Mystery Men (1999) – Hard to believe somebody made a superhero parody movie back when nobody was making superheroes to parody. Based on Bob Burden’s Flaming Carrot series, this Mystery Men are a bunch of low-budget wannabe superheroes. Ben Stiller stars as Mr. Furious whose power is to get angry. Also starring are William H. Macy as The Shoveler, who shovels really
well, and Hank Azaria as the faux-British cutlery flinger, the Blue Raja. Tom Waits is part of an eclectic ensemble cast along with Janeane Garofalo, Paul Reubens, Greg Kinnear, Eddie Izzard, and Geoffrey Rush. Waits plays Dr. Heller, one of the few characters directly taken from the comics. He’s a scientist who lives in a junkyard and hangs out in nursing homes to meet women. Heller invents the weapons the Mystery Men use, including Canned Tornadoes and Blame Throwers. It’s a small role, but he fits in perfectly to the overall weirdness.
