the news breaks out, it's up to Roy and his group of friends to become the unlikely heroes they've dreamed of becoming in order to save Champion City from total annihilation. Along the way, they make their acquaintance with a group of fellow amateur superheroes, such as the flatulence powered Spleen (the late Paul Reubens), the aptly named Invisible Boy (Kel Mitchel), who's power only work when nobody is looking at him, and the Bowler (Janeane Garofalo), a young woman who-as suggested by her superheroine name-controls a bowling ball embedded with her dead father's skull with her psychic powers.
Fresh Off the Printing Press
While the concept of and characters of Mystery Men may sound like an original screenplay made by a group of party animals in their college dorms, the film actually began the same way as any other good superhero movie that you've definitely seen; as a comic book. Specifically, the film took loose inspiration from Flaming Carrot Comics, an underground parody comic created by American artist Bob Burden, which first entered publication in 1984.
"The original superheroes were like demigods from Mount Olympus;" Burden said while describing the genesis of his comic "Superman. Wonder Woman. They had almost a mythical origin. Then, usurping them was Marvel. In the early days, they were middle-class superheroes. What I did was usurp all of that, with blue collar, mill town, rust belt superheroes from the boondocks."
However, notice that I only said loose inspiration, as while many of the characters we see in the movie did originally appear in the comics, much of the focus wasn't on them. Rather, as suggested by the name, the main protagonist was a man who wore a mask that resembled...well, a giant, flaming carrot. The characters we see in the film never actually came into the picture until Issue # 16 of the comics, where we see early versions of them in one of the titular protagonist's flashbacks.
Initially, Mr. Burden found the idea of bringing his humorous take on superheroes to the big screen to be a rather ludicrous suggestion, mostly as a result of its obvious ridiculousness. "Because there was no good CGI back then," he further elaborated, "we were worried about Flaming Carrot coming out like that Howard the Duck thing, which was a complete disaster. This giant flaming carrot head was preposterous. In order to ride in the car, he'd burn the ceiling. It was a joke unto itself."
However, that idea didn't avert the interest of Dark Horse's Mike Richardson, who saw the potential in a film adaptation of Burden's work. He pitched the idea for a potential movie to producer Lawrence Gordon and Universal Pictures, who shared much of his sentiments. However, they all seemed to agree with Burden's sentiments of the comic's titular main character being rather unfilmable without looking completely ridiculous, hence the unanimous decision to switch to focus to the comic's supporting characters. Other small changes were also made, such as changing the name of the main city setting from Edge City as seen in the comics, to Champion City as we see in the film.
Initially, Danny DeVito was offered the chance to both star in the project and possibly direct it, but he declined, allegedly because he wanted to have creative decisions over who would produce the film's soundtrack. "It was a big deal for me." DeVito elaborated. "I really wanted it, so I walked away from the project." Star Ben Stiller was also considered to helm the project at one point, but he declined, as he considered the task to be too daunting.
Directing duties were ultimately given to Frenchman Kinka Usher, who had previously established a name for himself in advertising, having been behind the camera of many memorable ad campaigns of the 90s, including many of the Taco Bell ads that featured Gidget the Chihuahua. "I really wanted to create a world that was mine; that was my vision." Usher said about his involvement on the project. "I wanted to take all the elements that Bob created-all the characters-and sort of dovetail them into this vision that I had for this film."
In addition to all of the cast members listed above, other major cast members that joined the ranks included Wes Studi as The Sphinx, a veteran hero who becomes something of a mentor figure to the group, Eddie Izzard as Cassanova Frankenstein's right-hand man Tony P., and music legend Tom Waits as the group's mad scientist ally Dr. Heller. Multiple other notable stars make cameos throughout the movie as well, including Dane Cook, Dana Gould, and even controversial filmmaker Michael Bay! Vince Vaughn and Ving Rhames were also considered for undisclosed roles that were cut from the final film.
To Serve and Protect...and To Entertain
With the creative team officially assembled, Mystery Men had officially entered production. Giving the mostly fantasy-based setting of the movie, much of the movie's shoot did not occur in public, unlike the last couple of movies we explored on Stranger Sinema. Rather, Mystery Men took the rather typical Hollywood route of being shot on soundstages in Los Angeles, specifically on Universal Pictures' own Universal City soundstages. A lot of the movie's sets were even recycled from other productions, most notably Casanova Frankenstein's mansion hideout, which was previously used to portray Whipstaff Manor in Casper. Several set pieces from Batman Forever were even re-used; fitting, considering the movie's lampooning of the tropes of superhero movies at the time!
However, there was also as minority of scenes that were filmed in many nearby public spaces. For instance, the scenes set at the Shoveler's house were filmed in an actual house located on Nectar Street in the California suburb of Lakewood. Exterior shots for Blue Raja's house were filmed at another real house located at 1345 Carroll Avenue in Los Angeles, which was notably also a shooting location for Michael Jackson's Thriller! And The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in the nearby San Marino were used to shoot several scenes. This particular location had already been used in many other notable productions, including The Nutty Professor, The Wedding Singer, episodes of shows like Charlie's Angels, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Beverly Hills, 90210, and even in a Three Stooges movie! And it continued to be in use for many years after, having since been used for filming in movies like Serenity, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Iron Man 2, as well as episodes of The West Wing, CSI: Miami, Scandal, and The Good Place amongst many, many more.
Sadly, the shooting schedule for this superhero comedy proved to be anything but super. At least, if the words of the cast and crew are anything to go by. Usher, a first-time movie director, was met with a workload that might have been a bit too much for him to handle, which involved an ever-ballooning script with contributions from multiple writers. He also experienced difficulty with a lot of the cast members, many of whom were quite opinionated. Most notably, in an ironic reflection of Mr. Furious and Captain Amazing's on-screen tension, actors Ben Stiller and Greg Kinnear actually got into a heated argument in real life as well, causing stalls in the production.
"It was a first-time director-a guy named Kinka Usher-who was a brilliant visual guy and does a lot of commercials, but was not an old salt, and he had to be a daddy to a bunch of ego-y actors running around, wanting their funniest bits in." Hank Azaria explained, reflecting on the film's difficult shooting schedule. "So, it was...there were some hilarious moments where, y'know, there we are dressed as these ridiculous superhero characters, having very heated arguments about what we should be doing or saying, and we'd take two steps back and go, "What are we doing, I have a turban on, I'm throwing a fork, and I'm yelling about what I think would be the funnier way to throw it at somebody." It was just ridiculous. But it was a long, technical, difficult shoot, and I think it could've come out better if we'd all found a way to have more fun with it."
Janeane Garofalo had similar words about the shoot; "It was very long hours, and we got very little accomplished. It was one of those alleged "blockbusters" that was overbudgeted and overhyped. It went from being a fairly great script when it was sent to me to being-in my opinion-a fairly mediocre non-event."
And in a tragically ironic twist of fate, once the film was finally released to theaters, it seemed that much of the general public at the time would end up sharing a lot of Garofalo's thoughts on the movie.
Only a Man in a Silly Red Sheet
After a not-so-super shoot and post-production, Mystery Men took flight at the box office on August 6th, 1999. And in an ironic twist of fate, it crashed and burned. The film failed to break even, only managing to make back around $33 Million of is $68 Million production budget.
Several culprits were blamed on the film's box office woes; much of the blame was put upon the film's marketing, which inconsistently explained the film's tone to the general public. Was it supposed to be a kiddy family movie, or was it something aimed more towards teens and adults?
Perhaps the most damning piece of evidence, however, was the crowded release schedule of the summer of that year. Blockbusters such as Star Wars Episode 1, The Mummy, and Disney's Tarzan had come in to eat the lunch of many smaller films released that summer, including Mystery Men. It also didn't help that the film was released close to American Pie and the early viral hit that was The Blair Witch Project, as well as on the same day as the critically-acclaimed The Sixth Sense! Notably, the film also shared its release date with The Iron Giant, another cult film that experienced similar box office woes (and a potential future topic for Stranger Sinema).
"All these big movies got scared by Star Wars at the beginning of the summer." Bob Burden reflected. "I think if they'd have released Mystery Men at a different time, it would have found it's marketplace."
A lot of retrospective reviewers have also pointed out another reason for the film's financial failure, which I personally find to be rather ridiculous. Many of these retrospectives claim that the film was released at a time before superhero movies had over-saturated the market, and where people had yet to become familiar with all of the cliches of the genre. The Schumacher Batman duology had just flopped, and superhero movies had yet to become a hot commodity again thanks to the following year's X-Men, with Sam Raimi's Spider-Man after that effectively proving that the genre would be here to stay for the next 20 years.
Personally, while I can see where they are going with this statement, I have to politely disagree. Many superhero movies at the time-such as Steel and the aforementioned Schumacher Batman films- had started to become infamous for their low quality and often seen as the butt of many jokes in online circles. And I feel that Mystery Men had been made as a response to this new bandwagon; jumping on an opportunity, as they say. With this in mind, I feel that Mystery Men had every opportunity to be an excellent "Take That!" towards the low-quality superhero flicks that everybody could've easily laughed with.
But, as it stands, it would seem that Mystery Men itself would ironically face the same unfortunate hardships that its protagonists did; being overshadowed by the bigger, corporate tentpoles of the world. Thankfully, it would seem that much of this has changed for the better in recent years.
If You're Bundled up Now, wait 'til You get Older!
Indeed, while the Mystery Men's maiden voyage may not have been met with the eyes of the general public, it would seem that this group of superhumans that could have finally been getting the recognition they deserve. Over the years, Mystery Men has managed to achieve the honor of being a cult classic, with a legion of adoring fans that continue to enjoy it's laughs and charm that seems to grow with every passing year. Especially during the Social Media age, where the once-dominant superhero genre has sadly been slowly losing steam (At least, as far as the big titans of DC and Marvel are concerned; other company's works like Invincible and The Boys have become runaway successes).
And how couldn't it? Much of the general public has become well-aware of all the common tropes, cliches, and even tones of the most famous of the comic book titans. Much of the superhero successes nowadays come as a result of breaking the mold set by the Marvel Cinematic Universe by mixing new elements and concepts with the usual superhero story. And Mystery Men essentially did this exact thing BEFORE there was even an MCU!
It pokes fun at all of the more ridiculous elements of the comic book superhero with its exaggerated sets and kooky characters. And in doing so, it manages to create a style that's oddly become nostalgic for a lot of late 90s and early-to-mid 2000s kids like me. A lot of the characters in this movie honestly wouldn't look too out of place in a show from Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon from that time period! All of the wacky sets, costumes, and superpowers on display here give off the impression of not just a superhero parody, but also that of a live-action cartoon, and manages to create an atmosphere of quirky charm without coming off as too garish!
It also adds in a nice dose of scathing critique; specifically, that of over-commercialism and celebrity culture, done through Captain Amazing's not-so-amazing insecurities and motives. Many of these issues have become much more prevalent amongst the general public in the years since Mystery Men, especially in a post-COVID world, basically making Mystery Men a film that was also eerily prophetic. Captain Amazing can even be seen as a spiritual predecessor to The Boys' Homelander (they even look alike!).
But above all else, I feel that Mystery Men has become a favorite in recent years because it has heart. I compared this film to Ghostbusters at the beginning of this retrospective, and it's not hard to see why! Like in the titular protagonists of that film-as well as many others-the Mystery Men are a group of ordinary people with the world seemingly trying to knock them down every minute of the day. They are struggling to find a proper calling in life and are constantly knocked down by the snobby status quo. But in spite of all of that, they continue to keep going, and when the chips are down and the time arrives, they manage to beat the odds and come out on top, stronger and wiser than they ever were before! In a world where every "little guy" out there who's trying to achieve a dream or lifelong goal, and who is consistently pushed around by society's expectations, we need stories like these in order for us to keep our hope.
And it would seem that quite a few members of the movie's cast and crew are well aware of that fact, as they seem to continue to hold the film close to their hearts in one way or another, just as the fanbase has! Despite her initial trepidation towards the project, Janeane Garafolo seems to have developed a soft spot towards it over the years, with her character becoming a favorite among feminist groups. She notably kept her character's trademark bowling ball and claims to use it as a decoration for Halloween to this day! Some cast members have even been open to doing a sequel or prequal at some point, with Kel Mitchell having his own suggestion in 2023 with a prequel that explains a lot of the origins of the protagonists' powers.
Freakish Fun Facts
And with that, we've come to what has already become arguably the most important section of Stranger Sinema; Freakish Fun Facts! This is the part where, before we wrap up, we here at Something Niche share with you some of the strangest, funniest, and/or most interesting production facts about the movie being discussed. And here are some of the so-called mysteries that Mystery Men held behind the scenes!;
- At one point in the film, The Spleen accidentally causes a flaming barrel to react to his flatulence. The small explosion in the scene was a happy accident behind the scenes, as a plastic lighter was tossed into the barrel by a crew member and happened to explode while the scene was being filmed.
- Tom Waits was having trouble trying to memorize his lines on set, and he wrote them down on his hands. This contributed to his character's odd stance and mannerisms, much to the delight of Kinka Usher.
- Speaking of Tom Waits' character, the exterior of Dr. Heller's man-cave was yet another recycled set! It was previously used in the 1981 slasher flick The Funhouse!
- The film's soundtrack is notable for including Smash Mouth's "All-Star" a full two years before it received even greater attention after it was featured in the opening for Shrek! The song's music video even includes clips from the movie. The song was also briefly featured in Inspector Gadget earlier that same year.
- Giving the film's subject matter, there are several comic book references spread throughout the film. Most notably, at one point, Mr. Furious calls himself "Phoenix Dark" when asked his name by his love interest. This is a reference to the now-iconic Phoenix Saga from the X-Men comics.
- Shoveler's main method of combat has actually been taught during military training in the past! It mostly dates back to World War 2, where soldiers were required to dig their own foxholes and had to improvise just in case they could not get to their rifles.
- Back to Tom Waits. Much like his character Dr. Heller, he has gone on record saying that he often creates simple machines from scavenged junk. Though in this case, they are makeshift musical instruments.
- The Bowler's father's name was Carmine, which is also the first name of Janeane Garofolo's actual father in real-life!
What the Fork
So, in the end, it's truly no mystery why Mystery Men has gone from forgotten flop to cult favorite in the decades since its first flight.
It acts as both an affectionate parody of the superhero genre and a story about underdogs clawing the way to the top, simultaneously. Doing so via a group of quirky individuals rising up to become unlikely heroes despite the odds continuously falling to be in their favor, and they ultimately come out on top in the end.
It gives off cartoony vibes through set and wardrobe pieces that are both flashy and charmingly wacky at the same time, almost making us feel like an imaginative kid once again as we watch it. It's definitely the only place you'll ever see a Tornado in a Can!
But above all else, it's a movie that's aged like a fine wine. In an era dominated by algorithms, rampart corporatism, and questionable celebrities, it's messages and critiques have resonated well with modern audiences. And it's a story that tells us to keep persevering despite it.
Much like the protagonists within it, the movie itself has managed to pull itself up from the bottom, becoming a cult hit in online circles who crave more unique experiences as superheroes become increasingly commodified and tired. And I'm glad to have been among the many fans who have discovered it for the first time in recent years and would love to see more stories from this world. Of course, that might be a bit too much of a gamble giving modern Hollywood's lack of respect for legacy IPs in recent years. Perhaps a comic book or video game would do-if done right!
But what about you? Have you ever seen Mystery Men? What are your thoughts on it if you have? Are you interested in watching or re-watching it after hearing me gush about it for minutes on end? What are your ideas for a potential follow-up, unlikely as it may be? Share your thoughts in the comments and done forget to share this article and all the others on this blog on social media. I could use all the viewers I can get, and any shared article will help immensely!
Catch you all next time! Same Niche Time, Same Niche Channel!
Anderson-Minshall, Diane. “Janeane Garofalo Is Still the Voice of My Generation.” Advocate, Advocate.com, 1 June 2023, www.advocate.com/film/2018/3/16/janeane-garofalo-still-voice-my-generation.
Bennett, Tara. “An Ode to Mystery Men’s the Bowler, a Superheroine Ahead of Her Time.” SYFY, SYFY, 22 Sept. 2024, www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/an-ode-to-mystery-mens-the-bowler.
Dick, Jeremy. “Mystery Men Star Kel Mitchell Has a ‘fun Idea’ for a Sequel.” MovieWeb, MovieWeb, 23 Mar. 2023, movieweb.com/mystery-men-2-pitch-kel-mitchell/.
Fordy, Tom. “Mystery Men at 25: The Flop Superhero Comedy That Deserved Better.” The Independent, The Independent, 4 Aug. 2024, www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/mystery-men-movie-b2588706.html.
Staff, Bomb Report. “Mystery Men (1999): A Commercial Disaster.” Bomb Report, 17 Aug. 2019, bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/1999-2/mystery-men/.
Vaux, Robert. “26 Years Ago, This Forgotten Superhero Movie with a Hilarious Cast Beat Thunderbolts to Its Own Punch.” CBR, CBR, 16 May 2025, www.cbr.com/mystery-men-thunderbolts-similarities/.
Weiss, Josh. “How Mystery Men Was Inspired by a Zany Comic about a Superhero with a Combustible Carrot Head.” SYFY, SYFY, 16 Apr. 2024, www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/how-flaming-carrot-comic-led-to-mystery-men-film.
10 Things You Didn't Know About Mystery Men
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