Mystery Team (2009)

Derrick Comedy are on the brink of being the next comedy wave...hell in a lot of ways they already are with their shorts. Every other person involved with DC seems to be getting big time roles in major TV shows like Community to The Office...but we aren't reviewing their worth to the comedy scene as a whole we are reviewing their debut feature length film, Mystery Team.

There is a lot of promise in this movie, and some heartfelt laughs, but it might have been a tad to much for DC to handle with such little funds (as far as movies go) and lack of SCREEN WRITING experience and as the movie goes on the weaknesses turn from paper cuts to gaping wounds. DC tend to fall into a rut where they cant think of a funny situation to throw in the movie with the premise given so they throw in some misplaced fart, or rape, or poop jokes, and that coupled with weak acting leads to disastrous gaps in comedy.

The performances of the stronger actors in the film like Donald Glover, and Aubrey Plaza (Who from what I know isn't affiliated with DC outside this movie) seem pulled down by their weaker counterparts, and one can only a assume a few more shorts and a drama class or two couldn't have hurt them in preparation for such a major project.

Mystery Team does have to be taken with a grain of salt though. The movie is far from void of laughs, and at the end of the day it was 3 guys making a movie they envisioned and even though they I'm sure they'll even admit it was harder then they expected, it seems like they had a hell of a good time doing it.

On some lesser but still major faults Donald Glovers score is horrible, and the screenplay in itself has some serious drags in it, I know I keep bringing it up but people should know how important it is to keep a comedy going, moving and moving if there isn't A situation a joke could be going into, there should be plot development not just hit or miss one liners, that in this case often miss.

Im excited for the future of every main character in this movie....but as for Mystery Team as a whole a have to call it a lackluster movie with a heavy dose of one shot laughs.

Fmovies: 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 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.

Mystery Team fmovies. This movie had what many movies today do not.

It was funny.

It was well worth my money.

It had heart.

A genuinely funny movie that had me and the rest of the theater rolling at every joke, Mystery Team is the first of what I'm sure will be many feature length films completed by Derrick Comedy. The trio of actors easily compliment each other's comical timing to the point of perfection, not to mention the very visual style it was shot. I love the camera angles and moves, and over all it keeps the energy flowing throughout the story. This movie was not made on a big budget, nor was it done in the glamor of Hollywood. This movie is a portrait of legitimate hard work and dedication that culminated into a hilarious movie. I recommend seeing Mystery Team as soon as it becomes available to you.

I loved it. Loved it all over. I was on the edge of my seat, but I kept falling over with laughter. It was written in a way that was perfectly suited to the comedic voices of Bobby Moynihan, Matt Walsh, Jon Daly, Aubrey Plaza, etc but still maintained a really strong voice in and of itself.

Gun to my head, if I had to criticize it, I would say I could have used more Ben Schwartz. But I feel that way about EVERYTHING........

So so so good. I cannot say enough good things about this movie!!!! I feel as though any negative reviewers on here probably wanted to see a simple, straight-forward comedy and that it is not. It is an ethically challenging movie with really artistic choices and deep belly uncontrollable laughs.

Enjoy.

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.