Mystery Team

Mystery Team

source: Mystery Team

A comedy with a good concept, but it just doesn't quite deliver in the laugh department. Donald Glover, D.C. Pierson and Dominic Dierkes play three 18 year-old boys who peaked when they were seven years old. A master of disguise, a boy genius and a tough kid, together they formed the Mystery Team, who would solve petty, childish mysteries around town for a dime a pop. They were beloved at the time, but when they're still at it 11 years later, it's kind of sad. One day a little girl brings them a grown-up mystery: her parents were murdered. It's out of their jurisdiction (they're usually occupied with finding out who stuck their finger in an old lady's boysenberry pie), but, pressured to grow up, they take the case. The film gets some good mileage out of these juveniles getting mixed up in strip clubs and drug deals. And it has its share of fun bits and good lines. But, in the end, it all comes down to the fact that it's never funny enough. It just feels like the film misses too many opportunities. There's a sequence where two of the kids reveal to the third that they do indeed intend to go to college next year that demonstrates that the film could have been much more.

I enjoyed the ultra-low budget "Mystery Team" a whole lot, just like I enjoyed the equally low budget comedy "The Foot Fist Way." The concept is a great one--three grown men who used to be a locally famous mystery solving team when they were kids (like Mystery Incorporated or the Hardy Boys) but who never grew out of it. The jokes and the story are funny, but the premise isn't set up early enough in the story. It seems to me like a whole opening segment is missing--one that showed the Mystery Team as children solving at least one kiddie mystery and becoming famous for it. The refer to this history quite frequently, but it's never explicitly shown or explained. If you didn't already know (by reading a synopsis or the box) then you might be a bit lost the first half hour or so. But still, a pretty amazing job for a zero-budget comedy. UPDATE: I just watched the DVD with the commentary and learned that just such an opening sequence as I described above was filmed--one that showed the Mystery Team as kids, wearing the same clothes and everything. The Derrik people explained that "it just didn't work." Now I'm even more disappointed! It's even worse that this CRUCIAL SEQUENCE did indeed exist, and they actually edited it out! That's right--they purposely edited out the set-up to the high-concept joke that is the basis for the entire story! It's tantamount to editing out the first 30 minutes of "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" because you don't think it's all that important to show the audience that he was a wacky guy who time traveled from the sixties. (he's still funny, right?) Mystery Team would have made TWICE as much money ($10k?) if they had included the set up to their hour and a half joke. Coulda been a "10" instead of a "7." What an f up!

I was expecting "Mystery Team" to be more funny than it actually was, but don't get me wrong. It is a nice movie! The story in the movie was alright, and is good for some laughs. There are also lots of cheesy dialogue and odd moments, which all works well for the movie. Of the three main characters, I must say that I liked the Charlie character the most. His stupidity was hilarious. He had me cracked up, and the actor who played Charlie did a good job. Now at first, the movie seemed to be some kind of family movie, or a movie for a younger audience. But the movie quickly shows that it is not that kind at all. Just listen to the dialogue and the sometimes harsh language. The movie is, for me at least, the type of movie that you watch once, and never again. But despite this fact, if you like odd comedies then perhaps give "Mystery Team" a chance.

'Mystery Team' is a quirky little marvel. A concept that makes much more sense as a 10-minute comedy sketch is stretched into a 90-minute feature film and only really has one joke, but somehow it works. That speaks to the talent of creative minds behind the project. They manage to take a marginally funny idea that becomes stale rather quickly, and somehow, they will this whole vehicle to keep trudging forward. Like MacGyver rigging up the device he needs out of whatever is laying around, the guys from Derrick Comedy enthusiastically squeeze the last drop out of everything at their disposal and get the job done. The plot: three best friends work as detectives, calling themselves The Mystery team. For a hefty fee of a dime, the group will take on any case that comes their way, which is typically limited to the petty misdeeds of seven-year-olds. The team's exploits were charming when they were also seven, but they're now high school seniors, and their behavior makes them outcasts among their peers (but greatly amusing to movie viewers). That's the primary joke of the movie-these kids are too old for this stuff. They're awkward and immature. They still think girls are icky. There isn't much to the bit, but the filmmakers have an advanced sense of when to smartly weave in secondary story elements and hilarious supporting characters to keep things entertaining. All the actors appear very aware of what movie they're in. They play their parts without an ounce of self-doubt and just the right level of cheesiness. It becomes apparent very quickly that while the movie is dumb, it's made by smart people. It leans into its own absurdity. The actors are playing 18-year-olds but look 25 and act like they're seven. The Mystery Team members behave as if they're in a G movie despite all the debauchery from everything and everyone around them being decidedly hard R. The silly, small-scale hijinks is given reason to become a full-length movie when a sad little girl asks The Mystery Team to solve her parents' murder, and they find themselves involved for the first time in a very adult case. Relying on their usual tactics and disguises, they manage to make impressive progress on the mystery, despite looking ridiculous every step of the way. That's part of the brilliance of this movie. It's ridiculous because the characters are ridiculous, and it knows that. Many of jokes don't land because they aren't meant to. They're meant to emphasize how goofy and awkward these wannabe detectives are in every human interaction. It's obvious from watching this film that the creative team members were capable of more. Glover became a superstar and the other members of Derrick Comedy all found their niche in writing or performing. Many of the supporting actors also landed more lucrative roles in movies or TV. This is by no means a classic. The stars may look back on this and cringe, but they shouldn't. It's a better movie than most will give it credit for, and it's the one that will live on as what was a sign of greater things to come for this talented ensemble.

The gist of the movie is explained plenty in reviews before this one so I won't get into it. Instead I just wanted to throw in my two cents in an effort to help guide other IMDb visitors. I picked up Mystery Team with a "free movie" coupon but I still feel like to wasted gas running out to pick it up. I made it through the first 20 minutes or so but man, it's really unwatchable. YouTube-length DERRICK comedy clips are great and I can appreciate the time and effort that go into them. The cast is great, the content is definitely original and they are generally hilarious. But the comedy just didn't translate to a full feature-length flick. Maybe things really picked up in the next hour?

Hilarious. Cute. Adorable. Hard hitting action. Swear words! This movie has everything. Seriously, Comedy Examiner said this was the funniest move of 2010 (June writing) and I seriously agree. I saw this sketch comedy team on YT and they were very, very funny. Yet they rose to new heights by combining my favorite genre as an 8 year old with world weary modernism. I just wish that my favorite SNL characters would have made a film in this vein. It's funny; very funny. It's fresh and it hasa lot of heart...then spleen, then kidneys. Best of luck to these guys and looking forward to the sequel.

Not sure why some people hate the movie so much. Of course this isn't a family film and the movie is not to be taken so seriously. I suppose that a movie can't please everyone. I for one am a fan of Derrick Comedy and this was good time spent. I hadn't laughed from a movie as much as I have after watching this one. Although I did feel that one of the main three characters was left out, it actually portrayed what the character's personality was. The first couple of minutes didn't make the movie seem that great, but as the story progresses, it gets better. As for the plot itself, it's not what makes the movie good. This movie is a comedy, and for what comedies do, it was spot on. In the end it's going to be up to you to decide whether you like it or not, but I for one recommend it. Maybe it's because of all the hours I've been awake so far, but I was laughing the whole way through.

I really enjoyed this film. Going to see it with DC and Dominic there probably did add to the experience and overall enjoyment of the film, so there probably is a slight overrating, but this movie was still very good. The mix of innocence, immaturity, and real world situation made for a wildly entertaining and hilarious movies. My friends and I tend to quote movies we like, and this movie is full of great quotes. There really is no down time, and the story progressing consistently on top of it. A perfect mix of bizarre twists and turns, outlandish situations, and keeping on track with the story to be told. I was expecting a funny movie, and was completely blown away. I spent probably around $50 dollars to see this movie twice in it's weekend in Seattle (with food and ferry ticket), and the experience was well worth it. Treat yourself and rent this once it is out on DVD. Actually buy it, It's worth the money.