Review: MYSTERY TEAM

“Mystery Team”, the brainchild of the Derrick Comedy crew, is one of those special films that captures the magic of a great ‘who-dun-it’. With some Nancy-Drew-like protagonists mashed in alongside a harsh R-rated crime world, the concept flows perfectly. The three protagonists are members of the infamous neighborhood kid detective squad known as The Mystery Team. Jason (Donald Glover) is the group’s master of disguise, Duncan (D.C. Pierson) is the smartest kid in class, and Charlie (Dominic Dierkes) is the strongest kid in town. Together the trio solves insignificant “mysteries” around the neighborhood, like who stuck their finger in the pie, or where that missing kitten wandered off to. The group is all grown up today, and still doing just what they’ve always done, that is, until a little girl down the street asks the Mystery Team to find out who killed her parents. Jason, Duncan, and Charlie embark on a quest to find the killer(s) and discover along the way that the town they thought they knew when they were kids may be a tad seedier than they thought.

The protagonists are what make the film the great little raunchy adventure that it is. The naivety of Jason, Duncan, and Charlie contrasted with “gentleman’s clubs” and coke dealers, works as a great concept and is executed perfectly. The magic of “Mystery Team” resides in its nicely paced, and witty story. The script is top-notch and packed with punch line after punch line with a bit of physical comedy too. The entire plot seems like its been crafted to please the audience the whole way through. It’s obvious the script was carefully written by D.C, Dominic, and Donald, who have pulled out all the stops, throwing in one great idea after the other. The film oozes with the trademarked outrageous situations that put Derrick Comedy on the proverbial Youtube map.

Director, Dan Eckman does a more than adequate job of putting the story on celluloid. Considering the relatively small budget the film looks professional and polished. There are some excellent sequences like a late night squabble in a baseball field that stands out as one of the best looking scenes in the movie.

The film is a kind of spoof or tribute to mystery films, yet remains rooted in a traditional narrative. The humor exists in the awkwardness of the always out of place characters without letting Duncan Charlie and Jason wander too far into being parodies. They’re out of place in a gritty realistic world, but maintain their own identities as people the audience can still relate to, being the sweet underdogs they are. The references to classic noir films as well as mystery films of the 50’s exist in just about every scene. There’s also a subtle subtext toward the second half of the film where it experiments with being a very sincere coming of age tale.

If you get the chance to see “Mystery Team” in the theater, don’t hesitate to check it out. This is one special ‘R’ rated comedy that’s sure to be a huge hit when it hits its DVD release. Be sure to visit www.mysteryteam-movie.com to see when “Mystery Team” will come to a theater near you. I can guarantee it will be more fun than fisting a steaming pile of gooey stripper turds.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars