Never in my life have I seen a more ridiculously innocent and politically incorrect R rated movie than Mystery Team. Did I mention how innocent it feels? The 40 Year Old Virgin is the closest thing to R rated innocence I can think of but Mystery Team takes the cake. Read more about the brilliant, comedic insanity after the jump.
The movie follows a trio of high school friends, Jason, Duncan and Charlie, who started a detective agency called the Mystery Team back when they were children. They never seemed to grow out of the Mystery Team phase from their childhood and are still continuing their mission to solve mysteries usually requested from small children and a mentally disabled person for 10 cents a pop. The high school rejects are then confronted by a little girl asking for their help. The Mystery: help find out who killed her parents and stole her ring. Although the mystery seems completely out of their league, the leader, Jason, reminds the group that no mystery is our of their league. He also has in mind the girl’s big sister, Kelly (Aubrey Plaza), who he immediately falls for but has absolutely no game to win her heart. Anyway, they readily take the mission and from there the movie turns into a wild, dirty, and comedic ride that will surely have you laughing.
This R rated Scooby Doo adventure had me going from start to finish. After hearing about it last year from many festival reviews I patiently waited for the day this would be released on DVD. My expectations were not only met but were actually exceeded by how innocent the acting and comedy was and yet how quickly it was able to turn dirty for spontaneous laughs. Overall this movie was impressive from start to finish and definitely surprised everyone that was watching it with me.
The acting was terrific by the three main characters: Jason-the master of disguise-played by Donald Glover, Duncan-the boy genius-played by D.C. Pierson, and Charlie-the strongest man-played by Dominic Dierkes. The characters are each ridiculous in their own part but nailed perfectly. Charlie is borderline mentally retarded and is hysterical every time he opens his mouth. Duncan, the somewhat down-to-earth character memorizes facts and tries really hard to be the smartest while Jason takes his disguises to a whole other level by playing on the words of the scenario which the disguise is called for and then for being completely politically incorrect.
The script itself was FANTASTIC! The three main actors who make up the mystery team actually penned the script and are much older than they appear in the film. Their naive dialogue couldn’t have been more in line with all those corny detective stories from your childhood but it is their ability to then take that and throw a mature R rated, real life style twist to it with the result being this amazing story and the audience roaring with laughter.
Director Dan Eckman (Checkout) did a great job directing this relatively unknown cast. His ability to craft their story and put his own stamp on it is what made this movie not only watchable but one of the better comedies I have seen recently. It is great to know that there are some good up and coming directors who know how to take a good script and maximize its hysteria on the screen. Lastly, the movie itself didn’t feel too long and the pace was appropriate for the type of story that it was. My hat goes off to Dan Eckman for a job well done.
One final aspect of the film I liked was the small details and how true the movie stayed to paying homage to the aforementioned detective stories and mystery shows. When you watch the movie you will see how they color coordinated everything, from the bikes they used, the cups they drank out of, and the clothing they wore. It is these small details which I have come to love in films and really appreciate the effort the director, writers, and designers put in to give the audience a little something extra to chuckle about. P.S. there is a great cameo near the end of the film.
Mystery Team is a terrific independent film that will win your heart if you can appreciate a good comedy. While some may get offended from the witty script, try to take this movie lightheartedly because there will be times where your jaw will drop from some crazy comments that come from left field but find a way to still make sense. It may not be the smartest comedy out there but it gets the job done. Mystery Team is now on DVD so buy or rent it if you can; I promise its amusing innocence will have a grip on you from beginning to end.
Rating: A genuinely clever, creative, insane, uproarious, and innocent indie comedy that will win your heart.
Tell us what you think of the review, movie, or trailer in the comments section below. Thanks.
Mystery Team Red Band Trailer
Recent Comments